I literally told my employees back in the day that if for any reason a request was denied, just don’t show up anyway. I also never asked for a reason for the request. The building won’t burn down if you aren’t here. Just keep in mind that someone has to pick up the slack and pay it forward.
My direct boss always wondered why employees would come in on off days to cover shifts when I was there, but not him. Don’t be an ass, treat employees with respect, and surprise, surprise, people actually want to work.
Reminds me of my former employer. Would always give us time off when we requested it. Was always understanding if we needed time away or had issues going on that impacted us work. When I gave my 2 weeks notice I told him to call me if he needed cover as I knew him and his wife were going on holiday soon (the guy almost never takes proper time off). Nearly a month later he calls and mentioned one of his newer employees was out sick. Very enthusiastically agreed to come back for a week to cover them as I had started my own business. Lovely people and would always cover a skip like that in a heart beat. They’re few and far between.