Manager has refused my time off 'request'

[MyBossIsAPillock]

I emailed him 6 weeks ago to inform him that I won't be in next week and the week after. He's just told me that my request is rejected. He says it's half term so others have already booked the time off and I'm taking the piss even asking seeing as I've barely been in this year.

Things is, the reason I've been off so much is because I've had breast cancer. The reason I won't be in for the next 2 weeks is because I'll be having radiotherapy.

I told him it wasn't a request and that I wouldn't be in. He said that then it'll become a disciplinary matter. Fuckwit. I'm not worried, HR and senior management have been excellent throughout. But what a twattish way to treat someone going through hell.

I think she should put grievance on the back burner for now. HR will know that she’s entitled to the time off so there won’t be any argument from them and he’ll be put straight.

I think the problem will come later. Radiotherapy side effects don’t show up straight away. I had it for breast cancer after mastectomy and was fine for a couple of weeks, then my skin became red raw, like bad sunburn, and it turned to cellulitis which had to be treated by IV antibiotics for a couple of days in hospital. And the tiredness is indescribable - it creeps up on you after a few weeks and it’s something you can’t fight. OP may well need other adjustments after the treatment to allow her to recover from it - sick days etc, and might even have to be a phased return to work or reduced hours. Pillock boss is likely to have a meltdown if this is the case, and a grievance might be better raised at that point.

I am concerned that your treatment wasn’t booked for 6 weeks in advance. This is double the normal maximum for this treatment to be booked in for @MyBossIsAPillock

You can recover from breast cancer, unfortunately there’s no coming back from stupid.

Sending you best wishes OP

@Sherararara in your desperation to bring down the OP, you had a lapse in reading comprehension. Op said “I just messaged him saying I wouldn't be in as I was starting radiotherapy”

Loving the word wazzock!

I had this with breast cancer. Had surgery and was started on hormone treatment and had to wait for oncology typing to see if chemo was necessary as it has to be done before radiotherapy. I had my positioning scan for radiotherapy around two months after surgery but instead of treatment starting within three weeks from that date it was actually six. There were a couple of reasons. One was because l had developed a seroma and it needed to drain and heal and also because there were problems with machine availability once l was cleared.

You need to tell him why you'll be off as cancer is a disability and in law any absence is governed by Equality Law, he has responsibilities to you under the law but can't do what he needs to do if he doesn't know.

She informed him that she would be absent due to treatment. He "denied" something he can't deny.

Did you not read any of OPs posts?

She told him why she would be off. She said “I just messaged him saying I wouldn't be in as I was starting radiotherapy”

Exactly. He needs hauling over the coals. Shocking attitude.

Actually in fairness to @Sherararara , in the original post, the OP said "I emailed him 6 weeks ago to inform him that I won't be in next week and the week after", so like me you read it that she had explained why she was off because she later in the opening post says the reason she needs it off is for radiotherapy. And that she wasn't asking, she was telling.

Like you I thought he was a bang out of order but now @Sherararara, makes the comment, she doesn't actually say she told him was she was off in the request and I do think its important that we clarify that before we lambast the boss. She may have known it was for radiotherapy, but did he?

That is a fair question!

I read this as OP emails manage to say she’ll be off, manager says no, OP then messages manager to say it’s for treatment, and updates thread.

As in OP’s later response was an update on what she had just done, not clarification on what she did in the first place.

If she was clear from the start that the time off was for treatment she should escalate to HR. And also check what the leave should be taken as, if sick leave then she’ll need a fit note at the start of the second week, and id be asking for all communication during her absence to go through HR so that she doesn’t have to contact dickhead manager.

She said she messaged him telling him she was having radiotherapy. He knows she has cancer . There is no excuse for his behaviour.

Doesn’t look like it, if he’s been there years and no blowback

That's absolutely appalling! You're going through something incredibly difficult, and the last thing you need is a manager threatening disciplinary action over essential medical treatment. Radiotherapy is not a holiday, and the fact that he seems unable to understand the difference is shocking. I'm glad HR and senior management have been supportive, and I really hope they step in and deal with his behaviour. Wishing you all the best with your treatment and recovery! ❤️

You dont need to take leave its sickness just email HR and tell them and put a grievence in against your manager this is disgusting

Your manager is a massive twat and I hope HR do hold a disciplinary meeting ... for him.

Your muddling the waters your ether on holiday or off sick
a lot of companies have rules about people using leave instead of sick leave they won’t do it
he’s right though you can’t pick and choose and just demand holidays
if your going to be sick them you need to ring in sick

But she hasn’t requested it as sick leave HR will more than likely not authorise the holiday and register it as sick leave
a grievance about the leave refusal will go nowhere
however it would about the comments

She’s not requested holiday though. She’s saying she won’t be in as she’s having radiotherapy
same as I would do if I was having an operation or something, flag it up to manager that I won’t be in. It’s not a discussion around whether or not you can take leave/holiday

Then tell HR. Also, I recommend Weleda rich skin food on your skin, my husband had intensive radiotherapy on his neck and used this and the nurses commented that he was almost the only patient undergoing this who didn't get skin breakdown.

It reads very much to me as though she’s request it as A/L with the way OP has worded it
I’ve never worked anywhere where when you put requests in to go off sick
you normally have a chain of command you contact on the day you are sick

sick leave doesn’t require authorising

Goodness what an utter twat! I hope this back fires on him spectacularly...

OP there’s so much misinformation here from
people who haven’t got a clue. Mixed in with some reslly bloody helpful advice with correct information!

Having gone through this recently myself, you obviously did the right thing and said here’s my date I’m not going to be in. As long as it’s clear what you’re doing and it’s not open for discussion, they should be on board. LIke OP have said, it’s a protected characteristic and they have to be very very careful.

Going forward I would just bypass the idiot man and explain things to HR and as a side note as him to be informed where required.