What should DD do? Work dilemma

[MrsWicket]

Background- DD (17) has got her first part time job to work along side her college studies. Small business. Very excited at finally be earning some money, so booked a holiday for next summer.
Came home all worried today. Informed her boss (who is the owner) about the holiday, who told her that she was going to book those weeks off and could she change her holiday dates. Said she can’t have more than one person off at any one time and should have told her at the interview stage (holiday wasn’t booked then. Didn’t have contract of employment then either.)
DD can’t move the dates forward as she has end of college year exams, and moving it back will make it more expensive. She’s worried she’s going to lose her job or the boss angry with her if she tells her she can’t move her dates. Boss has not actually booked a holiday, whereas DD has. It’s taken ages for DD to find a job in the sector she’s training for, so she doesn’t want to lose it - or her holiday. What does she do? Thanks

Wow. Seems I'm the odd man out. I'd take the vacation as planned. Life is too short to put work first.

Lesson learned. She should have asked before booking.

In a lot of jobs you have to

So long as you are prepared to find that you no longer have the job, fair enough. If you can easily find another, even a better job, have at it.

OP explained that the job was particularly useful to DD , who was hoping to keep it throughout her student days.

Odd way to go about it, unless it was a genuine mistake. The test is always what alternative you have.

You're not putting work first. You are simply arranging holiday time mutually with your workplace.

If she keeps the holiday, she'll need to get another job, at least she has a fair whilst to find another job. No business, big or small will allow you as an employee to dictate your holiday. You request the time off and then book. I can't believe that's not the first thing you said to her when she went to book.

The holiday is next summer
This is her first job. Surely she’s will or could have another job by then

you can’t just tell your boss you’ve booked holiday though, lesson learned for her

I’ve seen several people state that no job let’s people just declare their leave dates and that just isn’t true. I’ve never had an adult job where I had to request time off. I have the type of job that can’t be done by someone else so there is no need to make sure other people aren’t out at the same time. If I am out, my work just pauses. If a colleague is out, their work pauses.

This . It's only a part time job.

I find the she is only pt, only 17, only her first job attitude shocking.

What are we teaching our DC if we tell them that their pocket money pat- time jobs don't matter? They can do as they please as its not important enough.

Some poor person has to work with these entitled little darlings who's parents are looking down on the job they do.
No wonder some teenagers find it difficult to get a summer job! Meanwhile some sectors like hospitality are crying out for staff.

I think people are being harsh. She should have told her boss the holiday was already booked imo. In a proper job she would need to request holiday but part time jobs like this are flexible.

I bet she's on zero hours, all the rights in the employers favour. I would just stick with the job, don't move the holiday and see what happens.

This seems like the obvious solution to me. It’s a year away.

I could understand her boss saying that she cant have the holidays IF it was in the next few weeks but next year ,I have a 17 year old who has a part time job that she will be leaving about feb as she wants to concentrate on her Alevels and then go off travelling for a few months before uni ,Yes she has learned a lesson about work however unless this was her lifelong job it doesnt really matter look for another job tell them about the holidays at the interview or she sticks with this joband hands her notice in ,in good time next year before her holidays

This! The boss is crazy trying to dictate this to a junior staff member a year in advance.

Its a very tight labour market and your daughter will be in demand. She was absolutely fine to book a holiday a year in advance without telling her boss.

What is this part time job in a sector she’s training in?

if there’s a chance it may lead to FT after college she cancels her holiday, if staying, leaving the holiday booked and just building up her experience and then getting another job is possible, then do that.

i do think she was silly to book it and assume she could have the week off without asking about the holiday policy, but she’s 17. Lesson learned.

I'm just wondering what kind of environment this is, that relies on a 17 year old Part Time worker to keep things going for a weeks holiday or the place would grind to a halt?

Boss is bring unreasonable as she has a year to arrange cover, however good lesson learnt by your daughter in terms of communications and planning.

Sounds like a place she needs to get some relevant experience and then move on.

well she either moves her holiday or says she won't and takes the consequences or lets the whole thing die down and resigns nearer the time. Not sure if its changed, but when I worked in the NHS, we had a policy that people could book for the following year (or further ahead for special events) but if it was for a "desireable" time (christmas, school hols) then they had to expect that it would be a few years before they could do it again to give everyone else a chance. The special events requests were never refused if it was at all possible BUT people had to check with the team and the manager first.

What? I've never checked with work before booking a holiday. Book it, tell them. Let the boss figure something out, that's what management are for.

that's not what the OP said, she said no more than one off at a time.

A holiday for summer 2023? 17 and just a PT one whilst studying?

I'd keep quiet, work for a year and hand in my notice just before.

Ha ha, that's not how it works.

You've just been lucky.

Employers can tell you exactly when you have to take holiday if they like. It is not managements job to sort it out, what if everyone wanted annual leave that week? It's managements job to make sure enough people are there to run the company, and if that means saying no to annual leave, despite people having booked an paid., That's what they get paid for.

I teach 17 year olds and the usual thing would be keep the holiday and just quit your job the week before! They all chop and change let time jobs at the drop of a hat anyway.

It's a year in advance. By then I'm guessing she will be 18, had a years work experience so will.find it easier to get alternative employment. I say keep the holiday date, carry on working, then nearer the time.if the boss still disagrees, tell them to stick the job where the sun don't shine!!

I think you need to explain to DD that she did this the wrong way round.

However she is 17, started her first job, was excited about having money, etc. I don’t really blame her getting a bit carried away.

I also think her employer could be being a bit unreasonable. They are of course at liberty to dictate that only one member of staff is off at one time, but logically your inexperienced, part time working daughter isn’t going to be able to completely cover for her boss’s full time absence.

She does need to realise that her employer has the right to be ‘unreasonable’

You and she know best how important the job is to her. Bear in mind that she will presumably be within a probationary period for some months, it might not transpire that it provides the opportunity anticipated, and she might find another job within the next year.

If the job is vital then I would provide some financial assistance to my daughter
( part gift/ part loan?) to enable her to move her holiday. It’s not ideal but as a parent I feel a responsibility to try to help out my children when they make a mistake.

Keep the holiday booking and start looking for other jobs. If necessary hand in notice one month before the holiday and don't say that that's why.