Work Problem, What Would You Do?

[mommanne]

Well, of course she went to her supervisor with a vacation request. Why would she go to a co-worker to get that approved? Only a supervisor can do that I would think.

Also, with all this talk of "she should have gotten the vacation approval first," I'm wondering if you already had your approval in place when you booked your vacation, or did you just assume that you would get the weeks off as you always have before?

Her being able to take vacation is dependent upon whether or not I'll be in the office, which is why her supervisor came to me to ask if it was okay that she take vacation she was requesting. Indirectly, her vacation time needs to be cleared by me and ordinarily she asks me before clearing it with her supervisor, if that makes any sense.

I'm really not a jerk, as some of you seem to think. If I'd told my boss about what happened today she probably would have been terminated on the spot because this debacle is just the tip of the iceberg with her.

Thanks everyone, I'll wait until I hear from the cottage-owner and I'll just hope he has availability in July.

 

[Minnie]

You certainly don't HAVE to, but I do believe it would be the gracious and "right" thing to do. Like I said, I doubt she picked the dates to spite you...it just panned out that way.

IMO if it comes down to the OP having to cancel her vacation (not able to switch weeks) then no I don't thnk it is the "right" thing to do. The OP has senority and standing vacation plans.

The co-worker should have checked vacation dates availability prior to making plans. I would never make definite date plans for anything requiring time off work without clearing it first.

OP - If you can't switch weeks, I'd tell the co-worker that you are unable to accomodate her do to standing non-refundable plans. Good luck!

 

[HOGFAN]

no offense, but at our work, vacations are round robin. For example, if you had a certain week off last year but someone else wants that same week this year, the second person gets it. It keeps everything fair.

 

[wowsmom]

IMO if it comes down to the OP having to cancel her vacation (not able to switch weeks) then no I don't thnk it is the "right" thing to do. The OP has senority and standing vacation plans.

The co-worker should have checked vacation dates availability prior to making plans. I would never make definite date plans for anything requiring time off work without clearing it first.

OP - If you can't switch weeks, I'd tell the co-worker that you are unable to accomodate her do to standing non-refundable plans. Good luck!

ITA!

 

[HelenePA]

ummm have you thought about this? you tell her too bad I have those weeks off she quits, then what? your up the creek too!

 

[aprilgail2]

I know you're disappointed and I understand that. But the way I see it, you've had those weeks for the last 2 years. It's her turn.


Think of it as the time period between Xmas and New Years. It would be totally unfair of the same person to monopolize this time every year.


.

Are you kidding? Vacations where I work go by seniority and after many years of crappy vacations I am at the point where I can get-and DO take Thanksgiving Week, Christmas Week, 4th of July week and a week in June and a week in August. Those are MY weeks and I will continue to monopolize them until I retire- seniority means everything! I was stuck with Feb and October vacations for many years, unless you have at least 10 years there you are not getting off any week that the kids have off from school! I would not give up my vacation weeks for anything, we pick a year in advance and I plan my vacations out at least that far in advance!

 

[kbkids]

ummm have you thought about this? you tell her too bad I have those weeks off she quits, then what? your up the creek too!

That's what I was thinking. Plus if she's as much of a you know what as she's described, she could easily wait until the last minute to quit just to make sure there isn't enough time to hire a replacement.

 

[Beth76]

Seriously though....you would pitch that big of fit over someone's wedding? I guess I just don't get it. If the shoe were on the other foot????

I don't really see how a wedding trumps vacation. Especially since this seems to be at least a second wedding.

ummm have you thought about this? you tell her too bad I have those weeks off she quits, then what? your up the creek too!

That's a good point too. Although if she quits now, there's more time to find a replacement.

 

[kbkids]

I don't really see how a wedding trumps vacation. Especially since this seems to be at least a second wedding.

That's a good point too. Although if she quits now, there's more time to find a replacement.

True, but a spiteful person wouldn't quit now. They would quit, say, um, the last week in July.

 

[HelenePA]

True, but a spiteful person wouldn't quit now. They would quit, say, um, the last week in July.

I'd quit the day before my wedding

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

well obviously your boss didn't think you'd have a problem with it, so she asked you, and you said "no problem" so it's your own fault. you could have said no.

but honestly?? this is a persons wedding. it's a very special day. i'm sorry, but you vacation is not as important as someone's wedding. you'll just have to do your vacation differently this year.

 

[kbkids]

I'd quit the day before my wedding

This is all bringing back so many memories for me. Having had my wedding date changed because of a coworker who wouldn't budge off a vacation. For the record, she admitted she had no plans - she just wanted Thanksgiving week off so she wouldn't have to find a sitter for the kids. After all, I didn't really have to go on my honeymoon immediately after my wedding. I could always just go some other week. Yeh, okay, whatever.

Anyway, I loved my October wedding!!

But, back to the story. I got a call two weeks before my wedding about a job coming open in another department. I posted for it without telling anyone, interviewed for it the day I got home from my honeymoon and came back to work on Monday to clean out my desk and move to my new position. Guess who didn't get to have Thanksgiving week off because they didn't have my replacement yet, and my supervisor couldn't be off the floor if I was gone too.

Now, honestly, I would have posted for that new job regardless of whether or not that happened, as I hated the position I was in. But it did make feel a little better how everything turned out.

 

[luv2nascar]

I'd see if I could get the rental another time if no dice. I'd tell her you are not changing your vacation. She could then take it up with the boss or change her wedding.

 

[fan_of_small_world]

...I am at the point where I can get-and DO take Thanksgiving Week, Christmas Week, 4th of July week and a week in June and a week in August. Those are MY weeks and I will continue to monopolize them until I retire- seniority means everything!

Wow, I'm really surprised that the company allows this to happen. Many companies won't allow one employee to hog all of the "good" weeks.

 

[yearbook50]

Wow, I'm really surprised that the company allows this to happen. Many companies won't allow one employee to hog all of the "good" weeks.

I know seriously. My company wouldn't let that happen either - although almost the whole department has Christmas Week off.

 

[bumbershoot]

Your co-worker is an adult and responsible for her own life and work schedule. If she started making wedding plans without checking with work that she could absolutely get that time off, then she is responsible for finding a solution or coping with the change herself.

Absolutely.

This isn't wedding vs vacation.

This is someone going full-on into wedding planning without even finding out if she could get those days off. Sounds like the supervisor isn't part of figuring out who can go when, and that it is solely between you and this bride to be. Since it is only between the two of you, she should have ASKED about this before starting to plan or choosing the dates.

I planned our wedding for almost 2 years; we stopped in the middle, got re-centered with our relationship and started again, in a new place and a date a year from our originally planned date. And NOWHERE in there did we ever *assume* that we would be able to get the time off. We made SURE that we could have that time off, before hiring anyone.

Ooh wait, but so should you. Hmm. But since you are the main person and she is to back you up, sounds like you get to be the first to decide anyway, so that doesn't really matter. She should have been the one to ask.

Consider this to be her asking.

And after all those words...she's planning on quitting, you KNOW she is. I quit my job while planning, still had dates set and plans in motion, then tried to temp and even got a full-time job when the temping wasn't working, but it was very stressful trying to figure out when I should ask for that time off, and wondering IF they would give it to me. I would never have assumed that they would. And since I hated that job I actually ended up quitting before it came close to asking for the dates.

She's probably doing this so that the company WILL fire her...


My wedding was very important to me at the time; it's what got me into and onto message boards and online journaling, and I obsessed with the best of 'em. But I NEVER would have assumed that DH or I could get the dates off, and I don't think you should bend on this.

 

[kbkids]

Wow, I'm really surprised that the company allows this to happen. Many companies won't allow one employee to hog all of the "good" weeks.

My DH works for the same company - well, at least the same industry - it's all about seniority - that's all they have!! You bid in your weeks, and if more than one person wants the same week, the one with the highest seniority gets it. DH (10th year) FINALLY got spring break this year!

I can tell you this - it's an industry run like no other!! Nothing about it is like anywhere else!!

 

[HelenePA]

I'm so glad Dh doesn't have to deal with this vacation drama! he goes in tells the boss hey I'm going on vacation he says okay.. have a good trip that's it.. .

 

[aprilgail2]

Wow, I'm really surprised that the company allows this to happen. Many companies won't allow one employee to hog all of the "good" weeks.

Every single department is run by seniority- we have well over 2500 employees and each department picks vacations seperatly but under the same seniority rules. Each "location" has a certain number or relief people that cover the people on vacations- some places have one and others have 5 but all that means is in the year where there are 5 relief people then 5 people can take off the same weeks, but its always the top guys that get off all the good weeks. I prefer it this way, I know what I have and what I will have next year and I can change it up if I need to and pick something else next year. You go many years getting the leftovers and its nice when you get enough time to get what you want. I have 24 years there and no way would someone that has 4 years there trump my vacation picks! They do not flex at ALL, if you don't have the time you can't have off. My friend at work had a duaghter getting married in another part of the US and he wanted that week off for vacation, he couldn't get it so he just flew out the day of the wedding and home the next day but that is the way it is there. We are a union company so the company doesn't make the decision, its how we voted we wanted it in a contract and they company was fine with that decision.

 

[fan_of_small_world]

I can tell you this - it's an industry run like no other!! Nothing about it is like anywhere else!!

Now I'm curious...what industry?