Booking holiday off work

[inchoccyheaven]

My dp and i have have been looking at holidays and finally found one that we can afford and fits in with other things we have to take into account for our families. I paid the deposit and messaged my boss to tell him the date. Its in mid August.

Boss wasn't happy that I didn't ask first as it makes it more difficult for him to have 2 weeks off in a row as there are only 3 of us that work there and the newbie who didn't declare any holidays booked has now mentioned her family usually go away for 2 weeks beginning of school hols ( she's 18 and still student) so there's not 2 weeks together until end of August which could potentially make it difficult for boss's wife to take time off as she currently relies on her son to run her business while away and as he is finishing college in summer could be unavailable beginning of sept.

I don't know if i was unreasonable booking without checking first, i did mention the date briefly before and he did say it would make it more difficult for him,but it fits our family commitments and already places are getting booked up. ( caravan site)

Part of reason i am so annoyed he had a go about it is because i have bent over backwards for past few months working full time inc Saturdays because a recent employee was off sick and then because business became very quiet the boss decided to let her go so its just been the 2 of us to work. This meant i had to cancel appointments etc and affected home life too, but as i was hoping it was temporary did it without moaning. And I was always considerate taking holiday last year so that boss didn't have to work whole week at time to cover me, whereas previous employee took hers whenever it suited her.

So was I wrong to book without getting permission first or as I have given plenty of notice is it ok ??

[Quietwhenreading]

I've never worked anywhere that I didn't have to ask permission first.

There are always rules and an order of precedence.

[Pyjamaface]

I have always had to book holiday first and wait for it to be approved before actually booking/paying deposits etc.

If your boss refuses to authorise your holiday request, what will you do? Lose the money?

[Brokenbiscuit]

You were stupid not to get the leave approved first. If he decided to decline your request, would you be happy to lose the deposit?

Not surprised your boss is annoyed tbh. He probably feels under pressure now to sign off leave that he would otherwise have declined.

His holiday shouldn't necessarily take precedence over yours by the way. But it's common sense to ask before you book anything.

[SoThatHappened]

3 employees and you didnt ask first? Wow.

My old job had 180 people and we still had to ask before booking anything. There is usually a policy relating to this in the contract and on the holiday form.

[Scarydinosaurs]

I've always had to check dates.

[BillSykesDog]

YABU.

[Iwasbornin1993]

Sorry, OP but YABU. I work for a very large firm where an individual's work does not necessarily have to be covered if they're on leave IYSWIM, but even still we have to get permission first. Isn't that how all leave works?

[NaughtyRed82]

I agree that you should of checked with your boss first before paying a deposit, what everyone else who's employed has to do, can't just book holidays willy bully when you want to as businesses and companies etc wouldn't last very long if all the staff just booked their holidays when they wanted them lol

[CooPie10]

Yes very stupid to have booked without getting it approved first . He has every right to be pissed off. It's irrelevant how much effort you've put in, you need permission for these things. Can't believe you actually thought this was ok.

[inchoccyheaven]

Should have known IWBU I guess . He has agreed I can go so all is well.

I know it sounded like I had taken the mick by actually booking first but there isn't a contract with rules about holiday leave and as long as someone else hasn't already booked it off, which we all know as its written on the board, it has always been allowed in the past.

I did feel that given I have agreed to my hours being changed at a moments notice and recently having to change something i booked on my Saturday off because he is away but didn't check with me that i was ok to work instead, that the flexibility would work both ways. I accept that IABU though.

[Brokenbiscuit]

Ah well, I expect your manager has learnt a valuable lesson and will tighten up on policy from now on.

Glad that he authorised it.

[CakeThat]

Yes you should have booked the leave before paying a deposit but it still sounds as though your boss is sulking because you booked off the holiday before he did, which is fair enough, most offices work on a first come first served basis.
I don't think that just because he's the boss it should automatically entitle him to have 2 weeks off in August when everyone wants time off.

[Quietwhenreading]

It probably does work both ways but you still have to ask permission. We once cancelled our family holiday at a request from my DH's employer. DH still requested the new dates when we wanted to reschedule.

[inchoccyheaven]

cakethat he wants us to take our holidays in school holiday time and as he just accepted our newbie saying she usually has first 2 weeks I stupidly thought I could choose the week that suited my family best, rather than wait for him to decide when he was going .
I realise I should have waited to pay deposit though and glad haven't had to cancel.

[Muskateersmummy]

Yep, I agree with everyone. I never book anything until annual leave has been approved. I check things out and find prices and make sure it fits, then get the holiday approved and then make the booking.
Glad it all worked out for you this time OP

[redexpat]

I'm going against the grain here. I dont think you were entirely unreasonable, given that a. You have been v flexible this year and b. The precedent. I think if I were you I would take this opportunity to ask for written clarification of holiday policy to avoid any confusion next time. And I would stop being quite so flexible. It should go both ways like you say but it very rarely does.

[Katenka]

Being very flexible doesn't mean you can take what holiday you want.

What would you have done if you boss had booked that date just before you did.

It's bad planning and I don't know know anyone who doesn't have to ask first.

[redexpat]

Good point re flexibility, but surely it should generate goodwill?

[BiddyPop]

I am sort of in Redexpat's corner here - OP did say that she had talked to the boss about it before actually booking it - he wasn't happy but didn't say NO at that stage. And he has sought flexibility too, and given the new starter her dates sought (despite her not having said so at the outset). And he's also not being flexible by wanting everyone to go in school holiday time when all holidays are more expensive by virtue of increased demand.

On his side though, I will allow he was annoyed at the idea of those particular weeks in advance.

But if he expects flexibility, he needs to give it too.

And maybe, OP, you are slightly less able to accommodate unexpected changes going forward, as you ALSO have plans for family stuff on your time off, and family commitments that need to be worked around.

[AarghGrrAargh]

I actually think your boss is being an arse. Where I work as long as there is no holiday pre-booked by anyone else then you are generally fine to take it as leave. If your boss hadn't already booked his holiday then tough. Just because he always takes the same two weeks isn't good enough imo.

[Grapejuicerocks]

It wasn't the same two weeks though aargh. He wanted 2 weeks together so that he could go away for a fortnight. The op booked hers so now he can only have 1 week before and 1 week after. I can see his point. If op had moved her dates one week either way then he could have had his two weeks together.

[WhereYouLeftIt]

"there isn't a contract with rules about holiday leave and as long as someone else hasn't already booked it off, which we all know as its written on the board, it has always been allowed in the past."
That makes a difference. There has been an established (albeit unwritten) procedure. If the boss wanted a particular two weeks, he should have put it on the board. OP had mentioned dates, and although he said it would make it more difficult for him to have two weeks together, he did not say 'no'. And by not saying 'no' at that point then OP felt she could book for those dates. Boss should stop assuming OP is telepathic.

And I agree that flexibility should work both ways. He has got a lot of flexibility out of you, and should show appropriate consideration.

[5Foot5]

So there are 3 of you in the team and 6 weeks of school summer holidays.
Employee 1 speaks up first asking for weeks 1 and 2.
Then am I right in thinking you did the equivalent of booking weeks 4 and 5, thus leaving the other team member (your boss but so what) without two consecutive weeks they could take?

That was very thoughtless of you.

[NickiFury]

A valuable lesson here is that many people never really acknowledge what you do go out of your way to do for them but have an awful lot to say when you stop doing it. I wouldn't have booked because I like to be completely sure of things before I part with money but I don't think you were being hugely unreasonable tbh.

[inchoccyheaven]

5foot5 I have only booked 1 week and yes it is in the middle of the month as it suited my family situation the best but he could still have 2 weeks after me which would end beginning of September or 2 separate weeks. He didn't tell me I definitely couldn't have that week when I mentioned it to him just that it would make things more difficult.

He could of course tell the newbie she can't have the first 2 weeks seeing as she didn't mention it in her interview that's what her family do and by the sounds of it nothing has actually been booked, but instead he expects me to fall in line as that's what I have always done because I am usually very considerate.

Nickyfury sadly I think that is true. I love my job and always do what I can to help build business including going to trade fairs on a sunday to look for new suppliers without any payment or even petrol allowance. I enjoy going but it would be nice to have it acknowledged. Maybe its time I stopped being so available.