AIBU to be sick of my manager continuing to pester me about taking holidays?

[LeaderBee]

Normally wouldn't be so much of an issue but i'm planning on getting a pet but the breeders will only have them available at specific times of the year and is dependent on when mum is pregnant, gives birth and then an 8 week waiting time to release them to me.

Manager is pestering me to take holidays "around the time" that it MAY be available, but until the breeder gets in touch with me to confirm babies have even been born, I can't really commit to a date.

If i book the time off and it lines up, fine, but if it doesn't then i've used holiday i didn't need to take, then, because someone else has holiday planned, I wouldn't be able to book time off again until much later in the month, meaning i wouldn't be able to pick them up for a further 2-3 weeks after they were initially available.

It's really beginning to bug me because I feel like i'm being pressured to take holidays that might not line up with when I need to take time off to take care and bond with a new animal.

From a managers perspective:

Taking 2-3 weeks off is impactful on a business. What is your policy regarding giving notice for AL? Are you likely to give them at least 30 days before you book it or are you going to say next week I need 3 weeks off? Your manager is likely ‘pestering’ you because they feel that 1. they need time to make arrangements to cover your absence and 2. by the time you book it off they might no longer have the ability to approve it (too many people off, too much workload to distribute). Holidays need to work for both the employer and employee, dates are never guaranteed.

Holiday requests are not guaranteed to be granted in any job, so the longer you leave it the more likely it is someone else will nab those dates - particularly if you’re looking at a large team and potentially busy dates (Xmas, school hols etc). If you’re happy with that risk, tell your manager that. She may think she’s doing you a favour if she can see the calendar filling up.

Alternatively, she may be trying to plan workloads and not want to have to scramble last minute for cover if it’s a smaller team or she know of projects coming up. But again, if you’re happy with the risk your request may be denied, just tell her that.

can you not have a chat and explain ?

If I told my manager that I MAY take a few weeks leave sometime in the next few months to get a puppy, I'd fully expect the response to be that it MAY not be authorised unless booked in time for cover to be arranged and prior to anyone else booking that time off. I think your manager is trying to do you a favour, they can't just let you take time off whenever you decide for a puppy. It's not like maternity leave, there is no entitlement to time off for a puppy.

Yabu to expect to put in your holiday dates last minute and have them approved, yes.

Managers have a duty to organise work cover. They can also refuse A/L requests if they don’t fit with the needs of the business. You have to work with them here

Is this a reverse?
Will you be ok if your manager has to decline the leave?
Can't you just cancel the leave if you don't need it? I always told staff it was better to book (then cancel if necessary) in these sorts of situations

She'll have 8 weeks notice surely when the puppy is born? Typically notice is double the length of the leave, which I think is reasonable.

So I'd say your manager is bu unless your company's policy is stricter than this.

YABU

If you are part of a team where cover is needed or only a certain number of people can be away at any one time, then you are being hugely unfair on your colleagues to stall making a decision on dates AND expect to ring fence first dibs once you know when you want.

What the heck are you going to do with this puppy after two weeks of lurve, go back to work full time?

I'm with your manager on this one.

General planning of leave and cover, whilst acknowledging there are some who lack this basic managerial skill.

Can you not book it off provisionally ?

8 weeks is a bit young to get a puppy anyway. A few weeks later would be better

I think its totally bonkers to think a business can work around an employee's dog that they haven't even got yet. YABU.

YABU - if you’ve got a rough idea due to the animal being pregnant, then book your leave with a note you might need to change this with 8 weeks notice, forward or back a week.

if you just leave it, you run the risk of your boss not being able to approve it at all. If you’ve got the bulk of the time sorted, then you can at least just see if you can get flexibility for a few days.

Really hoping they've got a good day care lined up! Heard so many stories of puppies being torn away from their mum and siblings only to spend hours a day completely on their own.

Your manager isn't obligated to approve leave at short notice to accommodate you getting a dog, and s/he has to make sure that staff leave is managed effectively.

You sound like an irresponsible, clueless princess

She'll have 8 weeks notice surely when the puppy is born? Typically notice is double the length of the leave, which I think is reasonable.
So I'd say your manager is bu unless your company's policy is stricter than this.

I agree with this. Is your manager aware that you'll be able to give eight weeks' notice?

Has OP said it’s a puppy? Could be a kitten? Or many other things.

No, but she says, dependent on when mum is pregnant, gives birth and then an 8 week waiting time to release them to me.
I haven't just made up the 8-week waiting time thing.

Does it really matter what animal it is? The situation is still the same

Your manager can turn down any leave requests if it doesn’t suit the business. It is very common for leave to be refused in my line of work, even six months ahead or longer.

Authorising leave isn’t just about how much notice you give if someone’s got there first then it would be a no

They're trying to plan cover & giving you first dibs.

If you don't get a move on, the weeks will be booked by other people and you'll have no leave with your new pet.