She exclusively spoke to PEOPLE about her philosophy surrounding work-life balance
At first glance, you might think that this Gen Z manager is the type to turn down any time off request that crosses her desk.
But if you dig deeper, you'll find a solid reason behind her decisions -- one rooted in empathy, trust, and a commitment to her team's well-being.
Elizabeth Dempsey-Beggs went viral on TikTok after sharing insight into her managerial philosophy, explaining that she doesn't want her employees to submit time off for anything other than vacation or personal pleasures.
Dempsey-Beggs said she has denied time off requests in the past for medical emergencies, family issues, and other major life milestones -- but for good reason.
The 28-year-old knows the importance of work-life balance and believes time off is meant to recharge and be used accordingly, not to handle life-changing events.
Instead, when her team needs a day off for personal reasons, she simply tells them to take all the time they need -- without "HR involved."
Her approach to managing time off requests is certainly unconventional. While many managers may quickly approve requests for personal time, this director of sales is a little more discerning and always keeps the bigger picture in mind.
Dempsey-Beggs currently leads a team of outside sales representatives, but has diverse leadership experience, including serving as an Armor Officer in the Army.
"I had two phenomenal leaders when I was in the Army - as well as some bad ones - but when I was a new mom, my husband and I were both in demanding roles and on call 24/7, there were a few times we had to play rock, paper, baby to decide who was missing what to take our newborn to her appointments," Dempsey-Beggs tells PEOPLE exclusively.
One time, her Owlet Sock sounded an alarm indicating that her baby, who was with their nanny, was not breathing. Dempsey-Beggs was heading into an important meeting and called her husband to see if he could leave and check on their daughter.
Dempsey-Beggs' boss noticed her nervousness and pulled her aside, asking what the alarm was. When she explained, he immediately sent her home. "I told him it was fine; my husband was almost there already, but he reminded me that there is nothing more important than family," she recalls. "A meeting can wait, but a baby can not."
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Her time in the Army taught her valuable lessons about leadership that carry over into her career today. "My role is not to have people working for me, but to work for everyone who is on my team," Dempsey-Beggs explains. This belief in servant leadership defines her management style, which focuses on fostering a culture of trust and communication.
"I ensure my team feels heard and supported," Dempsey-Beggs says. "I often ask them for feedback on a variety of topics, including my leadership, the company's growth and goals, any place they feel there can be improvement, etc."
However, when it comes to managing time off, Dempsey-Beggs tries her best to balance empathy with practicality, emphasizing the importance of maintaining performance and clear communication.
"I do not see my team in person every day because they are out seeing clients," she explains. "I have no way of knowing what they are doing with every hour of their day. It is a performance-based role, so as long as the work is getting done to or above the standard, there are no issues."
Although her approach is flexible, it is also results-driven. "When I hire, I try to weed out anyone who would take advantage and not perform well with a large amount of freedom," Dempsey-Beggs admits.
She looks for self-motivated individuals who can handle their workload without constant oversight, but also recognizes the need for downtime. "If you came into work when your parent was in the hospital dying, to sit in a meeting because you couldn't take the time off - you are not actually at work, at least not mentally, and what good is that to anyone?"
Dempsey-Beggs understands that rest and taking care of your mental health directly impact performance. She strongly believes that "if you don't recharge, you can not perform." She encourages her team to use their time off for fun, pre-planned activities, rather than unexpected life events.
"Things that can be planned, great, take time off -- that's why you have it," she says. "But imagine saving up and paying for a vacation to Europe for years, your whole family is going at the same time and then your child gets sick or you lose your pregnancy and have to use all your time off while in the hospital, or your appendix bursts at lunch on a Tuesday and there goes all the time."
As a mother of four toddlers, her message is clear: balancing work and life is crucial.
"We work to live, not live to work. Society was set up for a family to have a stay-at-home parent, you know, someone who can be there when the plumber comes, who can go to the bank during banking hours," Dempsey-Beggs tells PEOPLE. "But the reality is, many people do not have that and can not have that, so all of the house and what I call 'life work' has to be carried alone or divided between a couple."
Dempsey-Beggs understands that many of her team members are juggling personal responsibilities outside of work, making it feel like they never have time for themselves. "Many people are not 'off' when they leave work, they are simply starting a new urgent to-do list, leaving them almost no time to recharge," she emphasizes.
One thing that stands out in Dempsey-Beggs' approach to time off requests is that she never asks for proof. "If someone is lying to me, it's because I have not built up trust or have done something to make them feel like the real reason is not good enough," she explains.
Dempsey-Beggs' approach reflects her understanding that life is unpredictable, and personal emergencies can't always be planned. Her ability to be flexible in those situations helps build a team that trusts and respects her leadership.
"If you were forced to come in after your dog was hit by a car or risk losing your job, I would assume you'd be looking for a new job ASAP and have mentally clocked out of this one," she highlights.
For other managers struggling to balance empathy with the need for high performance, she urges them to consider one question: "Do you want an employee that resents the company, resents you, and is going to do the bare minimum or, do you want to build a team that will take care of the company because they take care of them?"