I think you did the right thing there.
It's difficult to understand why people would have a negative stance on an employee being proactive and taking initiative, but I guess some people have an obsessive-compulsive need to have order in a certain way, whether it makes sense or not.
I knew a colleague who went to lunch and never returned to work, I think that's another level of bravery and risk-taking. She later got a job with a popular airline company, so I guess she was able to explain her past employment record convincingly😆