To ask does this make sense?

[autienotnaughty]

I work in a small office. 2 staff 1 manager. We have to have 2 staff working at any time. If one staff member is off we get a relief in. We can not have the same day off (not in contract but an unwritten rule) I recently I wanted to book some annual leave for autumn 2024 , nothing is booked in calendar. I request with manager and she says I need to ask other staff member first. I ask why and she says out of courtesy . Apparently we should have always done this but neither of us have.

I can understand times like Christmas we maybe need to negotiate to be fair but sure if I want a week away in September I shouldn't have to check if my colleague is wanting to book it off. I asked what would happen if we both wanted the date and she said the first person who asked would get it. Which would be me. So why should I ask??

Yep that's bonkers.

Thank you now how to tell manager 😂

Tell her you asked and your colleague courteously agreed. Some people apparently want to create more work for themselves and others.

My concern is if colleague also wants the day off it will end up causing bad feeling. First come first served seems fairer.

So what if your colleague says no because she wants it off? Surely she should check with you out of courtesy and you're going to say no as well!

But it is effectively first come first served. I would just say to the colleague that you are planning to take time off and the manager asked you to inform her out of curtesy. So this is what you are doing. Don't phrase it as a question.

Good idea thanks

That's nuts. You basically have to give your colleague first refusal?!

Is this a period of time when your colleague always takes time off? Ie a birthday or special anniversarry that the boss is aware off? Has she said in past that "Oh we're looking to book a cruise for 2 weeks next September" to your boss and he's just trying to make sure she is aware which week you want for when she books? Again not your problem if it is, but it's the only reason I can think off why all of as sudden you need to be "courteous" and ask her.

Actually yes your right she does sometimes take time around then. But if she had said she wanted the time off too what would happen? It seems to me to just have potential to cause bad feeling between myself and colleague because if she does want it to I then have to either give her the dates I wanted (in this case it would have cost me more money as I'd picked the cheapest date to fly) or say no and take it anyway leaving her irritated that she can't have the date she wanted.

As you boss has already said it's "first come, first served" basis it wouldn't change anything (or your boss would have to sort it if she accepted and verbally okay-ed it for both of you). End of the day if there's nothing on the diary and you asked first, nothing much she can do (unless she did ask and the boss forgot to put on the diary). I would do as PP did and just tell her "hey heads up, I booked x to y of September off, boss wanted me to inform you". If she then says "but I had booked it off as well, boss knows this as I ALWAYS book this off etc" then you need to go back to the boss and see what can happen and fight your corner, but at this point you don't know if that's going to be the case so just tell her. If you don't and then a problem appears later down the line it's going to be even more awkward.

Also as a rule of thumb, most places will tell you to not book anything unless time off has been granted. Again you could claim that you checked diary and nothing was booked so you had no reason to assume you wouldn't be granted it, but just be aware that if you do have that rule at work it will unlikely be in your favour to mention you already booked and it would cost you money to re-arrange (unless of course you booked AFTER your boss said you can have it and then she changed his mind).

This sounds a bit like a paradox! Let's say you want the last two weeks of September off. So does your colleague. Now, in order to book the time off, you have to say to your colleague "I would like to take the last two weeks of September off, is that okay with you?" and they reply "Actually no, it's not. I want to go on a Caribbean cruise in late September." Does that mean that you can't have the time off and they can? Because that means it's counterproductive to ask first!

Alternatively, your colleague wants to go on a Caribbean cruise in late September. So they ask you "Is it okay if I take the last two weeks of September off?" and you answer "Ooh, I want to take that time off too so, no, you can't". It seems to be set up to favour the person who doesn't ask.

Exactly! I guess if I was wanting a random week off and they had plans then I would just do a different week. But usually my holidays are for specific things so I actually want the time I asked . I said this to manager and she said this is how it's done 🙄

Hi colleague, I'm wanting to take annual leave on (insert dates) so will pop it in next year's diary, boss lady/man says I need to let you know.

Hi boss lady/man, I've let colleague know about my annual leave next autumn and it's now in the diary.

I definitely wouldn't phrase it as a question. Seems like bad leadership skills from boss person.

Thanks good advice.