AIBU to think a junior probationer’s month abroad request is unreasonable?

yes, but OP has said it wasn’t booked beforehand, or mentioned as a ‘might’ until they’d joined.

This.

And the behaviour - booking a month away on the assumption that the proposed arrangements would be approved - needs to be raised in the probation meeting as a first red card, and reason for the probation to be extended for at least a month (if not longer).

The employee needs to know that this is not appropriate professional behaviour. And if repeated, could lead to disciplinary action, all the way up to dismissal.

They’ll expect the same month off wfh 10 hours away every year, because, it’s to see family isn’t it?

Cultural is all well and good but you have to look at your employees who quite rightly will think these colleagues have special treatment in being allowed to do this. There was an ex boss of mine a director who was allowed to do this, work early and late and get afternoons off, but his wife was Slovakian and they were on holiday there.

Disagree. Its the company's responsibility to induct your people properly so that tgey are fully aware of procedures.

At the very least I’d be extending their probation period by the month they’re away

But what blows my mind is they’re proposing shortened hours - for the same pay?!!!

I think this person needs a bit of a lesson in what working for your salary means …

Up to a point, yes - except that was when they expected to go right ahead without any consequences

Now that there are - and if the "holiday" remark wasn't in writing - the story could easily change, along with an insistence that OP "must have misunderstood"

Fortunately, being very new, there shouldn't be any issues with simply getting rid - unless visiting family in the middle east means a racial aspect could be brought to bear, in which case good luck with that

If that was the case it would be agreed in the recruitment process. But I cannot imagine a sane employer who would agree a month long 'work from another country' stint while still in a probation period.

It's pretty normal for employers to honour holidays that are already booked when new employees start. It's generally something that gets sorted out during the recruitment process and Id expect the employer to make their position clear at that point.

Give them a month off without pay a d extend their probation. Or decline.

To be fair this is true. DH doesn’t hire anyone who’s not had a job before for reasons like this. Even if it’s a couple of years at maccies while you do your degree they tend to come out equipped and with an understanding of the world of work.

I would want to sort something if I really liked them, and I would feel bad if they lost money - but that’s probably why I don’t do much hiring and firing 😂.

Well they’ve been there a couple of months and think this is acceptable and think they can be on holiday all day and work a full day through the night so they are not showing themselves to be that good a worker. Maybe they didn’t realise if this is their first job but ot does suggest difficulties going forward

I’d get rid of them now , this is a massive red flag

A lot depends on what the job is-and obviously you can't give all the details we'd need to make an informed decision.
But most workers do expect flexibility now, and most won't work for organisations with dated views. Those who came to the workplace after 2020 say they find it weird their parents used to actually travel in daily, so depending on your service, you will find it almost impossible to retain decent staff. Before anyone accuses me of bias, I can't wfh in my job-I'm just saying that it's a fact many younger workers put flexibility above pay and progression, if they're in a job where it's possible.

As well as the potential tax implications for the employee the country they are going to may not permit visitors working without appropriate visas. In addition taking the Company onshore in a foreign country may well be a breach of regs for the Company itself and could well create huge issues for them depending on their ownership/tax structure. IMO they would have to take unpaid leave, not be permitted to work for the Company during the period they are away and have probation extended. You may well also run the risk of them deciding to continue travelling and not come back. If you feel that’s all ok then sit them down and explain everything to them clearly. If not then just tell them that there won’t be a job to come back to ensuring first of all you won’t be doing anything that could constitute an unfair/constructive dismissal claim.

That's nonsense. Holiday / working remotely needs to be signed off. There are procedures. If the employee didn't realise that, it's entirely on them.

I had a similar situation many years ago as a young manager. We needed someone to support our trainer who was overwhelmed with work when a business merger occurred. An internal candidate was recruited into the position which was a considerable promotion for them. Within a week of being told she had the job she requested a 3 week holiday with a friend to help said friend get over a bad break up. I got her manager to tell her no as the whole point of her role was to reduce pressure by picking up the role and being away for 3 weeks was not acceptable. I said that she could take 2 weeks leave as that didn’t require senior level approval.
Well she went ahead and booked the holiday and I had no option but to ask her to resign. My one regret was I should have had the conversation myself, but instead the direct line manager had it. I felt bad, of course I did, and some of the other managers thought I overreacted, but I still think I made the right call. Once you’re a wage earning adult, sometimes you have to make adult decisions and that involves not booking holidays on a whim.

It depends what they briefly mentioned. If they said ‘I’d like to go away to x country for a month and work remotely from there’ and you didn’t reply with ‘that would be against company policy’ then I think you have implicitly agreed that is a thing that can happen.

A person would have to spectacularly oblivious/ narcissistic/ dense to imagine a month’s PAID leave could be envisaged when she’s barely in with door with you. She’d not be ‘losing thousands’ at all; do not think in such terms.
She’d be entitled to almost nothing even had she made a professional request for the month when she started. .
She made a plan to be absent from work, which is bad enough. Expecting to be paid is utter lunacy.
This one sounds like an utter nightmare, OP. This is her presumably on her best behaviour. Just you wait.

YANBU. This would 100% annoy me in every way. Annoy being a massive understatement of course. I cannot deal with the sheer self-entitlement and underhandedness of this persons (obviously pre-planned) approach. If you can sack them / give them notice without them having grounds for any kind of come back, I would. No doubt. I cannot work with people like this - never mind mind employ them. I'm agitated for you!

It won't be a month. If they are cheeky enough to do this now it will be the start of their general approach to their job.

In any company I've ever worked for, extended leave like that is only permissible after a certain number of years service and by special arrangement. I would say no and query this person's commitment to the role. Also, beware that if you say yes, you are setting a precedent for all other members of staff.

This.

If you let this person do it then all your employees will want to do it.

“Oh I’m going to Thailand for 2 weeks but instead of requesting annual leave I’ll just work remotely, that’s fine isn’t it?”

“I’m going to my holiday home in the Canaries for 6 months. Wait what’s that? I don’t have to quit? I can take my laptop and work from Tenerife? Great!”

You’d be absolutely crazy if you let this new employee take the sheer piss out of you and the company.

What are your workplace policies on annual leave requests, working remotely / overseas and probation periods?

that is what should govern your response to this - not your personal opinion as to whether the request is reasonable or not.

and if you don’t have policies on these matters it’s time to get them into place pronto