Work Vacation issue. WWYD?

[roliepolieoliefan]

So let me start out by saying yes it is a horrible policy
But there are trade offs
People who are on a regular work schedule can't understand this.
It sucks when you have to go to work on Christmas Day.
Or you miss family Christmas Eve festivities because of work
I did this for many many years
This job is the trade off
Today is my last day until next Wednesday
I don't have to worry anymore about what summer and winter holiday I'll get stuck with
That's pretty much why we all came here
Another poster who is a nurse pretty much summed it up for me . She gets it because she's been there and knows.
You can't work in an office and say oh we do this and we do that and I wouldn't work there etc etc etc
Easy for someone to say who has always worked mon-fri 9-5.
We have surgeries to cover
Patients to admit discharge call triage
It's not an office
We can't tell a doctor sorry u can't operate next week . Betty is on vacation and we can't cover it. That doesn't cut it

That being said
I handed back the vacation pick and I talked with the boss
She told me take the week
We will find a way for the MOB to go too
Problem solved
Don't know why boss couldn't have just told me this in the beginning when she knew I was thinking of taking the week

 

[disykat]

Its very common here - college acceptances have been issued, senioritis has set in, its a good time to travel.
I'm just saying, I feel the OP has other options.​

Depends on the kind of student your child is and the kind of school you attend, I guess. It would not be possible here unless you were not interested in maintaining your gpa for scholarships or college acceptance, didn't have AP tests, etc. Colleges make it very clear that admittance can be revoked and so can scholarships if gpa goes down.

 

[Dentam]

Don't know why boss couldn't have just told me this in the beginning when she knew I was thinking of taking the week

Glad you talked to your boss, and yes, they could have saved you all a lot of drama by letting you know this in the beginning. What a horrible position to put your employees in, like the game of Survivor at work.

 

[wilkeliza]

So let me start out by saying yes it is a horrible policy
But there are trade offs
People who are on a regular work schedule can't understand this.
It sucks when you have to go to work on Christmas Day.
Or you miss family Christmas Eve festivities because of work
I did this for many many years
This job is the trade off
Today is my last day until next Wednesday
I don't have to worry anymore about what summer and winter holiday I'll get stuck with
That's pretty much why we all came here
Another poster who is a nurse pretty much summed it up for me . She gets it because she's been there and knows.
You can't work in an office and say oh we do this and we do that and I wouldn't work there etc etc etc
Easy for someone to say who has always worked mon-fri 9-5.
We have surgeries to cover
Patients to admit discharge call triage
It's not an office
We can't tell a doctor sorry u can't operate next week . Betty is on vacation and we can't cover it. That doesn't cut it

That being said
I handed back the vacation pick and I talked with the boss
She told me take the week
We will find a way for the MOB to go too
Problem solved
Don't know why boss couldn't have just told me this in the beginning when she knew I was thinking of taking the week

Glad it worked out in the end.

 

[Julie's Haircut]

Even if the woman wasn't the employee with the lowest seniority, those two words, "destination wedding," would make me want to put her as low person on the totem pole.

Edit: glad it worked out for the OP. Another DIS miracle???

 

[Wendy31]

So let me start out by saying yes it is a horrible policy
But there are trade offs
People who are on a regular work schedule can't understand this.
It sucks when you have to go to work on Christmas Day.
Or you miss family Christmas Eve festivities because of work
I did this for many many years
This job is the trade off
Today is my last day until next Wednesday
I don't have to worry anymore about what summer and winter holiday I'll get stuck with
That's pretty much why we all came here
Another poster who is a nurse pretty much summed it up for me . She gets it because she's been there and knows.
You can't work in an office and say oh we do this and we do that and I wouldn't work there etc etc etc
Easy for someone to say who has always worked mon-fri 9-5.
We have surgeries to cover
Patients to admit discharge call triage
It's not an office
We can't tell a doctor sorry u can't operate next week . Betty is on vacation and we can't cover it. That doesn't cut it

That being said
I handed back the vacation pick and I talked with the boss
She told me take the week
We will find a way for the MOB to go too
Problem solved
Don't know why boss couldn't have just told me this in the beginning when she knew I was thinking of taking the week

I just wanted to let you know I get it.

DH works in a 24 hours/day - 365 days/year field, &, at all times, they have to meet minimum staffing. He's had to work many holidays, &, while our immediate family (the 5 of us - DH, the kids, & I) work around it & have our own family holidays on his off days, our extended families do not adjust for his schedule. (Well, my mom has started trying to accommodate his schedule a bit more, but DH's mother does not.) So DH has missed many holidays w/ our extended families. And there have been many, many time when he's been called in on his off days because they had to meet minimum staffing & he was the only one available.

I can't even tell you the last Easter he's actually been off.

He had to work last Christmas, has to work this Christmas, & will work next Christmas as well. He works rotating shifts, &, due to the calendar & scheduled off days, once you get stuck working Christmas, you pretty much get stuck working Christmas for about 5 years in a row.

So, we went to Florida last week for our family Christmas & had a wonderful time together. Our kids are used to it. I packed all our presents, a Christmas tree, & our stockings, & Santa visited our condo. It was terrific, & we plan to do the same thing next December.

But I said all that to say our summer vacations are very important to us - in a large part due to DH's work schedule & how much we appreciate & value the time away together - basically, the only time he truly gets away from work is when we're out of town. (Thankfully, right now, he doesn't have many issues in picking whichever weeks.)

Anyway, DH got called into work this evening, &, while we were out running some errands together before he had to leave for work, I brought up this thread to him & asked his opinion. For what it's worth, he'd take the week - knowing how important our summer family vacations are & how quickly are kids are growing up. If you didn't take the week, someone after you probably would have anyway.

So I'm glad it all worked out - you get your family vacation, & your co-worker gets her daughter's wedding!

 

[littlejimmy]

its a festivus miracle.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

Even if the woman wasn't the employee with the lowest seniority, those two words, "destination wedding," would make me want to put her as low person on the totem pole.

Edit: glad it worked out for the OP. Another DIS miracle???

why does "destination wedding" elicit a need for vitriole towards the woman?

 

[SMD]

why does "destination wedding" elicit a need for vitriole towards the woman?

Because DISboards.

 

[Julie's Haircut]

why does "destination wedding" elicit a need for vitriole towards the woman?

Yep, because it's the DISboards and I can give my opinion about such weddings.

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

Depends on the kind of student your child is and the kind of school you attend, I guess. It would not be possible here unless you were not interested in maintaining your gpa for scholarships or college acceptance, didn't have AP tests, etc. Colleges make it very clear that admittance can be revoked and so can scholarships if gpa goes down.

Admittedly, I am only referencing private schools (which is all I have experience with). AP tests are not every day and many schedule a week long graduation trip before graduation. No one said anything about not doing the work and having the grades slip.

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

Yep, because it's the DISboards and I can give my opinion about such weddings.

Am I the only one who likes destination weddings? Invite me someplace warm or fun or exotic? I'm in!

 

[Pacolovestacos]

Take it and don't think twice. The woman already said she would quit if she can't go that week. Maybe the company makes an exception for her. If they don't, they can fire her and she can collect unemployment.

 

[mnrose]

Yep, because it's the DISboards and I can give my opinion about such weddings.

I share your vitriol about "destination" weddings. Not a fan.

 

[ols386]

I personally wouldn't take that week. If I did, then I would feel like the bad guy and would feel guilty.

 

[clh2]

How are you going to feel when you pass on it only to have someone else take it before it's her turn?

You can see the mixed feelings here. Since it's the only summer week left and OP said she's middle of the pack, there are a number of others facing the same choice here.

This was my thought exactly. Or, what about, you "leave" this week for her, and then she quits anyway, then your option for this week is gone.

 

[marlynnp]

Well, if staffing is such an issue. Take the week, then this lady can quit just quit before the wedding and your bosses can cancel your vacation time because you're short staffed!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I agree with what a pp mentioned about "paying dues". When you work with this type of system, you spend years slugging it through the crappiest schedules. You won't always get what you want, and you won't always have people pick up your shifts. I recall for about nine years straight, through most of my twenties and into my thirties, I had to work New Years Eve. Never had even one off. When I finally started getting some off, I wanted that time. If someone new came along and asked me to work their NYE, I might well have said no. There were also years that I worked all three winter and all three summer holidays, even in part (like an Eve, or a Day, etc), so I've done my faire share, and even more of my fair share, of over my 30 years. Yet, not too long ago someone new actually asked me, "How did you get such a nice holiday schedule?". As I mentioned before, I came home early from some vacations to work. I also have missed out on weeks altogether, despite my high seniority, because we are only guaranteed one week off in the summer. If you want two, you might not get them both, so you have to pick which one is most important. This happens with some frequency. Fortunately for us, there is no discussion about it, you just turn in your requests. It would be weird to spend so many years working crappy schedules, then have to work them anyway for other people when they have something going on despite your paying your dues early on. Then you'd almost never get your preferred time off, because someone always wants it off for something important to them. People stay on the job for years, or stay where they are if they are senior, in part for the benefit of having seniority. That's just how it is, and it's accepted as how it is by people who knowingly take positions in such an environment. And people are always requesting time off! (But with that said, people will make exceptions and work for others who have a really special something going on, especially if that person does the same for others.) Another pp mentioned bereavement. Yes, that is an issue as well, unless it's an immediate family member. Friends and non-immediate family members dont count for grievance time, and you have to decide if you can use sick time if you want to attend services or be there for people, etc., given the strict sick policies, as well. I have had to miss services before if I'd already used my quota of sick time, such as when my kids were young. It's sometimes difficult. But that said, there has to be enough staff on hand to take care of sick patients. To people not used to it, I imagine it does sound awful. But basically you just become a really good planner when it comes to your work life.

 

[lizabu]

There is no totally fair vacation system.
HOWEVER, every employer I have worked for that had restrictions on how many people could be off at a time, made exceptions for so called "life events".....weddings, graduations, etc. Have you asked the employer about exceptions? What happens if you have one person on vacation, another on sick leave, and someone gets jury duty?
Full disclosure, we have a limit of 1 person off in my classification. Due to special projects, vacation requests were rejected early. THEN...corporate stepped in because too many of us has too much vacation on the books. So 4 of the 5 people in my job are off this week.

I'm with you. Stuff happens. I know they'd rather not have more than one person off at a time but if they had to they would have to manage. If you were on your vacation and another employee was hospitalized I'm sure they wouldn't expect you to fly back from wherever on a moments notice and work. They would manage even if it means being spread thin. If you're on vacation and she quits last minute to go to the wedding they'll have to manage too. At least she's given you all a few months notice that she's not working that week.

 

[Nancyg56]

I'm glad it worked out, but had it not, I think I would have chosen the week I needed. WHile we can all say that we would not, I am not sure the reality would be the same as it is when we are just contemplating what we "would" do. WHen you take a job that has a strict vacation policy and is seniority based you know the drill. You start low, pay your dues and take what is left. Time gets you further up. Its always easy to be the "good guy" when you do nto have to pay the price.