Always on annual leave

[Abitboring]

I have a relatively new hire (but not direct report) who has been in the job since January. She took annual leave in February, April, May and June. Always about a week and always a 'holiday', so not family stuff etc. It made her training slow and difficult as there was only one full month she worked in her first five months of employment. There's been a bit of 'sorry, just got back from annual leave' as an excuse for one thing or another. It also made me wonder whether she's going to do this every year now and will effectively work part time a few months in a row.

I wouldn't mind as much if she was fully competent in her role, but she isn't. I find her a slow worker and I need to remind her about a lot of things, which I feel I shouldn't have to do if she just kept a list or something to remind herself what needs done when and how.

AIBU to be annoyed?

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That's a really good idea but I couldn't rely on her to do it. Not sure why. If she forgets or thinks whatever I tell her is optional.

Have you even tried to rely on her? You're making out she's the person in the wrong, when your managerial style of communication is quite frankly inadequate. If you need a member of staff to cooperate don't out barriers in their way by failing to facilitate what you need and them blame them, based on your assumption about what they may or may not do.

that's crazy!

No, it's online, but only if the boss has approved it. And he sometimes doesnt approve my holiday until after I am back. Yes, this is an issue.

But honestly how am I supposed to know how far in advance people plan? They could request a week off the Thursday before. It would be much easier if she told me she'd be off a certain week (she only needs to tell me, nobody else will cover for her).

Has their boss asked for feedback or have you provided feedback regarding how the training is going? Have you told your colleague that their training is being affected by the amount of time off they have taken? Or are you just silently seething?

Maybe her leave was prebooked when she joined the organisation so it is just being honoured?

OP as your job is a trainer- perhaps try training her on the workplace protocols for letting others know about holiday?
I also think as a Trainer you supposed feel comfortable saying ‘I’m trying to work out a training plan for what we have left to cover. When are you not in?’ It’s not difficult or complicated or confrontational?

This. OP sounds like a really bad 'manager.' SOMEONE is giving this employee the go-ahead for the holiday leave. The employee is the LAST person who should be blamed for it. FGS.

Not the employee’s problem. This is down to company policy and procedures about AL.

She has clearly been requesting AL and having it approved. She’s doing nothing wrong.

If this doesn’t work for operational reasons, you need to raise it with those that determine the policy and procedure. You’re irritated with the wrong person..

Then tell her that.

You are training her. That includes how things work.

If you can provide feedback or tell her things, training isn’t for you.

If you have told her and she doesn’t, you need to speak to your manager. Or speak to your manager first and say ‘if we are expected to cover each other, we need a way to know each other is off since neither of us have to wait for your approval to take time odd’.

If they aren’t approving leave until you get back how does anyone know if they can take it?

Your manager and processes are the issue. Not this new person.

Do you have the same manager?

Is it a formal arrangement that you, and only you are responsible for training this person?

If so, then you need to raise with the manager that you can't do effective training if you are not aware of when individuals are away. Therefore could all requests for annual leave be routed via you so that you manage the training requirements.

You have a you problem.

You go to whoever is responsible for the work you share (the Manager). You agree a work schedule with that Manager.
If the Manger is not your Boss, you do this via your Boss.
Its up to that person to provide an employee to do the work, so they check your calender and the other employees calander etc.
This covers Training Days where your job is to train and your Work Cover days where your job is to do the work.
You don't train or do cover work on the days the Manager of the job has not allocated as your doing your other regular scheduled duties on these days. Total work hours should equal or be less than your contracted hours.
If the manager wants to change to the agreed work schedule it is their responsibility to make the changes by check if you are available and the work becomes your duty for that day.
Otherwise you cant do your full list of duties or end up working outside your contracted hours.

Part of your training provision should include feed back to that Manager. If you feel that there is an improvement needed the Manager decides how that happens (training stops as Manager is ok with work product, or more training is provided, or replacement by new employee ). You need to schedule a meeting with the Manager to find out what they want because it is their job (not your job) to manage the process.

And just talk to the person . For training we still need to cover x, y and z. Are you on leave at all in the next month so we can make sure everything is covered

We would never dream of giving someone their full leave allowance straightaway, especially if they're completely new and are training. We would honour existing leave but certainly would keep a close eye especially on probation.

I think you need to question this as it sounds very excessive.

If there isn’t a policy in place to restrict when AL can be taken, she’s entitled to take a couple of days every month, or a day every fortnight, or 4 weeks in 1-block, or whatever she likes. Nothing wrong with any of it….if there’s nothing to say she can’t do so.

Some companies say people can’t take holiday at certain times, or only so many people can at a time or similar. Some say it must be booked X far in adncance. Some requires multiple people to agree before the holiday is confirmed. Siennoakces have systems where everyone can access the info to see who is requesting and who has approved leave.

It doesn’t sound like your business has any of this. Therefore no-one knows what’s going on. That’s operational.

It isn’t up to the new employee to see bigger pictures and consider if her holiday plans fit with what you’d like….if there is no specific require to to do so. Remmeber, work is a small part of most people’s lives. They work to live and don’t determine their holidays and leisure to fit around the needs of work priorities. You might do this OP, but hats your choice and doesn’t have to be your colleague’s.

If she's entitled to the leave and her line manager has approved it then she is doing nothing wrong.

YABU

If you have issues with how annual leave works then take it up with your manager and stop blaming you colleague.

Yes, I have tried to rely on her. I repeat the same things and remind her of the same things over and over again. I suggest to her to make a list so she can remember. The next step would be to make lists for her, which I try not to do. I would find it really insulting and maybe a bit micromanaging. I'm not even sure. I am not in a formal managerial position, so there is an element of 'am I even in my right to try and manage her like that'.

I actually try to think of her as a grown up. She's got a good job title and some experience so it seems very weird to me that id have to provide her with a list because she can't organise herself after I talk to her about what needs to be done.

It’s not really ‘playing the system’ to take annual leave that you are fully entitled to.

She took annual leave in February, April, May and June. Always about a week and always a 'holiday'

So she's taken a week off in Feb, Apr, May and Jun (allowing for 4 x UK public holidays, approx 16 days) and now you're saying she hasn't been in at all through July so another 15 days. That's 31 days annual leave so far. You can surely expect her leave entitlement will soon be exhausted. She'll only actually have accrued 5 months worth of leave pro-rats if her service period started in Feb. So now's the time to plan her training and talk to her manager about declining leave until she's completed any mandatory training.

You need to coordinate this with the decision maker who signs off her leave rather than taking it out on her.

My job is not a trainer. I work in a role that requires high qualifications and experience. I just train up someone new in their job that links into mine, but I'm not a trainer ffs.

Whether she is capable of doing the job is a completely separate issue to taking leave.

Have you raised with anyone her performance issues?

She's simply taking the annual leave that has been allocated to her. Her legal entitlement, just like every other worker in this country.

Well clearly the current set up isn't working.

so you to explain to your manager that you can't train this person because they are not competent.

All of this is really easily resolved. Who signed off on her holiday and why did they not have restricted annual leave during training and why wasn't she made aware of all her training for the next day three months right at the very beginning?

and secondly why are you not managing her properly? if there's a problem for God sake, address it right here and now, man up and start managing her properly!! Or talk to the person who does manage her. Get it resolved, give her a chance, or else she won't pass probationary! Easy!

So you "not in a formal managerial position" or a trainer, then I don't see what the issue is. Who's job is it to make sure she is doing her role competently? Surely its their job to worry about all of this.

Work to your pay grade OP. Otherwise you'll be having the stress of a managers role without the pay packet.