last minute work trips

[rosesareorange]

son is an engineer in new graduate role (started september) and in the last few days
they've asked him to do site
visits. One is
next week and he's got his driving test and the other one is the following week and he's got tickets to travel across country to see his friends and watch a play which he's paid £££ for. Both trips just literally announced now
and overnight trips, outside working hours. son is saying that he's like some notice for
trips or to try to
schedule them to avoid prior
commitments like his driving test. Boss questioning his commitment. Does
he need to just suck it up or is boss being unreasonable?

It's annoying, sure, but that kinda just feels like the nature of a job. Coming from a family of engineers, I don't think that's unusual.

What does his contract say about hours? How far off is next driving test slot?

Yes he needs to check his contract. However, often this sort of thing won't be directly referenced in a contract. Was this sort of things discussed at the interview?
Has he offered any compromise or tried to discuss a workaround, eg, arriving / leaving a day later / earlier (if that's viable from the travel and work perspective) or something else? I would have thought they'd be keen to support his driving test; a social event with friends not so much, so he may need to pick his battles.

I don't think it's fair but intrigued how he is able to go away overnight to see a play unless it was it a Friday - Saturday or he a day of leave booked in one side?

Surely he can just say I have a driving test ( surely he arranged time off for this already) and a tickets to an event so can these be rearranged to this date?

there must be a reasonable work around?

Boss who cannot plan ahead or is dealing with others who lack the ability to do so perhaps?

Driving test is something that cannot easily be moved, social events unless formally booked the time off well in advance can be seen as putting work as a low priority.

Unfortunately other young people may have behaved in such a way that the manager thinks many act as if entitled.