Manager cancelled my holiday last minute

[whatisforteamum]

So where I work we've seen colleagues leave and not be replaced.
One was almost a year ago the others November and last month. We are on our knees working 12 hr days which we always did but considerably increased workload.
I booked this week off 10 months ago as it is a big anniversary.
My boss has all holidays on the computer and on a planner.
Also other people have holidays backlogged so effectively working 4 short if you know what I mean.
I offered to pop in if strictly needed mid week.
The Rota was done last night which would start on a Sunday...yesterday.
I only had 3 days off of the whole 7 and No weekend that I only get 5 a year!!
I said I'm having 4 at least as my kitchen is ripped out for us to redo.
My boss knows my dh was made redundant last week too so is massively taking advantage.
My colleague who is single with no commitment thinks we have to just rearrange our hols.
I am massively pissed off and stressed and will apply elsewhere today.
Am I being unreasonable to have expected advanced warning or at least a team meeting.
Obviously I'm going to apply elsewhere

Also makes me look entitled to my colleagues who had zero plans and don't mind going in.

you are entitled to your leave. And whatever your colleagues think, it is up to you if you want to pursue this.
But. Never blink first By indicating that you would be prepared to pop in you let them get their toe i the door.

Don’t arrange cover with your colleagues either. That is also the responsibility of your boss to organise. Stop covering up for him or he will keep doing this.

You don't need to ge signed off, just send the message @DifficultBloodyWoman drafted. Legally your manager is wrong, short staffed or not. Longer term look for another job.

I can't arrange cover with colleagues as no one is off.
We all have to work the weekend.
6 became 3.

Nobody will think you are entitled if you have everything organised for your new kitchen and they had no plans at all. If you are worried about it you can pretend that you would be willing to cancel the leave/play it up with how much you would stand to lose in late cancellation by the workmen/nobody else available to let them in/workmen cant rearrange or whatever lie you need to tell.

What's the alternative? Not grt yoir kitchen done because your colleagues might judge you? You spend 11 hours with them but you live in your house.

He's breaking the law
Don't go in. NEVER offer to go in when you're on holiday.
And when you do go back, work to set hours strictly while you look for a new job. If the work doesn't get done, too bad, they can hire more people.
go off sick if it doesn't get better; your health comes first.

@PossiblyDreaming

Don’t arrange cover with your colleagues either. That is also the responsibility of your boss to organise. Stop covering up for him or he will keep doing this.

This

Hang him out.

YOu work your hours and only your hours. Stop killing yourself for someone who would fire you in a heartbeat and then overwork the remaining colleagues .... essentially what he's doing now.

Don’t go off sick, just tell them you are taking your leave as planned. They’ll have to manage without you (even if they insist that they can’t!).

Take your holiday as you are entitled to do so. Quietly look for a new job. This is not a good place.

@Rosehugger

I'd hand in my notice, have the break and look for another job. It's completely unacceptable.

And live on fresh air and love?

Don’t call in sick, at least for the moment, sort this holiday mess out as you are in the right.

I simply don’t believe that your colleagues will think you entitled they will simply think your manager is crap.

You could offer to sell back some of your holiday ie get paid for it on top rather than take it. Would that help?

I'm sorry this has happened to you, BUT...

This has nothing to do with you seeing your GP or being signed off. Or anything to do with your mental health.

You requested annual leave, which you are entitled to 10 MONTHS AGO. They agreed to this.

Your boss cannot cancel this at the last moment. You need to put this in writing. And state very firmly and clearly that you will be adhering to your approved holiday plans.

Them covering you is their issue not yours.

But you should not should not have said you can 'pop in' if needed as this is ambiguous and blurs the lines.

@Ariela

You could offer to sell back some of your holiday ie get paid for it on top rather than take it. Would that help?

This is terrible advice.

We have had staff shortages. Everyone has been told what the plan is for covering it, how we could make it through, what steps management are taking, what the key issues were. People have still been allowed to take holiday even if it’s meant we had to tell everyone we were closing for a day.

Staff shortages are a massive issue but you have to treat your staff as grown ups not like prisoners! Otherwise they’ll lose the staff they have. What industry are you in? Could you easily get another job?

@Ariela

You could offer to sell back some of your holiday ie get paid for it on top rather than take it. Would that help?

Why would you suggest something like this?

Her manager is breaking the law. OP is entitled to her holiday as he didn't give her adequate notice to cancel it, so it's his too bad.

She needs to take her holiday, not cancel it to keep her manager happy.

Don't take sick leave unless you're really sick. Then, you are making his mistake into your mistake.

You are being waaaaay too accommodating. Long, painful experience of dealing with uncompromising, disorganised individuals (plus some excellent guidance from these boards!) has taught me that the only way is to keep it BIF: Brief, informative, firm.

Hello x, there seems to have been a mistake. I won't be working between x and x as I pre-arranged leave for these dates with you on x, see my and your email here. No explanation of "oh I can't because I'm doing x and y". That makes it sound like you think you have a case to make or defend, weakens your position, and drags the issue out.

Good luck applying for new jobs. I hope you find something soon.

@Ariela

You could offer to sell back some of your holiday ie get paid for it on top rather than take it. Would that help?

The whole point is that the OP NEEDS the holiday, and for it to be the dates she's made arrangements for. She just can't work on the days she booked off as she has committments, so having to work those days even if she IS paid for the holidays she's missed just won't work.

@whatisforteamum

Also makes me look entitled to my colleagues who had zero plans and don't mind going in.

It doesn't make you look entitled to want to take the holidays you booked off! I hope you find a better job soon!

Don't take sick leave.

You do not have to work when your holiday has been cancelled without notice.

Email your boss... say there must have been a misunderstanding. You cannot rearrange your plans at short notice. But if needed. You can come in for 4 hours on Wednesday.

Message your colleagues. Dear colleague, I just saw this weeks rota and unfortunately I have holiday booked and simply cannot change this as I have made commitments that cannot be changed. I feel terrible that you will be understaffed but I cannot change the plans.

@Hankunamatata

Your mistake was offering to pop in midweek, you made yourself too available. You said others are taking backlog leave? Do you have minimum staffing levels?

Yep. Don't offer to be so available, especially not to a bad employer.

How long have you worked for this employer? How much protection you have (if you decide just not to turn up) depends on whether you've worked there two years or more.

I had this with my previous employer, the line manager was utterly crap anyway, but I had booked a single day off 12 months before ~ for my parent's Golden Wedding.
A week before she told me she was cancelling it because she had got a late deal on a holiday that left on the same day. Luckily for me she informed me via email.
I contacted HR , forwarding the email with her reason on and they dealt with it.
Stick to your guns op.

DH often found that he was expected to forego existing commitments (including, on one occasion, a family holiday) if his employer decided he was needed somewhere else. But this was in the bad old days of the 1980s, when the work culture was pretty toxic. Leaving the office on time was virtually a sackable offence!

I'd say, "it seems you've mistakenly put me on the schedule when I'm on vacation. That's unfortunate for you, as I'll be taking my scheduled time off".