Employer annoyed about my holiday

[Sishirunak]

I booked to have a couple of days off next week, I booked this 3 weeks ago so well in advance. The HR Manager in the office at the time said it was approved. I'm in a private language school.
The director of studies didn't mention anything so I didn't know if she was aware. On Tuesday this week I told her that I'd had some days off approved for next week, and she just sighed and rolled her eyes, asking why she wasn't told.
I didn't really like the way she reacted, she was saying, "Did you even put a request in?"
I booked the holiday via the relevant person, I should have told the DoS immediately when booking it I guess so that is my fault, I assumed the information would have been passed on.
They've had a teacher leave without notice so I know they're a bit short at the minute. I feel bad about going but I've paid for tickets now and I am entitled to these days. Should I still go ahead?

I understand it's frustrating when teachers are off but I booked in plenty of time and I'm entitled to it

Well yes you should still go ahead - but you'll know for next time you need to tell the DoS as soon as you put the request in.

Why are you even questioning this? It was approved.

I mean, it's been approved so you're entitled to it, but they'd also be entitled to cancel it with adequate notice as you didn't follow the correct procedure.

Yes fine to take but odd you didn't tell your manager when booking leave, presumably HR aren't responsible for ensuring cover etc

Thanks for replies. I don't have any contract yet so I guess I didn't know the procedure was to tell them immediately but I will know for next time. I thought the info would have been relayed to the DoS. But it's my fault

Sounds like the leave booking process needs improving or clarifying.

Take the holiday and enjoy it.

The correct procedure was to book via HR. If it doesn’t say anything about telling your director of studies, you don’t have to. So it’s not your fault. I would never tell my manager or team leader that I’d booked leave. It has nothing to do with them.

Genuinely not being goady here, but having only worked places where my manager has been the one to approve leave requests I'm not sure how it could not be their business? Surely your manager/team leader needs to know if your working or not so they know to arrange cover/whether you're due in/contactable or not etc? Appreciate everywhere is different though.

OP - if you've followed procedure then don't worry about it, I suspect it should have been passed on but wasn't and now the DoS is worrying about cover, but that's not your fault - you'll know for next time.

I'd email HR and your manager asking for clarification on the procedure; specifically, do you tell your manager or are you right to assume that once you've booked it through HR and they've said it's approved, you manager knows or will be notified?

You don’t have a contract yet?

you need to get that fixed before your annual leave as a priority

Genuinely not being goady here, but having only worked places where my manager has been the one to approve leave requests I'm not sure how it could not be their business? Surely your manager/team leader needs to know if your working or not so they know to arrange cover/whether you're due in/contactable or not etc?

That doesn’t make sense to me. All the places I’ve worked, my manager or team leader had nothing to do with who can have leave and who can’t. It’s up to a completely different department to make sure there’s enough staff available to cover the work. Managers aren’t directly informed who has leave or who doesn’t.

Did you even put a request in?

why didn't you actually say ..

I booked the holiday via the relevant person - did they not inform
you? In future do I need to inform you that they have told me, my leave is approved

then given her the 'that's batshit' eyebrow 🤨

It is usual in public or health services where business as usual has to go in, when booking AL to
Have a team diary where AL is checked against who else is in/ ensuring adequate cover which is approved by your manager

1. Then put in the official AL authorisation request On the system

Our manager authorise our leave on our online system but it's a clock button of so many other tasks they have - so in our service you cannot send in that online request without it being approved first. We have a rule of thumb only 2 off at one time and ask manager for approval if there are training days for others or already 2 on AL and this is in a large team

Well obviously everywhere is different but, honestly, the way you describe would have made no sense in any of the places I have ever worked. And there have been a few. Leave was never anything to do with HR and everything to do with the manager.

OP take your leave but for another time I think it would be at least courteous to let the manager know, even if they don't get to give their approval

That sounds completely bonkers. The role of a manager is to manage their team, how can they do that if they don't know who's there on any given day!?

I am surprised you can take annual leave at all at the moment. Busiest time of the year and usually not granted permission if the DoS has any whiff of a holiday request.
Are you on a temp contract?

It's their system that's at fault here. The holiday booking system should notify her, if she wants to know. Our holiday booking system notified all relevant managers. Or, in a more old fashioned company, if they use an old fashioned paper and pen system, if You are supposed to verbally notify somebody then that should've been made clear to you.

There are some managers who would prefer it if their staff never took any leave, but in this case it seems like the issue may be that the manager is not included in the process.

I'd go back to them and ask if going forward they should include them for any future requests.

The do know who’s in on any given day. The whole company does. There’s a chart everyone can look at. The manager simply has no say in who and who can’t book leave at any given time. It’s nothing to do with their job. Another department decides leave - they look at projected work and how many people are already off, and adjust the chart whereby we book leave.

You've been cleared and you have tickets. Of course you should take the time you are owed.

Agree with others saying that in every role I've ever worked in I've needed to clear with my manager that it's OK to take those days, then go into the HR process of requesting time off.

The HR part was purely from an IT / putting leave in the system point of view. The manager was the one who actually needs to know that you won't be present.

Like the PP, in my 25 years of working, I have never worked anywhere where the line manager didn't do the holiday approvals for their team, as they needed to balance workloads and make sure there were enough people available. It seems really odd to me that a different department would do this instead.

Perhaps it's a public/private sector difference?

Everywhere I've been, it's down to the manager/team leader to approve leave or not. Very occasionally, leave has been rejected or asked to move a week because of others already having booked, but that's rare, as we can all see the planned absence chart.

HR is involved only in setting the annual leave allocation (particularly if it's pro-rataed for part timers) at the start of the leave year, but even that is mostly automated.

I agree with this. Add that to the no contract and it sounds as though the admin and HR processes are rubbish.