Want a holiday but 16 year old can’t get leave

For them saying it's not a good life lesson to not quit a job...it's a good life lesson to quit if your employer is being unreasonable and won't allow you to switch shifts with someone else. The amount of people that stay in jobs at the detriment of their mental health is staggering. Quit the job and find a new one.

Many teenagers are employed in retail over the Summer to help cover permanent staff holidays . They are told at the start they won’t be able to book holidays though I think some already booked holidays may be honoured. Some will be offered permanent contracts at the end of Summer. To all those referring to him as a child some people do actually work full time at 16 ??

Does the teenager actually have a contract. I don't think I got something until 17 but I was classed as a temporary worker. Asked to come in and cover at moments notice and first to be let go in quiet periods.

If it's a zero hour then the whole point of them is to allow the worker flexibility supposedly as opposed to exploiting them....

You won’t have many more holidays with your dd do book it! He can take unpaid leave. If it’s a big corporate, they are being an arse.

I quit a job when I was 17 for a holiday. No way would I be dictated to by an employer for a Saturday job.

Just book it. I employ a number of 16-18 year olds who work weekends / holidays. Any business that claims they can’t manage for 8 hours without a 16 year old is having you on.

I always ask my lot to give me as much notice as possible, and recognise that ultimately they have no control over family holidays, so work round it. They are actually really good at swapping shifts with each other now, and will generally come and say “I’m going to be away on x day, but xxxx is ok to cover me”. Great.

would I expect an entire family to miss an 11 day family holiday because I don’t like shift swapping for 1 day of a childs work? No, that would not be remotely reasonable.

book it, child says to employer “sorry, my parents have booked for us all to go away x date til x date, xxxx person can cover my shift on this one day I’m not available” job done. If employer starts being a twat about it then they are not being realistic.

100% quit the job - at that age they're likely to get much more benefit (life experience) by getting a new job after the holiday

I'm so glad you're going to go on holiday, what a hideous company your daughter works for! It doesn't matter what the job is, it matters that she has self-respect & worth - staying there & losing a family holiday teaches her neither.

It's 8 hours a week and you are going to forego your holiday for an uncompromising company with massive profits (due to paying low wages).

That's not what I would do.

This employer sounds ridiculous.

Your child is 16 and works 1 day a week probably for a pittance. Do not let this ruin what could be the last chance of a holiday together.

Either get them to call in sick for that 1 day or just work right up until the holiday and then quit. It really will not impact your child's future employability

I think it's really shitty of the company.

16 year old should tell them my parents are booking a holiday, even if I don't go with them, I won't have transport to work while they are away. I love working here and don't want to have to resign. Is there anything that can be down, swap shifts, work extra the week before or after etc. Ask if HR have ant recommendations or suggestions? It's probably a manager that works be told to change their attitude if HR knew.

I suspect employer will change their mind and if not, you have a 16 year old that earns, sometimes you have to walk away from situations where it's all a one way situation. Not a bad lesson.

He worked 2 days a week for 18 months, for a massive supermarket. I do payroll all the time, so I knew it was wrong. He asked me to leave it, but I said I would just go and ask his manager politely if he wouldn't mind checking. I'm still glad I did.

I wouldn't be farting about changing hoIiday plans to fit around a kid's Saturday job.

Can you find another holiday that fits your budget when DD can get leave?

Big company? That makes it worse.

I am clearly mn crime of the century. I went to speak to Ds1's manager, at a massive supermarket, he was young and didn't want me to. Very politely enquired if...., turned out as I already knew, he was leaving and had been underpaid all holiday entitlement. £800.

This....

They're 16. I'd tell them to blame it on you and say they aren't allowed to stay home alone so have no choice but if they push back, quit and move on. They're 16

I’ve got a migraine coming on.

FFS. Let the child resign and take them on holiday.

Encouraging child to work for uncooperative employer isn’t great.

We work to live, we don't live to work.

I would pull a sicky that week if I were that 16 year old.

It's all well and good having a strong work ethic but you need to have a strong life ethic too and know when to advocate for a better work life balance for yourself.

Book it. This is pocket money and experience, not a career. Family comes first and she will deserve a holiday after GCSEs

I would say at 16 the difference it will make for their cv will be negligible especially if they can work with you until they find something else but I agree if it's generally a good job I wouldn't quit over it.

I think op the best option all round is that you rethink your holiday ideas and look at something different for different dates so that you can all go together and maybe do the expensive holiday you were planning the following year?

Really what it boils down to is you need to weigh up if that location or being together on the holiday is more important.

I would book the holiday. No way would I tell a 16yo that they couldn’t go on an 11 day family holiday because of an 8 hour shift.
They can ask everyone at work to cover this shift in exchange for one outside the holiday period, and also look for another job where they can tell them they have a pre booked holiday but can work extra shifts in the summer to cover other peoples leave. Either they will get another job, get someone to cover, or they can quit with the min notice period before the holiday. By the time you come back, retail businesses will be looking to replace their university students leaving home, and will be starting to increase staff for Christmas.