Time off requests at work

[Poohforyou]

Wow, that stinks. I don't think I've ever been denied vacation time. We have an online system to request days. As long as at least 1 member of our team is in the office each day it doesn't matter if the rest of us take time off. During Christmas/New year's we usually take turns so everyone can get some time off.

 

[cluvsdisney]

That stinks...do you think there is anyway you can trade shifts with someone? Is that even allowed?

 

[POOHsie]

Our small printing company only wanted 1 person per department on vacation at a time. So we worked it out among ourselves, keeping in mind who had off for the big holidays the previous few years. One time, the company created a mess for me. Months in advance, I asked for a certain vacation time for my 20th High School Reunion and it was OK'd. Months later, management decided to combine two departments into one department. It was about location within the plant; everyone still had their different job descriptions. Turns out someone from the other department had the same time off. If we hadn't moved into the same room, there would be no vacation conflict. But somehow since we were in the same room, the other worker technically had seniority over me. She was allowed to go on vacation, and my vacation time was rescinded. Long story short, I was upset and ended up putting in my resignation. After a few meetings with mgt, we were both allowed to go at the same time. It really didn't matter since we didn't do the same work, but it took a lot of discussion for management to see it that way. Sheesh!

 

[ronandannette]

We don't really have to request time off. We have a public calendar and you just go in there and write your name down on the days you want off. Our supervisor just asks that between us we all keep in mind not to take off the same days our backups. I've been there almost two years and there has never been any issues. They are also really flexible if you need to leave for a long appointment or I normally build up time during the week and take a 2-3 hour lunch every Friday to run my weekly errands.

Wow, that stinks. I don't think I've ever been denied vacation time. We have an online system to request days. As long as at least 1 member of our team is in the office each day it doesn't matter if the rest of us take time off. During Christmas/New year's we usually take turns so everyone can get some time off.

Our jobs are stressful and demanding and in recognition of that it is unwritten policy that no one EVER gets denied a vacation request. If you have the days in the bank you get them whenever you want - period. Little or no notice is fine too** and believe me, it makes for some difficult weeks in "prime time". We've never gotten to the point where nobody's showed up, but it's also policy that management personally takes up whatever slack is in their departments due to leave of any kind.

I can't really complain because I also used to benefit from this latitude but what it means for me now is that I basically work every Friday before a long weekend year-round and never take off extra time during the Holidays. My family has accustomed ourselves to only travelling in May or September as these are times that usually nobody else ever wants off.

** I have one employee that routinely waits until the task schedules have been published for the month and then takes off whichever day has the heaviest load for her. It makes me furious but since this conduct doesn't violate any policy there's nothing to be done about it.

 

[LBIJim]

Our PTO is still divided into sick, personal, holiday, and vacation days. Personal and vacation days can be taken as half days.

Vacation requests for the following year are due by early December. First choice within each department goes by seniority with the company, not necessarily by seniority with the department. But if you miss the deadline, you get what's leftover. The request forms (used to be on paper, now on the computer) want you to list specific weeks within a month, but in reality you can easily change those weeks within the month at a later time, or pick five scattered days within the month, etc.

My department has various amounts of vacation days available each month. (Rather, each period. January, April, July, and October are 5 week periods.) The five week periods have more vacation time available, but the other months vary widely. There's hardly any time in December. Other departments have different availability each period depending on their needs.

New hires are usually stuck with one week of January vacation for several years. Not really enough time to plan anything since the vacation schedule comes out in late December. We try to give everyone in the department a week during June, July, or August if they want one, but it's not always possible. The waiting list for a December vacation might be 15 years or more.

But vacation time is inviolable. No one is ever asked to postpone or give up their vacation time. It's already planned and budgeted for. If someone suddenly goes out on disability or maternity leave, etc., we work around it and make do the best we can.

I can't be on vacation the same time as my supervisor, and there are a couple of other similar restrictions based on position.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Retail sucks. You have no real leeway as far as time off.

Since graduating college and beginning my career, I think there was one time where we were told not to ask off -- during Y2K. I've been asked to work over holidays before, but got paid overtime for it.