I set up a 4-day trip years ago and my SO requested the time off. Denied. Changed the reservation, paid a fee and again denied. In fact, every weekend in June through August was denied due to "seniority" and other employees taking their vacations.
I changed the reservation again (and paid another fee) and told my SO the dates they'll be sick.
We called early in the morning on the way to a great trip. It felt great. FAFO
When I take vacation, I always phrase it as "I am taking vacation from X to Y". Requesting time off for vacation you're owed is such a scam to allow people with little power feel like they can control you.
Yeah, I had a manager try to pull "You'll need to find coverage for the day." I'll ask around, but that kind of sounds like your job. Everybody said no to me, so it's going to be even harder for you. Best of luck!
I had a manager try that with me back in the day when I was one of the more reliable people at my job. They told me that if I didn't find coverage I might not have a job when I come back.
They didn't appreciate me calling their bluff and saying that I'll be sure to give them a call when I get back to see if I still have my job.
Yup, this is how I do it. Had ONE manager try the whole "we actually NEED you to come in, we don't have enough coverage" thing the day I was scheduled to start my vacation, so I sent them a picture from the window of the plane I was on.
It entirely depends on the particular workplace and what is involved, but either way a decent manager should work with you.
"John, Sarah, and James have already asked for that time off, and we have to have someone in the shop. Would you be able to change to this time to this time?" And you never, ever, ever call someone in when they are on PTO. If you, as a manager, okayed it, it's on you if there's not enough coverage for whatever reason.
In fairness, I work in Search and Rescue, so operations like mine and other emergency-related workplaces can't just be like "Oh well, I guess we won't have coverage that day, Joe wanted to go hunting." If you work in an office and your work literal lives aren't depending on you and others being there, then managers should work around it as best they can.
You may work in Search and Rescue but that doesn't mean they can steal from your paycheck. In workplaces that give you a set amount of time off, that time off is treated like money you are owed. If you are fired or quit, they have to pay you out.
They literally owe you the time off. You earned it. If they don't let you take it when you need it, it's like they're not paying you for work you already did. Would you accept that? I'm guessing no amount of guilting ("it's Search and Rescue!") would convince you to give them back your paycheck.
It's their fault if they don't hire enough people for you to take a vacation. Not yours. You have to be rested in order to do all the tough aspects of your job, or people could die. Think of it that way.
That's how I approve time off. I realize people have dependents and school vacations and shit, so - if it even comes to that - I'll ask if they can move it. But I see their 'request' more as a notice that they'll be away, because they can always be 'sick'. So I'm trying to preserve the trusting relationship instead.
Because honestly, the world will keep turning even if we miss that arbitrary deadline by two weeks. Or six months.
They don't give us enough vacation time anyways, everyone should be maxing their sick days too. Assuming you're not someone prone to actually getting sick.
So, in my country (I believe it's the same in the rest of the EU), we have fixed amount of PTO days every year (the amount depends on your contract, but, like pay, it cannot be below 4 weeks), and you HAVE TO USE THEM.
Some people try to build up PTO reserves for whatever reason, and usually their employers have to force them to take time off.
That sounds like you're not being a team player. It is absolutely vital that we maintain a skeleton crew because your manager's bonus is dependent on cutting payroll to the point of nonfunctionality.
