Refused a job due to pre-booked holiday - is this a 'legal' thing?

[MrsMuddlePluck]

DS18 has just been told that he can't have a f-t job in a well-known shoe retailer because he has a ticket for a music festival and is going to his Nana's 80th birthday party in July!

Is this even a thing? We bought him the ticket months ago as an 18th birthday present and Nana's party is in another part of the country so we are away for a weekend.

How can you be turned down because of prior holiday/family commitments? It's a permanent f-t job he's gone for, not a summer student job.

He has a choice OP.

He has chosen the festival and nana's party over a full time long term job.

He probably needs to think about his expectations in terms of his 'entitlement' to time off. He (and you) may we'll be disappointed

Absolutely he had a choice. Especially if there is a probationary period and he needs 2 x weekends off.

As a PP said, blaming the employer will do your Son no favours in the future!

I think that when you are further on in your life and established in a career it is hard to remember how difficult it can be starting off. I imagine that dh will be equally bemused when the dc start getting jobs that they can't drop everything for a family holiday. The reality is that we have both worked hard to get to the point where we have flexibility and can request certain time off. I think at this stage most summer holiday will be booked and there may not be any flexibility in their systems.

If he had have been given the job and allowed to take the holidays, he'd probably have had to put up with resentment and muttering from longer-serving employees who'd been declined the dates - summer holiday dates, especially weekends, can be the subject of bitter acrimony - everyone has things they really want to attend (weddings, family birthdays, concerts) and the dates normally go as soon as they're released for booking. I hope your son manages to find something else.

Yep, I've had that personally and I've had to turn down people in retail roles because they had pre booked holidays. A lot of times during the summer there are days no one is allowed off. It's nothing personal just what happens. Perfectly legal and understandable. Nothing worse than working in retail on a busy day when members of staff are off.

In future - this is controversial - would suggest he doesn't disclose planned holiday until in the job: they are less likely to fire you once in post as it's more hassle for them to recruit, provide basic training etc.

ive seen people try this in my work when starting and the holidays have been refused

So he wants 2 saturdays off in summer within his first 4 weeks?

The shop is going to hire someone who can fulfil the needs of the business. If two Saturdays off at the busiest time doesn't work for them they will hire someone else. It's perfectly understandable.

I'm intrigued as to how you thought this might be a "legal thing" OP? Did you think employees were entitled to insist on taking whichever days they like off as holiday? Regardless of whether it's a busy time of year or if all the other employees want the same time off?

Surely you've had a job before where you've experienced some kind of booking system/arrangement where time off is restricted in some way so that everyone isn't off at the same time?