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AIBU?

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Original poster

Holiday booked, can't book leave

231 replies

ColletteTheLot · 14/01/2022 09:55

In the past year I have gone part time in a job I was previously full time in, and work Monday - Wednesday. I am studying on Thursdays and Fridays.

Last week, our manager sent an email on Wednesday evening, after I had finished work, asking for all leave requests from 1st April to 1st September, and that these would be dealt with on a first come / first served basis. As I wasn't then at work till Monday morning, I didn't email my requests till Monday afternoon (I had to check with my husband for some of it, as we try and cover as much school holiday child care as we can between us).

We had a week away in Spain booked for summer 2020 which we moved to 2021, and then had to move again to 2022. It's paid for, and we have insurance that covers Covid.

Turns out, a colleague has requested the week the holiday has been moved to. It is in my calendar, and had been mentioned to my manager, but I hadn't formerly requested it as leave year doesn't start till 1st April.

OP posts:
KnobJockey · 14/01/2022 12:25

@NewMessageFrom depends on you read it I guess- I read that the manager asked for the dates, but not that they weren't available before. At my partner's place, they are allowed to book the full year ahead, but will get an email in January to book in the first half of the year, or potentially be allocated so much of their leave. The OP hasn't stated anywhere that she couldn't do this, but that she was waiting for the new holiday year to start.

Autumnleaves4 · 14/01/2022 12:28

@LeSquigh

It is unreasonable to book a holiday if your annual leave isn’t confirmed.
Don’t be ridiculous, her holiday allocation doesn’t start until April when she could apply officially, all summer holidays would be booked by then, you have to book some holidays a year in advance for August, especially UK cottages they get booked for the following year by the same guests often.
Toanewstart22 · 14/01/2022 12:29

You have worked there 6 years?

Bloody hell op. - just have a word with your manager

Toanewstart22 · 14/01/2022 12:30

I wouldn’t ask

I’d be saying

“Ah I see a clash as I’ve booked and paid for a holiday that week. At least we have sufficient time to prepare for it”

The idea of rescheduling my holiday? No chance

Willdoitlater · 14/01/2022 12:36

If you had already mentioned it to your manager, remind him of this. Say 'oh there's been a mistake, I'd already told you about my holiday...'

Toanewstart22 · 14/01/2022 12:40

@Willdoitlater

If you had already mentioned it to your manager, remind him of this. Say 'oh there's been a mistake, I'd already told you about my holiday...'
Irrelevant if she’s hasn’t actually booked it.

But as far as I can tell
The op hasn’t actually spoken with her manager
She’s assuming it’s a problem
She’s worked there 6 years and is part time
Just talk to your manager!

NineteenSeventy2 · 14/01/2022 12:44

I allow holidays to be pre-approved in advance, especially in cases like this.

Your manager doesn’t sound very fair.

RuthW · 14/01/2022 12:45

Why did you book a holiday when leave hadn't been approved?

Lou98 · 14/01/2022 12:46

@RuthW

Why did you book a holiday when leave hadn't been approved?
The OP has already explained it was booked for 2020 and rescheduled because of Covid. Presumably she did have the leave before booking the original holiday
Toanewstart22 · 14/01/2022 12:47

@Lou98

But the OP would have rescheduled the holiday according to her chosen dates

Toanewstart22 · 14/01/2022 12:49

@NineteenSeventy2

I allow holidays to be pre-approved in advance, especially in cases like this.

Your manager doesn’t sound very fair.

The op hasn’t even spoken to the manager about it!

She’s assuming that it will be declined

WiganDiva · 14/01/2022 12:52

If you told your manager the new holiday dates and he/she acknowledged and agreed them (in writing?), then first come, first served, you were there first and other colleague can’t have that week.

Femisaurus · 14/01/2022 12:53

yanbu it was prebooked and sounds like your manager was informed but you couldn't put it through the formal system because it wasn't open yet.

I agree that in general holiday is 1st come 1st served but not when it's a case of aslking everyone at once and fastest email wins.

Happyfeet1972 · 14/01/2022 12:53

Do you have it in an email that you asked for the dates even though you couldn't put them on the system? If so, I would show this to your manager. I completely agree with you this is an unfair way to do things and if there is only a few of you on the team your manager has no excuse for overlooking the fact you don't work thur and Fri and therefore couldn't respond as quickly.

You would definitely be able to argue this is unfavourable treatment of part time workers and also link it to sex. Any decent HR person would agree with you. However I wouldn't lead with that, I'd try and resolve it by speaking to your manager but if you have to escalate it, I would do so on the grounds you've said.

ancientgran · 14/01/2022 12:55

It sounds like you are being discriminated against for being part time. I would be really upset about that.

Gonnagetgoing · 14/01/2022 12:55

@jollygoose

sounds very unfair to me, full time colleague is always going to grab school holidays first I would be working up to near date and give notice.
@jollygoose - I had this in a small firm where a mother (her youngest DS was 9 at the time, all the others were adults) always grabbed school holidays first for her holidays and claimed that as she was a mother she deserved/needed this. Luckily as I have no DC it didn't make a difference to me as I preferred to take holidays in e.g. June/July (before her DC school holiday started) or September or other months.

There was one time when I'd been abroad at my DP's holiday home abroad (not during her DC school holiday) and had been invited on a holiday in August a few weeks later with family - luckily I was able to get the time off as she'd booked different holiday dates that year and we didn't have overlap.

flowery · 14/01/2022 12:58

Have you actually spoken to your manager about it yet? It might be possible to either reverse the decision on the basis they did actually know about yours first, or make arrangements so that you and your colleague can both be off at the same time.

ancientgran · 14/01/2022 12:59

To be fair to everyone the manager should have given notice of when the booking was opening so part-timers wouldn't miss out, anyone sick or on leave should have been contacted. Then everyone would know booking open at 9 am on Monday and up to them to get on and book it.

NewMessageFrom · 14/01/2022 13:00

[quote KnobJockey]@NewMessageFrom depends on you read it I guess- I read that the manager asked for the dates, but not that they weren't available before. At my partner's place, they are allowed to book the full year ahead, but will get an email in January to book in the first half of the year, or potentially be allocated so much of their leave. The OP hasn't stated anywhere that she couldn't do this, but that she was waiting for the new holiday year to start.[/quote]
why would they ask for the dates if they were available before? Surely they would have asked for any 'as yet unbooked' leave?

MrsWinters · 14/01/2022 13:01

I think you should’ve emailed your holiday dates to your manager when you changed the booking. Otherwise you could have three people booking trips over Christmas and then arguing that because already booked they should get it off.

IntermittentParps · 14/01/2022 13:01

@BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz

Bring it up politely with management.

Then if you get nowhere, I'd suggest dropping in that the way it was done was discriminatory towards those who weren't contracted on the days the email would have been seen.

I agree with this. Managers need to come up with ways of booking holiday that don't disadvantage part-time people or oblige them to look at work emails on days off.
BoodleBug51 · 14/01/2022 13:09

I get this every year with our staff.. and every time they get the same answer.

If they've got a signed leave form, feel free to book or confirm your holiday. If you book/confirm the holiday, then come to me, tough shit.

gettingolderandgrumpy · 14/01/2022 13:13

That’s not fair she sent the email while you were not in work so the others booked time off . She should of waited till you were back . I’m the same can’t book time off until the year starts I like you have told my manager that I’ve booked a holiday. speak ti your manager about it explain it was unfair what she did was unfair and tell this was a holiday moved twice that you had informed her of.

Foolsrule · 14/01/2022 13:13

The company doesn’t sound like a very good one to work for! What a ridiculous system and it’s so blatantly discriminatory…

  1. Ask your boss if a compromise can be reached, given the situation. Covid has forced you to move your holiday twice and your boss was aware of this. It wasn’t your fault that the holiday dates were prior to the leave allocation being released. Any decent manager would make allowances.

  2. If the above isn’t successful, remind said manager of the discriminatory nature of what he has done. You were unable to book leave that day as you were not in work. This may make him rethink.

  3. Nuclear option - go to HR with a grievance. You have been discriminated against.

Fingers crossed this is all an ill thought through storm in a teacup. You catch more flies with honey though and so don’t go in all guns blazing just yet!

Also - how many people on this thread simply can’t read?! The number of responses here that are based on fiction, rather than what the OP has said, is astonishing 🙄

shinynewapple22 · 14/01/2022 13:17

If we wish to book a holiday before our work holiday booking system starts we get email approval from our manager who notes this in her own calendar until the official system is open .

For busy periods like school holidays the whole team is invited to put requests in with a deadline date of when this will be agreed - if there is not enough cover then priority will be given to the person that didn't take leave that time the precious year .

This seems fairer .

Does your work system allow you to see when others have already booked leave ?

I do think as you had already advised your manager of the dates you had moved your holiday to that this should count as a prior claim.