Time off for Eid

A question about : Time off for Eid

We have recently recruited a new person who has been employed about a month. He didn't give any pre-booked hol and when we published the rota to mid November he (along with all other staff) approved their shifts and working days.

He has today asked for 3 days off for eid on 7-9 Nov. We publish our rotas with about 6 weeks notice so all staff can plan days out, family commitments etc round knowing their days off and so I told him I will look at it but as rota already approved it will depend on whether colleagues can swap/cover. His reply was ok but I will have to take it off.

Do I have to give it?

Best answers:

• I take it this employee wont need any time off at Christmas?
  Other employees on the rota may be more inclined to take a good natured swap if they get the opportunity to take extra days at Christmas?
  (I know I would do this as an employee, no problem)
• What is eid.
• I don't think you have to give it - but if you don't, you'll likely find that he mysteriously becomes sick around 7 November, and recovers by the 10th.
  As lynzpower says, if he's prepared to work around Christmas I'd be astonished if you can't find anyone prepared to cover for him.
  McKneff - Eid is a Muslim holiday at the end of Ramadan. I like it - where I work it's really easy to get people to agree to work at Christmas if I work Eid, and I don't care at all about working through Eid.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_ul-Fitr
  Eid ul-Fitr, Eid al-Fitr, Id-ul-Fitr, or Id al-Fitr (Arabic: ‎عيد الفطر 'Īdu l-Fiṭr), often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting (sawm). Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity," while Fiṭr means "breaking the fast". The holiday celebrates the conclusion of the 29 or 30 days of dawn-to-sunset fasting during the entire month of Ramadan. The first day of Eid, therefore, falls on the first day of the month Shawwal.
  26 November 2011
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_holidays
  Quote:
• Something in the Muslim calender, I forget what.
  The employee accepted the shifts when they were first issued and has only now decided that they want the time off. Therefore they should take steps to try and find other people willing to swap shifts with them. I don't see why the employers should be expected to sort this for them. If they can't get a swap then that person will have to take the time off unpaid as I'm assuming that they won't have accrued enough paid leave by then.
• We dont need extra staff at Christmas - it's our quietest time of year so run on absolute minimal staff (someone to switch the lights on and unlock the doors really!) and we have a couple of students who are already planned to do this. If we give him the time in Nov (whether paid hol or unpaid leave as someone suggested) then we will be short staffed and therefore customer service will suffer. If other staff will work extra days then it will cost us overtime and use up favours (as nobody really wants to work overtime even though it is paid!).
  It's not a case of whether he is prepared to work Christmas. Everyone has to work unless they book holiday. Those that wanted holiday at Christmas booked it and got it. As its our quietest time I welcome them having as much holiday as they want over Christmas! We have a "no more than one person on holiday at a time" rule except at Christmas!
  When I first Googled it the results showed that Eid was in August but having looked further it seems there are two Eids in a year. It also seems from my quick internet search he would have known the dates when he was recruited a month ago and when he approved the rota 10 days ago but he said he has only just been made aware.
  My question for the forum was whether I legally have to give it, although I think that is no.
  That aside I feel saddened by his attitude... in the current climate we have given him a nice job with good prospects, fab colleagues and exellent working conditions, great training etc etc and a real lucky break and he has done really well so far but the "well I will have to take it off" reply when I said it would depend on whether colleagues were willing and able to cover it is a real disappointment.
• Officially an employee should give double the amount of notice of the actual amount of holiday they want to take, this link explains in more detail https://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employme...ys/DG_10034711
  You can decline the request if you give as much notice as they are requesting for the holiday itself.
  However he would have known for.....well forever when Eid was. It's just common courtesy and he shouldn't have agreed to work the time if he wanted it off. Some people are nervous about asking for time off work, I had a friend who was always too scared to ask.
  If I were you I would:
  1) see if anyone can swap
  If so then:
  2) talk to the employee and say that he can have the time off but explain it's only because a colleague could swap. I would also remind him that you did ask if he could work this period and he did agree and that on this occasion (and given the special circumstances) it is ok
  I would do the above on the basis of keeping the employee happy and also in the hope that going forward he would be honourable towards the company and it's processes. If you have trouble again you then have good footing for saying no.
• It's not a bank holiday, nor did he suggest during interview process that it was required as a holiday, he can request that it be considered as holiday but it would come out of his entitlement, the problem is if you directly deny him he could take it as being religious discrimination - which would be illegal, however i would say this would be very difficult ground but i would consider speaking to an HR department if possible. Very cheeky though to turn round and attempt to dictate to you his working hours especially given the lack of service, i worked for 4 years in my last job and never once said to them "i don't care, i'm taking it anyway" - including for my own God-daughters Christening, i had to swap that shift with a colleague to get that Sunday off! (i then invoked my contractual right to opt out of Sundays - albeit informally, which my manager agreed to with the understanding that when Christmas rolled round i would help out on Sundays, something i had no problems in doing)
  As i said though, beware, as this could be pounced upon by the PC brigade!
• you don't have to give it him off as it isn't an official holiday. It also isn't up to you to find somebody to cover his shift; if he wants the time off it's up to him to see if somebody will do a shift swap.
  Although I don't think he could have pre-booked the days as it doesn't fall on a particular day (if i remember rightly), bit like Easter.
  If he doesn't find somebody to swap his shift but doesn't turn up, just fire him for taking unauthorised leave.
• I gave a staff member 3 days off for this at the end of August?
  https://islam.about.com/od/calendar/f/2011eidfitr.htm
  Edit to add link, Phew I thought I'd been lied to there.
• You cannot pre book for Eid because the day it falls on is only decided a couple days before, i am lucky my Employer is somewhat more sympathetic than you guys, they appreciate my hard work and dont mind giving me days holiday on short notice, surely if an Employee works his socks off for you, you would show the same respect back and grant him the day of instead of showing the iron fist!!
• It sounds like you have been employed at your company a while, this employee has only just started which does make a difference. If it was me I would be asking my colleagues to swap before saying I will be taking the time off, its all about attitude.
• I am speechless at some of the responses on this thread.
  Some of you need to take a long hard look at yourselves.
  From the disrespectful and ignorant ("something in the Muslim calendar - I don't know what") to the racial stereotyping (he'll throw a sickie anyway so you might as welll give it to him) and from the "beware of the PC brigade" scaremongering to the dismissive "fire him" couldn't care less attitude. I'm appalled.
  All of you - ask yourselves if you would have responded in the same way if this had been a non-Muslim asking for a couple of days off at short notice to attend a family gathering?
  Hang your heads in shame.
• And I believe that the dates can be moved around; how awkward do you think it is to start a new job and try to have to explain this to people who don't understand?
  I'd tell him that he can take and rearrange the cover; what's the worst that can happen? Surely you have someone that is mature enough to understand and that is flexible, and in return I'm sure he can cover shifts that other people might want in future.
• i think you should allow him the time off