Problem with booking holidays from work

Poppie68

Your employer has the right to deny your holidays on the grounds of staffing levels regardless of departments as usually staff can be moved if needed. There doesn't seem to be anything to suggest they have treated you unfairly and in fact have followed correct procedures after denying your intial request.. as long as it's in the businesses interest they haven't done anything wrong.

Southend1

Tracey52 wrote: »

OK, looks like I'll be handing my notice in and finding a new job then

You could just try looking for someone to cover your absence first!

But if you can afford to quit then why not?

When you hand in your notice don't expect anyone to beg you to stay and offer you the time off after all, just in case that was your plan.

DaisyKnight

I've had this with staff before and it's not nice to have to be the one to say no. As a rule I never ever declined a holiday request unless I absolutely had to however on occasion it did happen. Usually (unless your contract or handbook says otherwise) holiday is at your Manager's discretion. It doesn't matter what someone else is or isn't doing (you don't necessarily know their circumstances, there may be something going on that you don't know about).

You've asked, been told no and have been given a valid reason as to why your request has been declined. That's the bottom line of it. It goes back to the old advice or never ever booking or paying for holidays without getting the OK from work first. Very unfortunate in your case as it was a lovely surprise but you getting time off work should have been a consideration prior to booking.

I recall my OH booking a surprise weekend away for me some time ago. Luckily for me he'd met my boss (who was a decent guy) and he had the foresight to email him and ask if it'd be ok for me to have the two days off but asked him not to tell me. Once he got a reply saying it was fine, he booked the trip.

elsien

Tracey52 wrote: »

Lastly, I cannot see why another person is being allowed 4 weeks off for a holiday & I'm refused 2, surely this isn't fair ? Shouldn't ALL colleagues have the same rules ?

It is unusual for someone to have 4 weeks off, but may have been agreed as special circumstances - I allowed a member of staff time off over Christmas (which was usually a complete no-no) because of very specific one off circumstances. That does not mean that every one who asks will be allowed Christmas off, for obvious reasons. The rules may vary depending on time of year, who else has booked leave, first come/first served and various other factors. It does not mean that identical requests will always be agreed, whether that seems fair or not.
If you wish to feel aggrieved, that is your choice. I'm just suggesting that if you want your holiday so badly, and management have given you the opportunity to take it with a bit of effort on your part, then being proactive seems to be a far better option than complaining people aren't being fair.

DaisyKnight

I have to say, sometimes attitude makes a huge difference. Reading your posts (and I don't mean to cause offence) you come across as a little stroppy. This wont do you any favours with your management. You may not mean to come across that way but remember - others peoples perception is their reality.

Tracey52

OK,in reply to everybody who appears to think I'm moaning for no reason, I have worked for this company for 4 years and have always taken my holidays when allowed even if it meant missing out on family life because I had to take my time off in term time or when my partner had to work, I've understood that its usually 'first come first served' when it comes to getting time off, and I've many a time covered for other people so they can get time off when needed and also done overtime when asked, even when its meant having to pay extra for childcare etc, however, on this occasion, I have checked my contract, and read the company handbook over and over & my request is within the company terms, i.e, 2 weeks to be taken between april and october, I do not feel that I have been unreasonable in my request, especially as I've seen the same select few time and time again get everything they request . Also in the handbook it clearly states that seasonal staff are required to work at least 6 weeks in the summer & 2 weeks in winter & yet the manager refuses to call them in to cover holidays, so without a reasonable explanation as to why not ( which I have asked but had no reply) I still do not understand why the onus is on me to find my own cover when they know it will be difficult for me to do so. Can I also add that apart from wanting to enjoy a proper family holiday for the first time in years, I have also had the stress of finding cover myself to enable me to attend upcoming hospital appointments because otherwise I would be not only losing days pay but also running the risk of getting in trouble for having too much time off, even though I have no control over when the national health service arranges my hospital appointments.

Southend1

Your request was reasonable but so was the employer's response to it.

It's all very well checking your handbook but unless it says you can take any two weeks of your choice and management can't refuse then you haven't got a leg to stand on.

The manager will have budgeted for a certain amount of money for holiday cover and calling in additional seasonal staff will add extra cost which may not be within the budget.

The hospital appointments are a different issue. If you're having difficulty getting time off for them then it would be worth having a chat with your union rep to get some advice.

Poppie68

They havent denied you 2 consecutive weeks, they have denied those dates.

They have also gone as far to say "if you find cover come back to us and we will reconsider"..Most employers wouldn't even go that far and as yours have it is only fair that you do the legwork finding appropriate cover. Seasonal staff are there for the reasons of covering normal staff holiday levels around what is usually the busiest times of year, and not to cover employees that put special requests in.

NICHOLAS_2

Tracey52 wrote: »

OK, looks like I'll be handing my notice in and finding a new job then

I'm sure they'll find someone to stack their shelves easy enough

In all seriousness, sometimes this happens. When i worked for an sme it wasn't unusual to be turned down days off if one person was off on that day.

Poppie68

There is no automatic rights to time off for hospital appointments your contract/handbook should cover this...even if its not it is the employees discretion if leave is granted or not, if you have a disability than employers are usually more lenient with granting time off.