I booked my 45th birthday off six months ahead of time and got written approval from my boss. Last minute, he scheduled an “urgent” client meeting that day and expected me to cancel my plans. I refused, citing my pre-approved time off and family plans that couldn’t be moved. “Work comes first here,” he said coldly.

That comment made my blood boil. I’ve been working at this company for eight years, rarely taking sick days, often staying late, and never complaining about extra responsibilities. But apparently wanting one day off for my birthday makes me a bad employee. I was tired of being treated like my personal time was worthless and my family commitments didn’t matter.

So I sent a company-wide email that I’d been thinking about for months: “After 8 years of dedicated service, I’m announcing my resignation effective immediately. I’ve realized that a workplace that considers approved vacation days ’optional’ and family time ’negotiable’ isn’t where I want to spend the rest of my career. To my amazing colleagues — you deserve better than this too. To management — I hope you find someone who’s willing to give up their entire life for a company that doesn’t respect basic boundaries.”

Within an hour, I had messages from coworkers thanking me for saying what they’d all been thinking. Three people put in their two weeks’ notice that same day. By the end of the week, our biggest client had heard about the mass resignations and was questioning whether our company could handle their account properly. Now my former boss is panicking about losing the contract that made my birthday meeting so “urgent” in the first place.

I feel vindicated but also nervous about finding a new job at 45. Some friends think I was too dramatic, while others say I did what needed to be done. Was I right to burn bridges like that, or should I have handled it differently?