Issue regarding taking vacation time at work

[Myothername]

I have been at my job for 5 years and as a result I now earn more vacation each pay period. I only take about a week at a time once or twice a year and I make provisions for my duties to be covered by spreading it around to several people so no one person is put out. I also take several some long weekends, 1 or 2 days at a time. When I do that I don't ask anyone to take over my duties and I just double up on my work before and after the time off.

I work with several people who never take vacation and then complain at the end of the year that they are going to lose vacation time. Our company does allow us to roll over quite a bit of vacation time each year but I don't like to accrue weeks of vacation time. I like to take it. I do keep about a week of vacation time in reserve for emergencies but otherwise I take my vacation time. I figure if they are going to give it to me I am going to take it.

Here is the problem. I took a week off the end of January. I am taking a week off the beginning of June. Last month I asked to take off the day before Memorial Day weekend. My boss acted like it was a big deal and said I needed to check with my coworkers to make sure they didn't want that time off. Well, they are supposed to put in a request for time off and I figure first come first serve. But I did go and ask and sure anough no one was wanting off at that time. She approved the request.

Now I am asking for 1-2 days in July. I checked the board where vacations are posted and no one was taking any time in July off. I asked her about it and again she made a big deal about it and said I needed to check with them. I just don't understand why I have to make sure someone else is not considering taking off work and just has not put in the request yet. I figure if they wanted that time off they would have already put in a request. I did ask and no one is wanting off then or at least they don't know if they are. I have not put in my request yet until I talk to my husband but it really gets under my skin that I have to make sure someone else didn't want that day.

Should I be upset about this? Anyone else run into this? I mean, they give us so many hours of vacation time per pay period and mine has recently increased. I feel that it is a benefit they want me to take. I don't abuse this. I take a day here and there ever couple of months. Before the January trip I don't believe I had taken off but maybe one day since last summer. So it is not like I take off time every month.

 

[tOSU]

Don't take it personally, just play the game & move on.

 

[Wishing on a star]

You are def. right.....
Your vacation should NOT hinge on the approval of the others.

HOWEVER....
I think it is one of the situations where 'this is how it is done here...'
You may not do anything but stir-the-pot if you try to say anything.

If there is a good opportunity to 'review vacation policy' at some other neutral and objective time... Like, annual review, etc... In total privacy... with a superior who might be reasonable... This might be an option.

But for now, if you are getting the time you need...
Tread lightly.

 

[wvjules]

The next time you go ask for time off say to your boss:

"I just checked the vacation board and no one else has requested these days so I'd like to ask for them off. They are July X and Y."

That way you let her know that you already checked the vacation board and maybe she won't ask you to go check with every person individually.

 

[Myothername]

The next time you go ask for time off say to your boss:

"I just checked the vacation board and no one else has requested these days so I'd like to ask for them off. They are July X and Y."

That way you let her know that you already checked the vacation board and maybe she won't ask you to go check with every person individually.

I did just that today when I was looking at taking a couple of days in July. She still acted like it was going to put her out which it will not. At the most there will be one less person to answer the phone and there are 5 other people to answer the phone.

Thanks for the advice. I am just going to keep doing it like I have been doing it but will ask everyone and their dog if they possibly in this lifetime would want to take the days off that I am looking at.

 

[Coconut36]

The next time you go ask for time off say to your boss:

"I just checked the vacation board and no one else has requested these days so I'd like to ask for them off. They are July X and Y."

That way you let her know that you already checked the vacation board and maybe she won't ask you to go check with every person individually.

I agree. In my workplace we did have to coordinate if others were off but I generally approached vacations/time off as:

"I have checked the team vacation board and nobody is off July 2nd-4th. I will be submitting vacation for those days. X project and Y project are in Z stage and will not need my immediate attention during that time. Susie has agreed to cover Project Space and Project Star if issues arise while I am out. Please let me know if you have any questions".

It was anticipated that we would present our time off and note how things were being covered in our absence and have that all worked out..then there was no question regarding who/how/what or concerns that there would not be enough people to handle things on a given day (we often had project calls, status calls..etc we had to be part of or run so you had to line up people for that or cancel them as appropriate). I was a Technology professional so for us it wasn't a matter of phones being answered but rather that depending on the development stage a project was in that someone was available to run the calls, answer the questions..etc as it progressed. We owned our deliverables and owned making sure we met our deadlines if we wanted to take time off.

ETA-One of my Directors was a micro manager and she was a royal pain when it came to time off. With her I had to make sure I covered all my bases when presenting my time off or she would question it or make it seem like an issue. When I came to her with all my ducks in a row she didn't blink and eye and said "no problem".

 

[ols386]

It does sound like your boss is making a bigger deal out of it than it needs to be, but since she is your boss, I'd just do like she asks, and as someone else mentioned, check the vacation schedule and check with your co-workers to make sure none of them are scheduled to be off, and then go to her.

If she still acts like it's a big deal, then I just wouldn't worry about it. As long as you did the checking, not sure what else you could do.

It doesn't sound like you are doing anything wrong.

Does your boss ever take vacation time? If not, maybe she's irritated that you do take vacation. If that's the case, then that is really her problem, not yours.

 

[DeaverTex]

I think you may be running into a corporate cultural issue here. The higher in an organization a person rises, the more likely he or she is to be the sort of individual who puts the welfare of that organization above his/her own, and that of any subordinates. Does your boss take vacations? If he/she does, are they treated as a big deal, with everyone having to work extra hard to sort of make up for them? That's a big clue here. Some supervisors don't take time off, and they don't understand why others do. Or they do take time off, but are almost panicky about the organization falling apart while they're gone.

You might ask a friend at work if they are also asked to "ask around". If they aren't, then -- and I don't mean to be alarmist here -- you may be in the spotlight for taking too much time off, at least in your boss' opinion. If they are, then it's a corporate culture thing and I really wouldn't worry about it.

Heck, the US is known as the "No Vacation Nation" anyhow. I swear, some folks just don't know how to NOT work all the time.

ETA: You beat me, ols386!

 

[eliza61]

Have you asked your boss is there a problem?

If she is acting as if your taking days off is an issue, why not simply ask her what the problem is?

Maybe she has a mistaken belief that you are off a lot.

 

[mickeyboat]

You aren't perhaps requesting July 2-3, are you, or 5-6? Taking days around "every" holiday is not going to sit well with your co-workers, who have probably not made plans this far in advance for their holiday weekends.

Now I am not saying it is right, but I can see how your manager might forsee a problem with the rest of the office.

 

[Southernmiss]

You aren't perhaps requesting July 2-3, are you, or 5-6? Taking days around "every" holiday is not going to sit well with your co-workers, who have probably not made plans this far in advance for their holiday weekends.

Now I am not saying it is right, but I can see how your manager might forsee a problem with the rest of the office.[/QUOTE]

I think you may be running into a corporate cultural issue here. The higher in an organization a person rises, the more likely he or she is to be the sort of individual who puts the welfare of that organization above his/her own, and that of any subordinates. Does your boss take vacations? If he/she does, are they treated as a big deal, with everyone having to work extra hard to sort of make up for them? That's a big clue here. Some supervisors don't take time off, and they don't understand why others do. Or they do take time off, but are almost panicky about the organization falling apart while they're gone.

You might ask a friend at work if they are also asked to "ask around". If they aren't, then -- and I don't mean to be alarmist here -- you may be in the spotlight for taking too much time off, at least in your boss' opinion. If they are, then it's a corporate culture thing and I really wouldn't worry about it.

Heck, the US is known as the "No Vacation Nation" anyhow. I swear, some folks just don't know how to NOT work all the time.
ETA: You beat me, ols386!

These are my thoughts. I worked in a corporate office where we were required to use up our vacation and had to put in for them early to be sure that people were left in the office to cover.

DH works in a place where he accrues leave. He's got enough accrued to take a year plus off (he's saving that to retire early). He takes maybe 2 weeks off a year, a few days at a time usually around a holiday, but not every holiday, maybe one a year.

I think I would look at someone funny if they were the first to request time around holidays off. Kinda gotta give and take to keep the peace...

ETA Have you noticed if others in the office are taking as many days off as you, not saying that what you are doing is excessive, just maybe compared to others in your place of employment.

 

[padams]

I worked at a firm where employees were expected to not use their vacation time. Yes, we were given vacation. No, we were not suppose to actually use it. Perhaps your workplace is similar. It's a corporate culture thing. Dh's company encourages employees to use their vacation time. However, one employee took a lot of Fridays off, and that did not go over well with her fellow employees and boss.

 

[dodukes]

You aren't perhaps requesting July 2-3, are you, or 5-6? Taking days around "every" holiday is not going to sit well with your co-workers, who have probably not made plans this far in advance for their holiday weekends.

Now I am not saying it is right, but I can see how your manager might forsee a problem with the rest of the office.

This! ..I can see where she may be asking only because it seems like you are asking for everyday around the holiday weekends. I am a big fan of first come first serve if thats how they do vacations but also sometimes its not fair to take all the holiday weekends the first month of the year and then there is nothing left for anyone to plan a little later. If thats not the case then I would just ask your boss what the problem is. I also took every single day and then some of vacation I was given.

 

[rwdavis2]

I guess I'm pretty lucky. I can pretty much use my vacation as I want to. (I've never asked, I just tell my supervisor when, and have never been told no in 17 years) We do the type of work where someone's absence rarely affects anyone else. Most of us are pretty much self-supervised in that we are told what needs to be done and not micro-managed.

 

[SC Minnie]

When I am planning to take days off I first look at the calendar where everyone puts their days, then I ask the people that back me up if they are going to be off but haven't put anything down yet, THEN I go to my boss and let him know. I tell him "I would like to take vacation days on xx days. I've already talked to Y and they are going to be here during that time for coverage." He says OK and I put it on the calendar. easy, peasy. We always talk to each other about major holidays months in advance.

My back-up gets 5 weeks vacation and I get 4 (will get 5 next year). We aren't allowed to carry over weeks or 'sell them back' anymore. If we don't take them we lose them. I'm taking every one of my days.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I don't get why the boss is telling you to ask other people first. What if someone did say, "Oh, I was planning on taking those days but I just didn't ask yet." What happens then? Does that person's request take priority over yours, even though you asked first? Is it based on senority, so the person with the higher position or most years of service would get the time?

Next time you encounter this, I would politely ask your boss to explain the vacation request policy. If she says, "Have you checked with everyone else yet?" I would say, "I seem to be confused about the policy. No one has signed up on the vacation board for that time. Is is first come, first served? Would you please explain how the vacation request procedure works." Then let her explain it. There's nothing wrong with asking a valid question. Maybe there is a procedure that you don't know about. Or, maybe she's making it up as she goes along and will realize that if she's asked to explain.

 

[Too Far From Home]

I work for a company that expects us to plan for our own coverage, so we talk before anyone puts in an official request. The official requests are submitted via email and coverage detailed, with the folks providing coverage copied. No chance for confusion, and everyone does it, so no favoritism.

I agree with the previous poster who suggested that this might be more a result of a boss who thinks you are taking too much time off. Do your vacation habits align with others in your office? Are you sure that you are not upsetting others, even if they seem agreeable when you ask them about your time off?

 

[Myothername]

Thanks so much for the advice. I don't usually ask for time off around a holiday because our business does not stop for holidays. If I take say the 2 days before the 4th of July then when I get back I will have 3 days of work to catch up on. I only asked for the day before Memorial Day because no one ever takes that day and my husband usually comes up at the last minute and wants to go somewhere that weekend. He cannot plan ahead for some reason. The dates in July I want are the 12th and 13th so it is not a holiday thing. I think it is just her. And, no, she does not take time off. But that is her problem. She has the ability to take the time off and someone to cover for her work. She is just one of those "corporate" people who thinks it looks better to never take vacation. I am sorry. I don't get paid enough to think that way.

 

[Too Far From Home]

I don't get why the boss is telling you to ask other people first. What if someone did say, "Oh, I was planning on taking those days but I just didn't ask yet." What happens then?

Where I work, we work it our among ourselves. We are all adults and expected to be able to resolve these things without management intervention.

 

[Myothername]

I don't get why the boss is telling you to ask other people first. What if someone did say, "Oh, I was planning on taking those days but I just didn't ask yet." What happens then? Does that person's request take priority over yours, even though you asked first? Is it based on senority, so the person with the higher position or most years of service would get the time?

.

I have wondered what she would do if this happened. Actually the only person who really needs to be here if I am off is my assistant and we work things out great between us. I don't know why she makes it such a big deal. But after July I probably won't be taking any time off for a while.