Problem with booking holidays from work

A question about : Problem with booking holidays from work

Hi all, I'm looking for advice here to see if I need to take my issue further, I work for a large retail company (don't wish to name just in case ) and I filled in my holiday request form in January after my partner booked a 2week holiday abroad as a surprise and because it was a great deal if he booked there and then. I got a refusal from work with no good reason given except to be verbally told that too many others have already booked those weeks I then offered to take part or all of it as unpaid leave & was then told I had to put my request in writing even though it will probably be refused anyway . I then put my request in writing as told, and explained why I needed to take the time off, bearing in mind that nowhere in my contract does it say I cannot have 2 consecutive weeks off in the summer & we also have seasonal staff available to cover holidays. I have now received a letter back saying that I can't have this time off as they have no cover as there are already the maximum amount of people off at that time, & what I perceive to be a veiled threat of dismissal if I take the time off anyway, it then goes on to say that however if I can arrange cover myself my request would be reconsidered.
My questions are; firstly, if the company handbook clearly states that colleagues main holidays should be 2 weeks taken between April & October but does NOT say that 2 consecutive weeks in July/ august isn't allowed, can they then refuse it ?
Secondly, if the store managers have available seasonal staff to call on why do I have to find cover myself when I have no access to personal contact details of said seasonal staff ?
thirdly, I have spoken to other colleagues and have discovered that only 2 other people in my section have booked and had approved holidays for the same 2 weeks, one of whom only works one day a week the same as me, but only does 4 hours as opposed to the 7 hours I do on that day so I can't see how that can affect us both being off together.
Lastly I have also discovered that another colleague has had leave of 4 consecutive weeks approved in the summer when I have been told that we are only allowed one week during this time.
I am unsure what to do next as I feel as if I have been treated unfairly but am not sure what to do about it.
Any advice greatly appreciated.

Best answers:

• Get their reasoning in writing.
• Sounds perfectly reasonable to me. You have been given a reason why the request was declined. In fact they have been more than reasonable by offering you the opportunity to find cover for your absence. My advice would be to say thank you to the manager before she changes her mind and start asking around your colleagues to look for cover.
  Remember a) you don't have a right to time off whenever you feel like it (unless your contract says so?) and b) you should always book your time off work before organising holidays in case the time off is refused.
  Sorry this isn't what you wanted to hear but I hope you manage to find the cover or change your holiday booking so you can enjoy some time together with your partner.
• When I was working it was accepted that not everybody could be off at the same time as obviously the business needs to keep running or you won't have a job. The solution is to plan well ahead and book your holiday before other people do. It would appear that you left it too late. Put it down to experience and make sure you get in early next time.
• The issue seems to be a potential lack of cover. You seem to be focussing on it being two weeks together, when according to what you have written, that has not been put forward as the main reason for the refusal.
  It is usual to only have a certain amount of staff leave to be taken at the same time. In my last place it was done on the hours not the number of staff, so either two part timers or one full timer would be allowed. How has it previously been worked out in your workplace?
  Again, unpaid leave may not be allowed if the issue is around the practicalities of getting someone in to cover, rather than the cost. Hence the comment about it probably not being agreed if you put the request in. If I only have one relief member of staff to cover for one person's leave, a second person wanting the same time off is going to leave me in difficulties whether it is paid or unpaid.
  Telling you that you are jeopardising your job by taking the time off anyway is not a veiled threat, it is a statement of fact. Unauthorised absence is a disciplinary offence and likely to be treated as such.
  Perhaps a conversation with your manager about ways to contact seasonal staff to arrange cover? Alternatively are there any part time staff who would be willing to do overtime to cover your shifts? That's likely to be your best option.
• Firstly, as I already said there are only 2 people booked off for the same 2 weeks & also as previously said, only 1 of those works 1 day the same as me, all her other shifts are on different days to me so how does it count that we are booked off ' at the same time ' ?
  Secondly, also as previously said, if seasonal staff are available, why is the onus on me to find cover when I don't have access to these colleagues to ask them ?
  Thirdly, the colleagues that I personally know either already work the same shifts as me so can't cover for my shifts or don't do the same hours so I find it difficult to find people available to cover my shifts.
  Lastly, I cannot see why another person is being allowed 4 weeks off for a holiday & I'm refused 2, surely this isn't fair ? Shouldn't ALL colleagues have the same rules ?
• the rules are that the company can set when you take your holidays they do not HAVE to give you any choice in the matter - if they really wanted they could tell you what days you are having off as long as you get the right number of days they can pretty much do what they want
  it doesnt matter if it is fair or not they have said no so either find a new job, cancel the holiday, find the cover, go without booking holiday and hope you have a job to come back to
• OK, looks like I'll be handing my notice in and finding a new job then
• You are not going to get very far by arguing about the fairness or otherwise of the decision.
  You need to book leave before booking a holiday and because you haven't done that you now need to throw yourself at the mercy of your manager to find a solution.
• Your employer has the right to deny your holidays on the grounds of staffing levels regardless of departments as usually staff can be moved if needed. There doesn't seem to be anything to suggest they have treated you unfairly and in fact have followed correct procedures after denying your intial request.. as long as it's in the businesses interest they haven't done anything wrong.
• I've had this with staff before and it's not nice to have to be the one to say no. As a rule I never ever declined a holiday request unless I absolutely had to however on occasion it did happen. Usually (unless your contract or handbook says otherwise) holiday is at your Manager's discretion. It doesn't matter what someone else is or isn't doing (you don't necessarily know their circumstances, there may be something going on that you don't know about).
  You've asked, been told no and have been given a valid reason as to why your request has been declined. That's the bottom line of it. It goes back to the old advice or never ever booking or paying for holidays without getting the OK from work first. Very unfortunate in your case as it was a lovely surprise but you getting time off work should have been a consideration prior to booking.
  I recall my OH booking a surprise weekend away for me some time ago. Luckily for me he'd met my boss (who was a decent guy) and he had the foresight to email him and ask if it'd be ok for me to have the two days off but asked him not to tell me. Once he got a reply saying it was fine, he booked the trip.
• I have to say, sometimes attitude makes a huge difference. Reading your posts (and I don't mean to cause offence) you come across as a little stroppy. This wont do you any favours with your management. You may not mean to come across that way but remember - others peoples perception is their reality.
• OK,in reply to everybody who appears to think I'm moaning for no reason, I have worked for this company for 4 years and have always taken my holidays when allowed even if it meant missing out on family life because I had to take my time off in term time or when my partner had to work, I've understood that its usually 'first come first served' when it comes to getting time off, and I've many a time covered for other people so they can get time off when needed and also done overtime when asked, even when its meant having to pay extra for childcare etc, however, on this occasion, I have checked my contract, and read the company handbook over and over & my request is within the company terms, i.e, 2 weeks to be taken between april and october, I do not feel that I have been unreasonable in my request, especially as I've seen the same select few time and time again get everything they request . Also in the handbook it clearly states that seasonal staff are required to work at least 6 weeks in the summer & 2 weeks in winter & yet the manager refuses to call them in to cover holidays, so without a reasonable explanation as to why not ( which I have asked but had no reply) I still do not understand why the onus is on me to find my own cover when they know it will be difficult for me to do so. Can I also add that apart from wanting to enjoy a proper family holiday for the first time in years, I have also had the stress of finding cover myself to enable me to attend upcoming hospital appointments because otherwise I would be not only losing days pay but also running the risk of getting in trouble for having too much time off, even though I have no control over when the national health service arranges my hospital appointments.
• Your request was reasonable but so was the employer's response to it.
  It's all very well checking your handbook but unless it says you can take any two weeks of your choice and management can't refuse then you haven't got a leg to stand on.
  The manager will have budgeted for a certain amount of money for holiday cover and calling in additional seasonal staff will add extra cost which may not be within the budget.
  The hospital appointments are a different issue. If you're having difficulty getting time off for them then it would be worth having a chat with your union rep to get some advice.
• They havent denied you 2 consecutive weeks, they have denied those dates.
  They have also gone as far to say "if you find cover come back to us and we will reconsider"..Most employers wouldn't even go that far and as yours have it is only fair that you do the legwork finding appropriate cover. Seasonal staff are there for the reasons of covering normal staff holiday levels around what is usually the busiest times of year, and not to cover employees that put special requests in.