Taking annual leave on-site, on-call, and general boundary issues with employer

SillyOne
SillyOne Posts: 96 Forumite
edited 24 October 2016 at 7:46PM in Employment, jobseeking & training
I requested a day of annual leave to use for doing coursework for a course I am taking that is related to my career development, but not specifically relevant to this employer. Due to timescales of the course and workload, it was the only day I could take the leave.

However, due to unexpected absence of others I would have to cover for, boss was ready to cancel the holiday. I really need to do that coursework so offered to come in "on the quiet" and do the coursework (on my own equipment) in our lesser-used other building so people wouldn't know I was around, and be "on call" with the boss in case anything came up. As it happens, I wasn't needed during that day (but didn't get to fully concentrate either).

Since then there seems to always be an expectation of being oncall during leave (including having to give a phone number for an exam I was taking, which taking the phone call during the exam would mean forfeiting it- they didn't call, but didn't give 100% either as I was on edge about it). I don't think they are doing it deliberately to "sabotage" my chance of "escaping" or whatever.

How should I have handled it differently and what to do now?
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Comments

  • ohreally
    ohreally Posts: 7,525
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    If you're on-call you're not on A/L, you need to make this clear. I suspect they see you as a doormat now, time to assert your self.
    Don’t be a can’t, be a can.
  • PasturesNew
    PasturesNew Posts: 70,698
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    It's outrageous, you need to leave.

    Re phone/exam, give them the number, but turn the phone off the night before .... and if they did try to call you say you must've been in a poor reception area that night - and, on the day, say all phones were confiscated to prevent cheating.

    Look for another job. Tell them you can't do their odd requests any more.

    Lie, make it up .... but stop being their biatch
  • paddyrg
    paddyrg Posts: 13,543 Forumite
    You're on leave, or you're on call, you can't be on both.
  • Darksparkle
    Darksparkle Posts: 5,465 Forumite
    Next time don't offer.
  • duchy
    duchy Posts: 19,511
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    Why were you on edge. Phones aren't allowed in exams so you wouldn't have had it on you anyway.

    You don't have to say what your plans are for AL anyway, it's none of their business so just say you'll be away.
    I Would Rather Climb A Mountain Than Crawl Into A Hole

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  • Kynthia
    Kynthia Posts: 5,665
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    edited 4 October 2016 at 7:48AM
    You agreed the first time because you really need that particular day and your boss needed you that day and was prepared to cancel your leave. I'm guessing that isn't the case for every day so you say no to being on call anymore. Anytime they ask you to be on call during leave say no and offer to cancel the leave if they can't do without you tgat day and ask when they can. This should break tge cycle.
    Don't listen to me, I'm no expert!
  • SillyOne
    SillyOne Posts: 96 Forumite
    Regarding a phone in the exam - yes, as you say, mobiles are banned and have to be put in a locker etc. The number I gave was the land line for the exam venue itself, that someone from the venue could contact the exam invigilator to pull a candidate out of the test - intended for genuine emergencies like wife about to give birth I imagine!
  • 74jax
    74jax Posts: 7,921
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    Your title is misleading. You didn't have to take it on site, you choose to.

    Next time I would put in annual leave and just take it. If anything is mentioned prior to you going off then don't make excuses or make something up, just say you are on AL so you can't cover.

    You also gave the number of the exam venue, so put yourself in that position.

    Be assertive. But don't blame them for something you have told them you will do.
    Forty and fabulous, well that's what my cards say....
  • emsywoo123
    emsywoo123 Posts: 5,440 Forumite
    SillyOne wrote: »
    Regarding a phone in the exam - yes, as you say, mobiles are banned and have to be put in a locker etc. The number I gave was the land line for the exam venue itself, that someone from the venue could contact the exam invigilator to pull a candidate out of the test - intended for genuine emergencies like wife about to give birth I imagine!

    Am I missing something... why on earth would you give them this number?! :o
  • SillyOne
    SillyOne Posts: 96 Forumite
    edited 2 October 2016 at 4:39PM
    emsywoo123 wrote: »
    Am I missing something... why on earth would you give them this number?! :o

    Sorry, I didn't make that clear. I gave them that number as a "sop" or "accommodation" to being able to take the time off for the exam; if I'd been uncontactable my feeling is that time off would have been refused. Then I would have forfeited the fee for the exam and had a "fail" (no show) on my record. I didn't think they would actually have the gall to phone!

    I've submitted holiday requests before and had them "unofficially" (e.g. on a print out of the email I sent) denied with 'Suggestions' for other days or just NO - WE WILL BE WORKING ON THE TTP PROJECT ALL OF APRIL or such like.
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