I Feel A Grump Coming On

Today (Friday) at work I put in an application to take a short holiday from work, of 6 days.

Since Christmas I have taken just four paid days holiday, so I didn't think I was asking too much, considering it is four months since I took those four days.

In June I took a week off work sick (for which I didn't get paid) because I suffered some pretty bad chest pains, but they were most definitely not a heart attack. I'd probably lain badly in bed and had pulled a muscle or something. Anyway, I was fine after that week.

When I presented my boss with the application for six days off, commencing Tuesday 27 August (26th being a Bank Holiday) he said he wasn't sure due to a staff shortage due to other staff being on holiday!!

Now I'm not being funny, but I'm approaching the age of 64, have worked for this company since 1983 and everyone else has had various holidays in Majorca, France, Florida etc, and all I want is a few days at home 'cos I'm knackered, having been totally cabbaged with a massive load of work to do over the last few weeks.

Don't get me wrong. My boss is absolutely brilliant, but I'm sure that my absence from work for a few days shouldn't be so significant to the running of the company, or am I so important?

Incidentally, I have another 21 days paid leave left so, if I can't take them now, when can I?

Re: I Feel A Grump Coming On

I was an employer for 30 years & one of the hardest things to do was spreading 30 or 40 or more people's holidays , usually 4 weeks each over 52 weeks..

I worked on a first come first served basis, not on length of service or position.

MOst want July or August & the sensible ones book their weeks in Jan or Feb.
The rest dilly dally all year & suddenly decide in MId August that they want some time off, when you I had already drawn a line & crossed out any more in that period, by Easter.
With no one wanting Jan _ March or October to December the remaining folks bunched up & some lost their entitlement by leaving it imposslibly late.

Mollie, reading that again Ihave given what may seem like an unhelpful reply, but it gives a perspective on the boss's side of things.

Re: I Feel A Grump Coming On

I think I have been blessed to have been employed, and self employed, when employed, such things as holiday entitlement, sick leave, length of service were big issues to ones self, when self employed, these same issues are non entities, it is good too see things from different perspectives.

Re: I Feel A Grump Coming On

As much as I sympathise Mollie I'm with Robert on this one. When you run a business it's in everyone's interest to keep that business running successfully and that means being fully staffed at all times. If you've just sprung your request on him and it makes it difficult for him to fully staff the business you can understand his reluctance.

Re: I Feel A Grump Coming On

As an ex employer as well, I've also faced this from staff and whilst I sypmathise that people are not always able to be off at short notice, a business has to have enough staff in on a daily basis to enable it to function to customer satisfaction.

Ask your boss when the first available date is for your break from work and hopefully, it will be relatively quickly. You did kind of drop it on him at the last minute and, given how long you've worked there, he most likely felt rotten having to say no.

Why didn't you get sick pay for your week off?

Re: I Feel A Grump Coming On

It was a bit of a short notice Mollie ,maybe next time during the full summer months get your request in earlier .

Re: I Feel A Grump Coming On

It seems hard, Mollie, but realistically it is short notice at peak holiday time. I agree that you should ask when the earliest time is that you can get a break.Would it be an idea to work out your holidays early in the year so you can space them out? At least then if you have a knackering time at work you will know when your next break is coming up. You could keep a few days in reserve for booking off at the last minute if possible.
I, too, wonder why you didn't get sick pay?

Re: I Feel A Grump Coming On

Having also been an employer for many years, I echo what Robert said.

Hopefully you'll manage to get your time off at some point, but in future I'd book it earlier in the year, especially if it is just for a break and not to actually go anywhere (in which case you may need it to be summer etc...).

Re: I Feel A Grump Coming On

Thanks everyone for your replies. It's sort of hard to explain really but, being a part-time worker with me it's either feast or famine when it comes to workload, and just recently it has been an enormous feast.

I do get what you're all saying, but I'm only part-time, and I can't believe that the whole company would revolve around me having a few days off. The electricians get to take holidays and believe me, when they're off, the juggling starts for the bosses and who am I? Just a typist/secretary.

The other two part-time ladies are the wives of both directors and are extremely younger than me by 30 years, and who have had several weeks off work on holidays.

I didn't get sick pay because I couldn't get to a doctor for a sick note, and I couldn't self-certify because I couldn't get to work as I was too ill.

Anyhoo, I'll just have to take what I can get, and hope it's soon.

Re: I Feel A Grump Coming On

Hope it IS soon, Mollie. Sounds as though you could do with it.