DD 17 keeps getting holiday denied

[Rollergirl11]

She works for one of the main supermarket chains. She has a contract for 11 hours per week for shifts on a Monday and a Saturday. She has 3 days of holiday left to take before the end of January but they have to be booked in before the end of October otherwise you lose them. She has had 6 holiday requests for individual Saturdays denied. One of them was for a university open day that was important and she ended up not being able to attend. The dates fall in every month from August through to December. She has spoken to numerous supervisors to ask for the reason and they have stated too many other people off. She has asked a manager to email her the dates that are available between now and Jan. She has put in another 2 requests specifically for those dates and they have still been declined. Is there anything DD can do? It seems that they are refusing to allow her to take her holiday!

Most people would just take the day off as a sickie if it's that important

For the open day? DD did consider it but she thought it would be obvious that she was lying given that she’d spent so long trying to get the day off. But lesson learned, going forward if there are any days where she definitely needs time off and she’s not sure if she’ll get the holiday she will just call in sick instead.

Well yes obviously don't pull a sickie after you've been desperately trying to book the time off and been denied.

But just take the day off in future if you know your work / manager / HR are inflexible morons

A lot of large stores and supermarket chains really treat their staff like shit, particularly the youngest, most junior ones.

To be honest, since she's only 17, in your shoes I would have marched down there and read the manager the riot act. In front of customers.

If the manager has put that in an email your Dd should send that to HR including her response that it has been rejected 8 times since April. I bet others have or are in the same position and not getting their holiday paid when they cannot take it.

@Wishitsnows i am sure there are plenty others losing their holiday. Last year DD lost holiday as she only started working with them in August and she wasn’t even told that her holiday had to be approved by October so she didn’t get it in on time.

The manager also tried to stop her from booking individual days and said she had to book a full week at a time. DD replied that she only works 2 days per week and the manager said she had to book the other day also. But then said she couldn’t as there wasn’t anything available. Basically trying to be as obstructive as she could be.