Work Vacation issue. WWYD?

[sam_gordon]

How is it even possible for only 1 person to be out at a time? Does no one in your department get more than 2 weeks vacation?

52 weeks in a year.
12 employees.
Each employee can have 4 weeks of vacation and still only have 1 person out at a time.

I'm part time on paper but have been working between 35-40 hours a week since May.

It's my understanding that someone working an average of more than 30 hours/week in a quarter qualifies as full time and eligible for benefits. I don't know if that's a law or my company's policy.

 

[debknight]

That's a seriously awful vacation policy - even for a surgery center.

12 people & 8 weeks of summer means some people are never going to get a summer vacation - especially when you add in the other things you have to schedule around (school schedules, camp schedules, holidays, family commitments, etc.)

What if you were further down the line, & someone else picked the 2nd week of August? Then you wouldn't get a summer vacation anyway.

Have you spoken to the co-workers that are after you? Do you know for sure if you don't take the 2nd week of August someone else will before it gets to the Mother of the Bride?

You're in the proverbial "stuck between a rock & a hard place" situation - thanks to both the surgery center's policy & the Mother of the Bride letting everyone know she needs that week.

I do think family weddings trump summer vacations, but, that said, I'm not sure what I would do.

Like others have said, I wouldn't want to be "that person" especially if everyone else has purposefully left that week open. However, I also wouldn't want to miss a chance for a summer vacation w/ my family before my son goes to college either. And, admittedly, if my co-worker were the type to not "help out" & cover for others as needed, it'd be more difficult for me to give up the week - but, again, I'd have a hard time taking the week.

June is half a year away still. Have you even looked at the possibility of rescheduling your son's graduation party? Would it be possible to switch your vacation & the graduation party & turn the graduation party into a "Congratulations on your Graduation/Going to College!" Party in August instead?

The graduation party is in June. It's a summer vacation the 2nd week of August that is in question.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I hear you, OP. I work in a hospital and our vacation goes by a similar format.

To clarify something to a lot of people who mentioned the boss "making an exception". Some places are union, and it would be a grievable offense to do so. (And therefore a big problem for the manager.) The seniority system is sacred when it comes to vacation time. I don't know if this applies in the OP's case.

I'm a 30 year employee and I still, from time to time, have issues with vacation time. There are a lot of "rules" which I won't get into here. Just suffice it to say that things cannot just be changed around. At all. Switches are ok, but vacation time itself is allotted only by seniority. Most of the year, it's not an issue, but summers are tough.

Believe me, because I've seen it all, EVERYONE HAS SOMETHING that is very important to them. (As Hikergirl said.) Many people who've been there for years have worked through things that were special to them because they were unable to get the time off. I know myself, at least twice over the years, I've come home from vacation early - leaving my family still there - because I couldn't find coverage for my shifts. And yes, it sucked. Big time. But that's how it works, and I accept it. It's not that people are cold hearted - heck, we are nurses and what we do is care for people. But what it is is that everyone's got things going on. I worked Thanksgiving this year for a first year employee who didn't realize she shouldn't have booked flights over the major holidays until her holiday schedule came out. Sure enough, she was scheduled to work when she'd requested to be off. If she didn't find someone, she wouldn't have been able to go. (She could've called in sick, but it would not have gone over well on a holiday, because it would've impacted someone else's holiday.) These type issues crop up literally all the time in places that HAVE to be staffed.

I'd say that if the OP doesn't take the week, someone else below her will. (And I give the OP credit for even contemplating this; she is being very nice to do so.) I think what probably will happen is that the coworker will wind up having to work, but maybe others who are not on vacation that week will pool together to cover her shifts. But this is a two-way street, and she'll also need to cover shifts when others need help as well (and it sounds as if she hasn't really been super helpful that way herself). It will be interesting to see what winds up happening.

 

[anniemae]

Could you split the week with her? Maybe she would be okay with just taking Monday and Tues if the wedding was on a Saturday. Then you could take Wed, Thurs and Fri? It would stink, but may be an option.

 

[MamaBelle4]

It trumps other things in your own life, but I don't necessarily believe a co-workers daughter's wedding trumps what I deem as a need for my own family.
I would not take that week, however if there were different circumstances in my life where that was the only week I could, or I needed then I wouldn't hesitate to take it. The co-worker is free to discuss her issues with management or HR. It is not my job to make sure she gets vacation time. That also goes for your hypothetical if someone's mother needs surgery. The employees are not responsible for re-arranging a schedule to accommodate another employee, that is what the bosses are for.

You're right it is HR's job or the boss's job.

Doesn't change the fact what I would do and how I feel about it. I would never be the person to take that away from someone because other options weren't AS good.

 

[anniemae]

That's a seriously awful vacation policy - even for a surgery center.

12 people & 8 weeks of summer means some people are never going to get a summer vacation - especially when you add in the other things you have to schedule around (school schedules, camp schedules, holidays, family commitments, etc.)

What if you were further down the line, & someone else picked the 2nd week of August? Then you wouldn't get a summer vacation anyway.

Have you spoken to the co-workers that are after you? Do you know for sure if you don't take the 2nd week of August someone else will before it gets to the Mother of the Bride?

You're in the proverbial "stuck between a rock & a hard place" situation - thanks to both the surgery center's policy & the Mother of the Bride letting everyone know she needs that week.

I do think family weddings trump summer vacations, but, that said, I'm not sure what I would do.

Like others have said, I wouldn't want to be "that person" especially if everyone else has purposefully left that week open. However, I also wouldn't want to miss a chance for a summer vacation w/ my family before my son goes to college either. And, admittedly, if my co-worker were the type to not "help out" & cover for others as needed, it'd be more difficult for me to give up the week - but, again, I'd have a hard time taking the week.

June is half a year away still. Have you even looked at the possibility of rescheduling your son's graduation party? Would it be possible to switch your vacation & the graduation party & turn the graduation party into a "Congratulations on your Graduation/Going to College!" Party in August instead?

The graduation party has nothing to do with the vacation. The OP was just saying her son gets out of school mid-june and has a party the next weekend. There was really no need for OP to mention this, it just confuses the issue and has nothing to do with the issue of the 2nd week of Aug. At least that is how I read it, I could be wrong.

The real issue is that since her son is out of school mid-June, she only has a finite number of weeks to go on vaca while he is out of school i.e. end of June, all of July or beginning of Aug (he is returning to school mid aug.) The only week available for her to take is the 2nd week of Aug, all other summer weeks have been taken by the coworkers ahead of her in the vacation line. At least that is how I read it.

 

[Hrhpd]

This just popped up in my facebook feed. I thought of this thread:

 

[Wendy31]

The graduation party is in June. It's a summer vacation the 2nd week of August that is in question.

Right. I understand that.

What I was suggesting was for the OP to take the week in June that's available for her family vacation & reschedule her son's graduation party to sometime in July or August - if it's at all possible to reschedule the graduation party since the place has already been booked.

 

[Wendy31]

The graduation party has nothing to do with the vacation. The OP was just saying her son gets out of school mid-june and has a party the next weekend. There was really no need for OP to mention this, it just confuses the issue and has nothing to do with the issue of the 2nd week of Aug. At least that is how I read it, I could be wrong.

The real issue is that since her son is out of school mid-June, she only has a finite number of weeks to go on vaca while he is out of school i.e. end of June, all of July or beginning of Aug (he is returning to school mid aug.) The only week available for her to take is the 2nd week of Aug, all other summer weeks have been taken by the coworkers ahead of her in the vacation line. At least that is how I read it.

I was understanding that the week of her son's graduation party is available as a possible vacation week, but she can't take that week due to the graduation party being scheduled & a place already booked - which is why she was saying the graduation party couldn't be rescheduled. I was only asking if she was SURE she couldn't reschedule the graduation party - has she contacted the place & asked about other dates, etc.

I was thinking she had 2 weeks available: the week of the graduation party & the 2nd week of August.

But, if ONLY the 2nd week of August is still available, then never mind.

 

[anniemae]

I was understanding that the week of her son's graduation party is available as a possible vacation week, but she can't take that week due to the graduation party being scheduled & a place already booked - which is why she was saying the graduation party couldn't be rescheduled. I was only asking if she was SURE she couldn't reschedule the graduation party - has she contacted the place & asked about other dates, etc.

I was thinking she had 2 weeks available: the week of the graduation party & the 2nd week of August.

But, if ONLY the 2nd week of August is still available, then never mind.

Ah, you could be right, I thought June was all taken by the coworkers ahead of her in line. Hopefully she comes back to clarify!

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

I would totally take the week. At the end of the day, your family's needs come before hers.

I get that its her daughter's wedding, but she could fly in red eye friday night after work and fly home sunday. She sounds like a manipulative piece of work.

!

I cannot believe I just read this. Really? A vacation comes before a wedding?? Geez what happened to compassion and walking a mile in anothers shoes?
I would never think I come before the rest of the world! I'm not that special.

OP - I get not being able to take your son out of college for vacation - but what about vacationing in April or May? Pulling him from his senior year should be much easier.

And I am someone who always had seniority - but WORKED 7 consecutive Thanksgivings and Christmases (when I worked for an airline) - because I did NOT have kids and wanted those who did to have the day with their little ones.

 

[Hikergirl]

You're right it is HR's job or the boss's job.

Doesn't change the fact what I would do and how I feel about it. I would never be the person to take that away from someone because other options weren't AS good.

Well like I said it would depend on the circumstances. Maybe a vacation is just take off whenever you want, its not that important to coordinate with anything or anyone else for you. Not everyone has that option. This could be much more than a "those weeks aren't AS good" thing for the OP, we have no idea, and she is under no obligation to tell us.

I can't believe people really think that the OP is obligated to let the co-worker have the week just because her dd is getting married and that trumps a vacation for the OP. We don't know the OP's circumstance, maybe this is the last vacation her family including her ds will take, maybe her dh can't get other time off from his job. There are any number of reasons why those are the weeks the OP wants/needs to take a vacation.
This is the co-workers problem to solve, not the OP's. And no I would not take the week just to take it, but I also wouldn't worry about solving the co-workers vacation woes if that was the only option left that worked for me. That is on the co-worker and the higher-ups, not the OP.

 

[scrapquitler]

I'm actually pretty surprised at these reactions. Come on, its her daughter's wedding!! Its not like they want to take a cruise or something. Its a once in a lifetime experience, how do you miss your child's wedding? I too am curious, how far is the "destination", are we talking Hawaii, or Fl? If the latter, then maybe she can negotiate certain days with you, kind of share the week. But if its long distance, I'd suck it up and just give it to her. How can you take that away from her? Its a no brainer for me.

It's also the OP's last vacation before his/her child leaves for college. And even if the OP took a different week, there's 4 or 5 other people ahead of the lady who will likely take that week, so not taking that week wouldn't necessarily mean 'giving it to her'.

 

[clutter]

I'd lay money that if OP doesn't take the week, the next person in line will. Or one of the other 4 or 5 people between her and the co-worker will. So she picks a different week, but then neither of them get that week. Then there is the fact that the person that wants it doesn't seem like a team player (assuming she's done the same to others).

So, if OP wants to be a giver, her best shot is to take the week and switch with the co-worker.

 

[wilkeliza]

Well like I said it would depend on the circumstances. Maybe a vacation is just take off whenever you want, its not that important to coordinate with anything or anyone else for you. Not everyone has that option. This could be much more than a "those weeks aren't AS good" thing for the OP, we have no idea, and she is under no obligation to tell us.

I can't believe people really think that the OP is obligated to let the co-worker have the week just because her dd is getting married and that trumps a vacation for the OP. We don't know the OP's circumstance, maybe this is the last vacation her family including her ds will take, maybe her dh can't get other time off from his job. There are any number of reasons why those are the weeks the OP wants/needs to take a vacation.
This is the co-workers problem to solve, not the OP's. And no I would not take the week just to take it, but I also wouldn't worry about solving the co-workers vacation woes if that was the only option left that worked for me. That is on the co-worker and the higher-ups, not the OP.

Totally agree with the bold red. In the system that the OP's employer has set up if it gets to my turn and there is only 1 week left that works for me I'm taking it. Anyone who wanted that but has less seniority it is on them to work with our boss to try and get that week as well. This isn't about being a mean or spiteful person or have bad morals like some people are making it. If there were other weeks that worked of course I'd take those over the one a coworker voiced they need but if that's the only one then the seniority system says the more senior employee gets it. Again I don't think this is a rare occurrence.

Also it is great if other people want to give Thanksgiving, Christmas, other holidays to people have have kids or whatever but I always hated when new employees got those holidays off due to sob stories about their kids and I was forced to work them no matter how long I had been with a company when I would have loved to be able to take that time off and spend it with my grandparents or brothers or fiance. Just because a person doesn't have kids the holidays don't mean anything less to them. Heck I grew up in a family where we had Christmas based on my grandma's work schedule. Sometimes that meant Christmas Eve, Christmas morning, Christmas afternoon. Our memories with them and about the holiday aren't any better or worse then had they been off that day. It was just apart of life having family members who worked retail.

 

[sam_gordon]

We don't know the OP's circumstance, maybe this is the last vacation her family including her ds will take, maybe her dh can't get other time off from his job. There are any number of reasons why those are the weeks the OP wants/needs to take a vacation.

And those should factor into the decision. Is that week the only one that would work for the OP? Or is it the best week for the OP? Only she can answer that. If I'm just trying to take a family vacation for a week, I'd try to fit it in elsewhere... spring break, fall break, right after graduation, beginning of January, etc, or, here's a thought, not go anywhere this year.

 

[kimblebee]

OP, what would you have done for your vacation if someone had already taken the week you want?

I wouldn't take the week either.

 

[Hikergirl]

And those should factor into the decision. Is that week the only one that would work for the OP? Or is it the best week for the OP? Only she can answer that. If I'm just trying to take a family vacation for a week, I'd try to fit it in elsewhere... spring break, fall break, right after graduation, beginning of January, etc, or, here's a thought, not go anywhere this year.

I agree to the bolded. It just sounds as if some posters think the OP should just give up that week for the sake of the co-worker because the co-workers obligation is more important.

 

[scrapquitler]

How is it even possible for only 1 person to be out at a time? Does no one in your department get more than 2 weeks vacation?

In your position I'd talk to my other coworkers to see if they left the week open for her or are planning to do so. I'd base my decision on that feedback.

I'm so glad I've never had to deal with this. I can't imagine having to pick my vacation for next year now.

I once worked in a bank branch. We had one manager, two customer service agents, me (the teller supervisor) and two tellers. Six employees in the branch. I was the low man on the totem pole. We picked our vacation weeks by seniority - no one was allowed Christmas Week or Thanksgiving week for vacation, and only one person was allowed off any given week. Like I said, I was the person with the least seniority. The manager and one of the customer service people each had 5 weeks of vacation time, another teller had 4 weeks of vacation time. The other two people each had 3 weeks. The system was terrible because all of these people, with multiple vacation weeks were able to sign up before me, and it wasn't a case of everyone picks one week, then everyone picks another week. No, the manager took 4 weeks off in August and the week of Easter, then the other person with 5 weeks off took three weeks in the summer and two other weeks, etc. There were only 6 people in the office, but by the time it was my turn to get a week off, I didn't have a single week in the summer than I could have chosen.

 

[soccerdad72]

I suppose, sitting here at my keyboard, it would be easy for me to say that I wouldn't take the week in the hopes that the woman could have it. But the reality is, I have no idea what I would do in that situation, to be perfectly honest.