Cant take a day off for my friends stag which is 4 months away

JakeArmitage

I work in QC in the pharma industry, I work 24/7, 2x12 hr days followed by 2x12hr nights, there are 4 shifts and I am 1 of 4 different people that is the sole supporter of manufacturing for QC on shift.There are 2 other people that work 12/7 which is 4x12 hour days. When one of the 24/7 people wants to take holidays they need one of the 12/7 people to cover their nights when their off.My friends stag is 4 months away but since one of the lads has already gotten this booked off and the 12/7 person is covering there won't be any cover there so its tough luck for me, does this situation seem any way wrong? This isn't a site wide policy just something in our little QC bubble that we were told we would have to do

VincePP

I have retail stores and operate a very similar policy - it seems quite normal.

We simply say that before you book make sure no-one else has the time booked. They then provisionally book the dates and have a week to confirm.

If someone has booked the dates beforehand, they must request the date via head office - if staff are available, then it no issue, but sometimes its just not possible and people get upset, but we can't simply call on an agency for someone's communion party.

Its tough, but where there are justva small number of staff there just has to be some system in place.

Stheno

Holidays are at employer discretion date wise, so nothing wrong with your situation.

You are unlucky in that someone else booked the same time before you, happens all the time.

Second Toughest in_the Freshers

you could say you have jury duty?

Kenny Bania

Second Toughest in_the Freshers wrote: »

you could say you have jury duty?

And when they ask for proof? And when it happens to be on the exact same day he requested off?

F1ngers

Kenny Bania wrote: »

And when they ask for proof? And when it happens to be on the exact same day he requested off?

(S)he was referring to this thread, in a jocular mood methinks.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=99774097#post99774097

_Brian

How about talk to the lad who has it booked off and see if he would be willing to change, but I'd say if he has it booked this far in advance that he really needs it off.

After that your in a pickle as the company are within their rights to refuse. Once all four of you are treated equal regarding holiday requests then there is no recourse for complaint.

Can one of the other two 24/7 workers do a swap with you, then you could return the favour in the future.

nikkibikki

VincePP wrote:

If someone has booked the dates beforehand, they must request the date via head office - if staff are available, then it no issue, but sometimes its just not possible and people get upset, but we can't simply call on an agency for someone's communion party.

Even if it's for their own child's communion? If you have the option to call an agency and don't do this for when the celebration is in relation to your employees own child, you'll have at least one very disgruntled employee.

In the OP's situation, all you can do is have a chat with the person who has it booked off and see if they can swap. Otherwise, you've gotta suck it up unfortunately. Annual leave is at employers discretion.

Mrs OBumble

JakeArmitage wrote: »

... one of the lads has already gotten this booked off ... does this situation seem any way wrong?

No.

First in, best dressed, so to speak.

I'm sure management have some options for if someone is sick / dying. But a stag? Pfft ...

daheff

if its just one day off you need, then dont make a big deal of being told no now. Accept the decision and move on.

When the required date comes around just call in sick. Might be more difficult to do this if you need more than 1 day though.

livedadream

JakeArmitage wrote: »

I work in QC in the pharma industry, I work 24/7, 2x12 hr days followed by 2x12hr nights, there are 4 shifts and I am 1 of 4 different people that is the sole supporter of manufacturing for QC on shift.There are 2 other people that work 12/7 which is 4x12 hour days. When one of the 24/7 people wants to take holidays they need one of the 12/7 people to cover their nights when their off.My friends stag is 4 months away but since one of the lads has already gotten this booked off and the 12/7 person is covering there won't be any cover there so its tough luck for me, does this situation seem any way wrong? This isn't a site wide policy just something in our little QC bubble that we were told we would have to do

Unfortunately it kinda is tough luck,

only think i can think of is asking the other person if they are taking is as a day off just to chill out and have a day off or if its an event or something.

just dont call in sick that day... screams of pettiness.

ArthurG

daheff wrote: »

if its just one day off you need, then dont make a big deal of being told no now. Accept the decision and move on.

When the required date comes around just call in sick. Might be more difficult to do this if you need more than 1 day though.

Yeah do this - don't worry about the potential ramifications of your actions, you'd be missing out on a night out on the lash

By the way - have you booked the wedding day off?.

Irish_Elect_Eng

Unfortunate, but normal enough.

If you have some brass neck....

You could do what a old colleague of mine did in a similar situation. Knowing that he could not get any cover for the next weekend on short notice. ( Surprise trip to Old Trafford form his Fiance) He went directly to his boss and asked his boss (Engineering Manager) to cover for him on a weekend he needed off. He presented it as a great chance for his boss to reconnect with the work that his team did on a day-to-day basis and an opportunity to find opportunities for improvement.....etc.

His Boss roared laughing at the proposal and promptly agreed to cover for him.


* But the boss did have the last laugh when he called in the favor a month later and had my mate replace him doing show-n-tell for a week at a trade conference in Hamburg which my boss hated traveling to.

Shelflife

daheff wrote: »

if its just one day off you need, then dont make a big deal of being told no now. Accept the decision and move on.

When the required date comes around just call in sick. Might be more difficult to do this if you need more than 1 day though.

Do this and you can write off your career with your company. Doesnt matter if you get certified or not, management would take a very dim view of this.

We operate a similar system, first come first served, they can swap where possible but if its gone its gone.

Irish_Elect_Eng

Get your mate to change the stag date?

daheff

Shelflife wrote: »

Do this and you can write off your career with your company. Doesnt matter if you get certified or not, management would take a very dim view of this.

We operate a similar system, first come first served, they can swap where possible but if its gone its gone.

Mgmt might take a dim view. Depends on how much sick time is already taken. Depends if they care.

I know of quite a number of multinational manufacturing sites that there is quite a lot of people calling in sick all the time.

TheDoc

daheff wrote: »

Mgmt might take a dim view. Depends on how much sick time is already taken. Depends if they care.

I know of quite a number of multinational manufacturing sites that there is quite a lot of people calling in sick all the time.

And not every place is the same. I work in a company that has no Hr department(lolz) and in that situation you'd be told not to come back, and they would just deal with the ramifications.

They take the view of wanting ****ters gone ASAP, and deal with the hassle after, but just get bad people out.

Taking a sick day, for something you have provisionally booked as a holiday and were refused? That surely ends up one way.

OP if I was you, I'd just ask your manager to keep the date tentative, in the event situations shift that would allow you to go.

Keane2baMused

OP I'm sure you know now but you made the mistake of not asking around out of 'interest' if anyone had leave booked around then, before submitting for the time off.

You then could have pulled a couple of certified sick leave days. Not ideal and a bit risky but if you really needed/wanted to it would have been doable.

jive

Ask one of the other 24/7s or 12/7s to cover you... you've 4 months, surely ye can work it out? Not to mention the fact that in 4 months the shift employees may change or shift rota might be switched about.

runawaybishop

4 months notice? If managment can't allow 2 people off for one day with that much of a heads up something is wrong with them.

minikin

Forget the stag, get booked in for the wedding, if days off are booked so far in advance.

Riskymove

runawaybishop wrote: »

4 months notice? If managment can't allow 2 people off for one day with that much of a heads up something is wrong with them.

there are only 4 of them in specialist role covering 24 hour shift

1 is already off so 3 covering 24 hours now

runawaybishop

Riskymove wrote: »

there are only 4 of them in specialist role covering 24 hour shift

1 is already off so 3 covering 24 hours now

4 months notice, plenty of time to transition to a temp (internal or otherwise)

Shelflife

runawaybishop wrote: »

4 months notice, plenty of time to transition to a temp (internal or otherwise)

You cant expect a company to take on a temp just so that on the rare occasion two people want to take a day off that they will be available.

runawaybishop

Shelflife wrote: »

You cant expect a company to take on a temp just so that on the rare occasion two people want to take a day off that they will be available.

I did say internal or otherwise. If their transition is that sparse they have issues. What would happen if someone was sick while someone else was on leave? It's one day, they should be able to get cover. Having the team fight to get in first with holidays isn't a great atmosphere.

Bandana boy

Have a chat with you boss , I have the same rule in my team but when there is a 1 day cross over for one of events like this I accommodate.

is more about making sure you don't have two people from the same team off for a fortnight, and making the team manage their time effectively.