To think that with enough notice, he shouldn't have to give a reason

[ifwetookaholidaaay]

DS17 started a new job about 6 weeks ago.

He has told me today that he has put in a holiday request for next month, and that it has been declined as he didn't give a reason for it. He put this request in a few weeks ago, giving about 6 weeks notice in total. He gets his shifts only a week in advance.

There's been a few issues with this job and I've already told him he should start looking for another, but I've never worked anywhere where I've had to give a reason for taking a holiday with so much notice. Is this something which I should be making him aware is quite normal practice?

Thanks.

The old system we had at work had a box like that.

We'd just select 'vacation' and leave it at that.

I'm really surprised by the responses on this thread.

"Next month", when it's the 29th today, is hardly loads and loads of notice. I've worked for employers who wouldn't have cared about a reason and it would have been fine, but I've certainly worked for others who'd be wanting to know if there was an important reason if it's a busy period for that employer, or several others are also off.

Have none of you ever worked in places where there were restrictions on time off? When my manager is off, at least one of the two of us that report to her has to be in. And I can't generally take much leave in July because it's super busy. This is normal, surely?

The holiday is next month (20th), but he put the request in about 3 weeks ago now.

I appreciate business needs etc, but they have specifically declined his request citing 'no reason given' as the justification. When others have told him they have requested holidays with no reason given before.

Six weeks notice and for almost all jobs I cannot see mid-January being the issue either (there will be exceptions).

You could argue it could be unfair. Why for example someone taking a day off for a child's or parent's medical appointment have to tell you that, for example (single parents with their children resident are more likely to be women)?

I am having time off to go to an event marking the anniversary of a family member being deported by the Nazis. Not something I should have to declare unless of my choosing.

It's a request for a Saturday off in a fast food type place, so I can see Saturdays would be busy.

However, he applied for this job on the basis of it being 30 hours per week, and for the last two weeks, he has been given only two shifts each week and been let go early on one shift each week.

I guess all he can do is request again with a reason, and then wait and see if he gets accepted or declined, or whether he'll even been rostered on that day.

It could well be that he won't have accrued enough leave by the the time the requested date comes around, but it would have made far more some for them to say that.

Shall look at the policy with him.

Thanks again.

That's madness. It's nobody's business if he wants two days off to go to Berlin or two days off to lay on the sofa eating wotsits.