Surprise trip, work time off?

LegacyUser

No idea if this is the right spot for this.

I am planning a surprise trip for my wife's 35th birthday, she has just started a new job... how do I arrange for the time off?!?!

Should I;

- Go ahead and book, prey they give time off
- Ask her to take the time, ruining surprise

HELP!

Meathlass

Ask her to take the time off but don't give any hints where you're going.

If it's a new job there's no guarantee she'll be able to get time off so early.

MarieOC

Could you get in touch with her new boss and ask them without her knowing?

Neyite

You could ask her boss directly.

Having said that, if she is new, she may not have worked up enough hours yet to qualify for annual leave.

As well as that, annual leave is usually a first-come first-served basis and summer months are quickly snapped up by other workers and there might be a limit as to how many can take time off at once to ensure cover.

If you've no luck getting days off then you might have to plan a trip around her normal days off that fall nearest her birthday.

John368

I do not get this. Since we are talking about husband and wife, I assume that the holiday cost will be shared. So what exactly is the OP is giving his wife? Seems to me the only difference between this holiday and a normal holiday is that with holiday the OP's wife has no say in planning, either with regards to date, or location.

lifeandtimes

John368 wrote: »

I do not get this. Since we are talking about husband and wife, I assume that the holiday cost will be shared. So what exactly is the OP is giving his wife? Seems to me the only difference between this holiday and a normal holiday is that with holiday the OP's wife has no say in planning, either with regards to date, or location.

WHAT are you on about?

This quite obviously a surprise trip that op has planned for his wife, i.e he will be making that payments

Do people throw you a surprise party and expect you to pay your share of cost???

OP i would say its a really nice idea, depending on the job is possible you could ask her boss but only you would know if this would fly with them,again depending on the job she does.

All else fails and you really want it to be a surprise wait a little while then contact her work and ask them further down the line

woodchuck

John368 wrote: »

I do not get this. Since we are talking about husband and wife, I assume that the holiday cost will be shared. So what exactly is the OP is giving his wife? Seems to me the only difference between this holiday and a normal holiday is that with holiday the OP's wife has no say in planning, either with regards to date, or location.

Not all couples throw their money into one big pot. Plenty of people also have separate accounts. Presumably he's paying for it out of his own pocket.

Even though it's a lovely gesture, if it was me, I'd want to know so I could see about arranging things at work. I don't think it would be appropriate to ask her boss directly and it's possible she may not be able to get the time off so soon after starting a new job (or other members of her team may already have the time booked off). I'd tell her you have a surprise planned for x dates and ask if she's able to get them off.

ted1

If it's a bit job, I would maybe hold off I'm booking time off. Depending on the jobs he might be covering fir someone already on holidays , mid way through a training plan, bought in to help with a busy schedule.
Really you should let her in on it and let her decide when suits to take time off

Diamond Doll

MarieOC wrote: »

Could you get in touch with her new boss and ask them without her knowing?

Personally I'd hate if my partner did this if I'd just started in a new job. Depending on the boss, they could consider it to be quite unprofessional.

MouseTail

This little piggy wrote: »

Personally I'd hate if my partner did this if I'd just started in a new job. Depending on the boss, they could consider it to be quite unprofessional.

I would hate this too, and as a boss, would be very uncomfortable if an employees spouse made this request. Its a real blurring of professional boundaries.

Dee01

Hi OP,

Could you arrange that she request time off for a different reason or trip i.e. Ireland/fix up the house etc.? And then surprise her with the destination on the morning of? She'll have the time off, but won't be expecting the destination?

Best of luck with it 😉

vertmann

Why does it have to be a trip? Maybe your wife is still coming to grips with her new job/is still being trained and would rather not take a holiday until she's more comfortable with her role?

LegacyUser

Op here.

I am paying for everything, it's her birthday present and I want to spoil her.

The reason it's a trip is this is a location she has always wanted to go to and now is a good chance to do it. She is not materialistic so this is worth much, much more than any physical gift.

Everything has been sorted, thanks for all the replies.

robbiezero

Just tell her. It's a nice thing to do anyway.
I don't see why everything has to be a surprise. It's also nice to have something to look forward to and to be able to plan it properly without having it sprung on you.
Absolutely do not consult her boss.