Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Work

Chat with other users about all things related to working life on our Work forum.

Flip

Original poster

Booking holidays.

8 replies

fuzzyduck1 · 22/03/2023 11:25

We have a newish manager looking after our team.
he has now decided that he won’t allow anyone to book holidays more than 3 months in advance.

He also keeps going on about he can cancel holidays if he feels fit under the pretence of “business needs”

this is just the latest in a line of stupid this he’s tried to introduce.
its all getting to me I’m not sure where to go with this

OP posts:

travailtotravel · 22/03/2023 11:32

He sounds immature and on a power trip - in this case will either realise and gently back down or be a dick and impossible to work with.

I'd probably ask for some helpful clarifications and guidelines in the attempt to highlight how ridiculous this is. For example, you need to make childcare arrangements, if leave isn't approved whether the arrangements for carers leave or parental leave are the same as listed in the guidelines. Of what the process is if you have a family wedding and leave is not approved, what the process is to appeal the decision. If you are able to agree among the team that only 2 of a certain grade will ask for leave at the same time for example would that help.

I mean ultimately he can do what he likes but if he can put parameters around this I am sure as a team you can work out how to do it while you're all looking for other jobs.

You could also go to HR and ask if they can help you understand how this might work in a few example cases that might help them realise he needs a bit of help about not being an idiot!

Preparedforjobnottolast · 22/03/2023 23:50

I remember having a battle to get 1 day in December, when it turned out the boss was just after a laugh.

3 weeks later, after no one could take leave at Xmas and new year, can you believe it same boss was sending message to all colleagues to book leave…and he used the conditions in his management contract 🙈

Now they gone and taken three temps on apparently allowing two of them Xmas and new year 23 off. What mugs we core staff must be.

harkerlee · 23/03/2023 15:49

Sounds like a typical power trip manager.

Do you have a HR department to complain to?
How important is the job to you? - i.e. if you do make a fuss about this, will it be a big deal for you to leave and find something else?

Original poster

fuzzyduck1 · 26/03/2023 04:55

To answer the questions above.

yes the boss is on a power trip. He’s not just trying to rule his team he’s also upsetting a lot of the other teams we worked with. When his direct manager has stopped answering his calls. If I go for him I’d probably end up getting him the sack, if not he will make work intolerable for me and my partner as we work in the same team.

the Christmas thing - I’ve worked 9/10 of the last christmas holidays ( huge uplift for me but not other members of the team and I don’t have kids so I didn’t mind working them) so he said I can’t work this years Christmas so I put it on as holiday and he won’t authorise it.

as for do I need the job? Well not really, me mind my partner are in the process of selling one of our houses and buying one with her dad (he’s 85) 200 miles away from where we work and just getting a no stress job or starting something ourselves

so I might just go for him and put a huge complaint in about him and ride roller coaster and see where we end up.

OP posts:

Crumpetdisappointment · 26/03/2023 05:28

you can surely plan your holiday, have a work calendar where people put their holiday and he authorises it nearer the time?

UsingChangeofName · 26/03/2023 05:43

You don't need to "go for him" to raise a query with HR.

As per the first reply, obviously people need to book leave from work when they book their holidays. Nor can he just cancel people's arrangements.
He is clearly not correct in what he is doing, so you are just raising it with HR, not "going for him".

GoodChat · 26/03/2023 06:10

Speak to HR, or his line manager, whichever one you have a better relationship with. Make it really clear that you all work to live, you don't live to work.

If it's a half decent company, tell them it's negatively affecting the team ethos and they'll soon jump on it.

beguilingeyes · 26/03/2023 07:34

It's that awful catch-all phrase 'manager's discretion ' isn't it? Some of them let the power go to their head, and holidays are some of the worst ways they mess you around.
A boss of mine years ago banned half day holidays, she reckoned that it meant you did no work on the other half. Drive us all crazy

Flip