My boss won't give me my requested vacation time!!What should I do??

Question

I work for an aggressive collection agency. I mention this because the aggression is not only evident in their work but also in their dealings with employees. I have available vacation time and I put in my request a month in advance and my boss said I more than likely wont get it. He says he is short people and cannot have me out for the 6 days I requested. His is short, in my opinion (which I did not express!) due to his poor management skills. He told me to see him every week to see if the situation has changed but as it stands, it probably wont get approved. His reasoning is that he has always given me my vacation time, but this time he cant. What can I do? I have non refundable airline tickets- he suggested I reschedule. My event cannot be rescheduled. I will have worked for this company two years in September. He just came back from a personal 2 week trip to Asia. I find it unfair. Please help.

Im a trainer/recruiter. I have a partner that works with me and would be able to handle the job load. We have both covered for each other in the past, and at one point when she was out on FMLA I covered for a month by myself. It can be done. There are no other people out on vacation. At this company you really cant put in requests too early or the use it against you and make you sweat it out- which he may be trying to do, Im not playing this game, and I dont want to quit over it, although I may- which would just look really unprofessional. Especially since I would need to look for another job, which I can do, but what a blotch on my resume.

Answer 1

If it was something truly important that could not be rescheduled and you cannot get a refund for best solution is to start looking for another job right away and if you get one, tell them up front when you need off before accepting an offer of employment.

Otherwise, the best thing might be to come up with a plan with other people you work with to cover your accounts (divided up between several people so no one is overwhelmed for the time off that you need) then go to him with that solution and it should be hard for him to turn it down as long as everyone else is fine with it.

If there is someone above him, a human resources rep. or owners of the company, you can plead your case to them to see about getting time off, but if I am getting the right vibe on how you boss is, he may see this as treason and look for reasons to get rid of you after that. The most popular fluff reason these days is using company property inappropriately...i.e. using the work computer to send a personal e-mail or surf the internet.

Answer 2

You won't like my answer, but it's the way things are. Unless you have some sort of working contract, your boss is not required to approve the specific time you pick. He's required to give you the time at some point, but not necesarily the particular days you want. You could try going to the higher ups, and you could also threaten to quit, or call out sick, but doing this can be risky, and the outcome will mostly be determined by your past performance. If you produce high results, they might consider figuring a way to make it work, so they don't lose those results. But if you are a low producer, they might likely tell you to take a walk.

Next time I would suggest leaving a refundable deposit on your tickets, then veryfiying that you can have the time off before you pay for your tickets.

I know it's not the answer you want to hear, but it's the truth. Your boss is under no obligation to give you a specific time period for your vacation, he's obliged to do it if he can, but if it disrupts the work of the company, generally the policy is to say no. And that policy is made by his superiors.

The fact that he just took a 2 week vacation has little impact on the situation. His vacation may have been at a time that didn't impact the company so, or perhaps they had someone take his place in his absence.

I don't know your boss, so I can't say for sure, but I know most bosses want to give you the time when you want it if they can, and they will if they can. However there are some bosses that are just arseholes. It's unlikely he's doing it out of spite, but just legitimate concern for his operations.

Consider talking to his superiors, consider quitting if you want, consider calling out sick, but if you need this job, you might be better off to find an alternet solution. Threatening to quit often gets the response to pack your desk and leave regardless, calling in sick often gets people fired when the company requests proof from a doctor which obviously you wouldn't be able to provide.

It all comes down to how valuable you are to the company R.H.I.P. = Rank has it's privledges and if you rank high, you can get away with alot.

EDIT: although with a months notice, he should be able to give you a more definitive answer, or at least tell you when he'd be able to know for sure.

Answer 3

First of all, you need to evaluate your work performance. Is there any reason why your boss should not respect you? How many vacations have you taken in 2 years, since he says he's never denied them to you? Taking excessive vacation time or time w/o pay is not really good in an employers eyes either.
Also, you should have confirmed you were going to get the time off BEFORE you purchased the non-refundable tickets. You did not follow protocol and now you are blaming it on your boss.
But, if he is just trying to make you sweat it out, he doesn't respect you for some reason. If you don't know why, ask him. If he doesn't give you an acceptable answer, you need to find a different job, because the vacation time is the least of your concerns at that point.
Good luck!

Answer 4

Your situation is unfortunate. However, you should have made sure the time was approved BEFORE you made plans. That mistake was yours.

Your supervisor's recent trip has no bearing. It may be that the time you requested is time that higher ups will be in house, or that there is some other expected need for your service.

Vacation time is a benefit, not a right. Employers that offer vacation are not required to grant time just because an employee has requested it.

Sorry if that is not the answer that you were looking for, but that is reality. Next time, make sure your time is approved before you spend any money making arrangements.

Answer 5

your vacation time is your own. If your boss won't give yu what's rightfully yours, take it anyway. You have every right to take time off. You are not a slave.

Answer 6

Being an employer and having knowledge with the Canadian labor laws,
It states.
An employee is entitled to two weeks rest peroid after one full year of employment.Before 6 months it is 1 day for every month worked.That being said, you need to read you HR rules and regulations,your company might have a clause in it. Read your HR book first, then confront him,or your HR.

Answer 7

You should always see if you can get time off before purchasing tickets. There may already be too many people off on the days you are requesting for thier own vacations.

Answer 8

Does you boss have a boss? I would recemmend going to the higher ups. If you have worked the hours recommended and you get vacation time , they your boss shouldn't be denying you some vacation time. All work and no play makes us a dull person. Everyone needs some vacation time. Good luck

Answer 9

a month's notice is plenty of time, tell him that if you miss the vacation it would be like working for free because you have the tickets, tell him that to keep good employees like yourself he must let you use your vacation days when you want to or you will be looking for another job and he will really be short people.

Answer 10

Got a union? Use it. if not take the time anyways. who wants to work for a place that wont give you your required vacation time? If your business was under staffed, your boss wouldnt've been able to take his vacation. Just do it.