Colleague and annual leave

[Florelei]

It’s getting to that time of year again. I have a colleague who I actually get on well with - we are good as a team and work well together. Our strengths compliment each other in a good way.

However, we have the same problem every year. Every year before I can get a look in they request holiday for all of the best dates. Every year I ask if we can sit down and agree a fair split of the holidays around Easter, bank holidays and Christmas and each year nothing changes. This invariably means that she’s always got more holidays left than me at the end of the year and can take at least a week off which I then have to cover. The week is nearly always taken at our busy period.

It’s happened again this year. My manager is asking me if I have objections to all these holiday requests from her for all of the best dates. I don’t want to appear unprofessional but I’m fed up of this.

Should I object and out my own counter dates in and let my manager decide?

I spoke to colleague yesterday and said i thought we’d agreed that we would talk about the best dates and perhaps take a week off each at Easter. She told me she didn’t think she needed to discuss this with me because ‘it’s standard stuff’.

She also said that she never knows when I am off as I don’t tell her - which is not true - it just goes in one ear and out of the other.

I’m at a loss as to how to deal with this! Please help me.

Should I object and out my own counter dates in and let my manager decide?

Yes

Yes, tell your boss and make it fair. She will keep doing it otherwise and your boss must have noticed this is a regular occurrence if they’ve brought it up with you.

Yes, put in your own request. I might verbally point out that I haven’t had for example Christmas Day off for the last x years & you had thought it was your turn this year.
An annual leave calendar that you can both view is the answer to not knowing who’s off when.
I would be prepared for her to phone in sick for the days she wants but doesn’t get. Don’t let this be your problem.

@MammaCookie

Yes, tell your boss and make it fair. She will keep doing it otherwise and your boss must have noticed this is a regular occurrence if they’ve brought it up with you.

I agree.

Your manager had clearly noticed it, so yes I would probably involve them in this.

Thanks. She was saying that she has plans for those two weeks at Easter - clearly hoping I would agree on the basis that it’s just this once. However, I know it’ll be the same next year and the year after!

It's the same because you never say anything. Speak to your manager.
Next year Why can't you just put in your holiday requests before her?

Do you actually want to take leave at Easter or on any of the other dates she’s booked? If so, put in your request and tell your manager you do object to your colleague’s plans. Otherwise I’d let it go but book up leave for later in the year now (eg for bank holiday weeks). If you know she always gets in early and she’s continuing despite your conversations about sharing the good weeks then beat her at her own game and apply for all the good dates early yourself.

Should I object and out my own counter dates in and let my manager decide?

Definitely! I'd say you've tried to arrange a fair split but it always falls on deaf ears and also list the key times she's had off you wanted i.e. the last three Easters.

Your colleague is clearly not willing to be reasonable so you have to let your manager step in. She'll be pissed off but so what.

I think it's one for your manager.

Yes object. Offer one week each at easter.

Is it first come, first served for holiday in your team? If so, Get in earlier!

As you’ve been given an opportunity to object - don’t think twice about using it.
Your manager clearly thinks your colleague is taking the piss. Most decent employers will have a policy in place to prevent the unfair allocation of annual leave.

How can she have plans for Easter, we might still be in a bloody lockdown definitely speak to your boss.

@Florelei
“It’s happened again this year. My manager is asking me if I have objections to all these holiday requests from her for all of the best dates. I don’t want to appear unprofessional but I’m fed up of this.”
There’s your solution

It's usually first come first served. You should have requested what you wanted earlier.

Your manager has noticed and is offering the solution. Get off your arse and out some dates in too. The manager can split them....

You absolutely need to put in your own requests, otherwise the situation will never change. Key dates such as Easter, Christmas and the Summer shouldn't be booked on a first come, first serve basis in my opinion.

Why haven't you put in your requests already? In most companies it's "first come, first served" is it not?

Be more organised and get in earlier. I would be putting in requests for Christmas 2021 now.

Write out what dates you want and send to your manager and ask if you're able to split it so you both benefit from decent holidays

Don't be a push over she's taking the piss

Even if your colleague has plans for her 2 weeks at Easter , nothing should be booked until leave is granted. Don’t feel bad because she certainly doesn’t. It says something that your manager has noticed that she always gets in first for holiday dates.
Put your own requests into the manager and let the manager decide what is fair.
Don’t let her get her own way yet again,
Good luck

Tell your manager when you want off and let him/her decide a fair split. In our office we do a rota at Christmas to make it fair.

Put the dates in that you want & let your manager decide, takes it out of your hands OP.

As your manager has brought it up, definitely state your case. However if it really mattered to you, you'd have got in before her. It doesn't make sense that every year she has some way of getting earlier access to booking time off. She just gets on with it because she wants those dates. Sure it's nice if you can sit down and discuss it, but that's not the process for booking off holiday in most workplaces, it's first come, first served, so if it you want the time off, book it. You can always cancel if plans change, but in the meantime, she'd have to be the one coming to you for a compromise.

You’ve just got to tell your manager. It’s not unprofessional to stick up for yourself. You don’t have to do it as a complaint against your colleague, just be factual and say what keeps happening.