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

That’s more than fair on your part.

I’d also send them a copy of their contract/work policies so they can see clearly what rules they are breaking.

If you don’t sack her you absolutely WILL regret it.

I think the trip was probably booked before they joined the company and their vague talk of extended leave was probably nervousness on their part as to the implications as a new member of staff.

I would allow them to go albeit unpaid this is not remote working this is unpaid leave and add the month to the probation period.

This is far less hassle then them handing their notice and you starting the recruitment process all over again.

Inform all staff this leave was booked before he joined and the usual booking holiday procedures continue to apply.

This.
my bigger concern is if they think this is acceptable now what will they be like medium to long term. Entitled and difficult to manage, and get rid of if you set a precedent now.

Leave should always be agreed before booking so its on them really if you decline. I find it rather cheeky to pull this having only just started and theres no consideration for other employees. It would be a no for me to authorise this due to the length of leave and business needs. So for them to take the leave they would have to resign.

Well that's a hard no, and bin them off it they still go as they are unable to complete their probation period. It doesn't bode well for the future with this employee tbh.

We had a similar situation where this was approved and now its an absolute free for all and people just seem to work where they like when they like.

I think your approach is fair although I'd document it with HR for my own sake. FIngers crossed they don't go off sick now instead.

I’ve only read the OP’s posts but I think she’s made a mistake in assuming the flights are non-refundable. If they aren’t, then the employee may have just booked them temporarily.

Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if the employee has been pressured into this by family and her partner. It can be difficult when you live far from family. My in-law’s family from India insisted I spend a month with them, in their country, before marriage and so I was also put in the horrible position of having to work nights and take a month off. I may well be reading too much into it but maybe there’s something like that happening which would mean it’s not actually a reflection of her attitude towards work.

I think a lot of people are being very harsh.
The employee didn’t say they were going away for a months holiday. They are going to see family and offered to work nights to suit the business.

People are entitled to a life outside of their work. Now days, companies aren’t willing to invest in good people anymore, as demonstrated by the fact OP would rather sack them and start again. Employees don’t feel loyal anymore because they are seen as disposable .

Let’s be honest: if the company was failing you’d leave it to the last minute to tell people so you could keep making money . Bugger people needing the chance to find new jobs to pay the bills.

Did they make a silly mistake? Yes. But they are young. A better lesson would be to make it unpaid and tell them how this isn’t acceptable in the future.

Why do you need to hard arse it? Is it because you would have been told no if you had asked when you were 25?

The junior has booked a trip and has offered suggestions on how to maintain their role whilst away as well as using annual leave.

In my role, we are given our years leave allocation upfront, if we were to leave the job before the leave year is up this would be factored into our final pay so I don't believe that should be a barrier here.

So other than spite, what reason do you have to decline the request?

If the junior fails to maintain the service the have indicated they would whilst away, take disciplinary action then. At least give the youngster a chance first.

Unless they are otherwise a whizz at the role, I would be tempted to just let them go.

"Hire for attitude" is a well known maxim for good reason. With the reduction of the no cause firing going down to 6 months, it's even more important to clean out new hires at the first sign of unsuitability.

This is not an occasion to be super nice and I am someone who believes in being cordial and friendly whenever you can.

If OP keeps with her decision to retain this member of staff, it needs to be made very clear to them that their behaviour was unacceptable and if they ever books leave without approval again, then they can choose holiday or keep their job.

The worry here is that this is not a one off but an ongoing pattern of behaviour. OP needs to make future expectations crystal clear and documented.

You could always start the conversation wth "If you want to sray with the company"

That’s being a massive pushover and sends the message that this dishonesty and sneakiness is acceptable, no reason why this person wouldn’t do it again.

i would be thinking impact on other staff - is this particular junior very well liked and everyone will be upset by a sacking, or will they resent the cheeky fuckery and/or think a precedent has been set.

Give them unpaid leave but be super-nice and polite about it. The niceness will reinfornce the firmness, not the other way round. If you start with a pissed off tone then you inevitably get into negotiation and "well I suppose you could do XYZ" and nobody's happy, nobody wins and nobody has any clarity. If you're just matter of fact and cheerful they can't budge.

"WFH won't work for us, but of course you're more than welcome to take those 5 days of annual leave you've accrued and then take the rest as unpaid. We'll add the time away onto your probation period afterwards. Hope you have a great time."

If pressed, you're probably not insured for them to work on your equipment overseas etc.

It's possible that this job is not as central to their world as it is to yours, and that's fine both ways. That's just how it goes.

presumably during probation period you can end the contract quickly for any reason? tbh i think i'd do that.

No worries, we've all done it! 😄

OP before you give a decision to junior I would take employment law advice to make sure you aren’t inadvertfalling in any legal holes. Eg going over a time limit for unfair dismissal claims.

Based off what you’ve said personally I would exit them unless they are a superstar. This is unlikely to be the last issue with this person. I’ve had to exit staff on performance and behaviours and I generally look back and think I let that go on too long and gave them too many chances.

I'm in the UK and coming up to retirement and have been in a management role in various businesses for years now. Not sure of the rules where you are but:

I think a fair, legally safe (UK wise), business‑sensible response is:

1. Explain that overseas remote working is not permitted, especially during probation. Explain that the time‑zone makes it impossible to meet the needs of the role if they were hoping to work whilst abroad. If appropriate also advise this affects the insurance for the laptop and data protection is a consideration.
2. Decline the request for a month’s leave, whether paid or unpaid, because the business cannot absorb the absence.

Going forward, make sure that you have employment contracts that clarify your stance and something along the lines of (depending upon the laws in your country):

Annual Leave Requests All annual leave requests must be submitted through the approved leave‑request system and authorised by management before any commitments are made. Commitments made without prior approval may not be honoured, and any resulting loss will be at the employee’s own expense.

Anticipating Leave Permanent employees may request to take annual leave that has not yet been accrued (“anticipated leave”) only with prior management approval.

Employees in their probationary period may only take annual leave that has been accrued unless management gives explicit prior approval. Probationary periods cannot be shortened or bypassed by anticipating leave.

Any anticipated annual leave taken will be recovered from final salary if the employee leaves the Company before it is accrued.

Leave on Termination All accrued annual leave must be taken before the employee’s final working day unless management approves payment in lieu. Payment in lieu of holiday is at management’s discretion.

Maximum Length of Leave Employees may take a maximum of 10 consecutive working days of annual leave at any one time, unless exceptional circumstances apply and written approval is given by management.

Pre‑Booked Holidays at Recruitment Where an applicant has declared pre‑booked holiday in writing before an offer of employment is made, the Company will honour that booking. All other leave will be subject to the rules above.

You’re right to consider your other employees. In such a small outfit, all eyes and ears will be on you now, as they have to live with the fallout from any decision you take, as well as you and the business as a whole.
You need to be firm but fair and recognise that you will be setting a precedent for others to have an expectation of later down the line.

I am going to say they can go on unpaid leave - with their probation period to restart from when they return for another 6 months. I am going recruit a temp with a handover for cover and if this person works out, well....

I don’t blame you, but if you employ a temp to cover a permanent post then decide the temp is a better fit, would it be legal to replace the permanent staff member with the temp?

I think that is fair and kind.

sorry!

Are you really planning on advertising, interviewing, hiring, training another person for 4 weeks?