Requesting vacation time

[Belle0101]

I work part-time, 3 consecutive days a week, always the same 3 days. My schedule never changes. If I decide to go out of town on my 4 days off my employer doesn't ask to be notified. If I will only be out of town the 3 days I work then I only have to include in my request those 3 days. If I am going to be out of town for regular days off plus work days then I have to include my scheduled days off in my request.

So for example, let's say I decide to go out of town Thursday - Sunday (my regularly scheduled days off), I don't have to request the time off. As far as my employer is concerned, I'm not on vacation.

If I decide to go out of town Monday - Wednesday (my scheduled work days) then I only have to include Monday - Wednesday in my request. I'm considered on vacation.

If I go out of town on scheduled days off plus work days off then I have to include all the days in my request.

This came up when I conversationally mentioned I was hoping to visit family next year. I was asked how long I would be gone. I said ideally 10 days - Thursday - Sunday (regular days off), Monday - Wednesday (3 vacation days I'm entitled to), and Thursday -Saturday (regular days off). I was told they (my employer) didn't know if they would approve it.

I reiterated that I would only be gone from work 3 days, 3 days that I am entitled to. I was told that it would still be a 10 day vacation and that's not fair (yes, fair was the exact word used) to the other employees who couldn't, for whatever reasons, take 10 consecutive days.

I asked my husband how requests are at his work and he said he only has to list the actual days he will be gone from work. I asked my sister and she said the same - just the days that you will be gone from work.

So, I'm wondering, how are requests for vacation time handled at other places?

Further complicating matters, I was told they are putting a new policy in place soon regarding time off. We won't be able to take time off - appointments, vacations - unless we first find someone who agrees to cover our position/days. So even if they decide to approve my 10 days off (which is really only 3 from work, which I'm entitled to) I still couldn't have the time off unless a co-worker, or co-workers, agree to cover for me. Our vacation days don't carry over either - use 'em or lose 'em.

 

[osopecoso]

Only days worked should be on request. What is it their business if you are not going to be in town those other days. It's only3 days off. Are you on call during those days off?

 

[cluvsdisney]

We request days off that we are scheduled to work. For instance, last week we had 2 holidays but if I went away for a week, I would use 3 vacation days not 5.

BUT back in the winter we got a snow day. Everyone scheduled to work that day was paid without using PTO but if you were already scheduled to be out, then you were still charged the day.


I think every position in a company should have some degree of cross training so that work gets do e when someone is out for any reason. That should just be company policy which would leave time off approvals on a first come/first served basis (or however the company wants to handle that).

 

[Marchand63]

And this is why being union is awesome. Workdays only need to be requested. I do need to give 10 day notice but don't have to find someone to work the days.

 

[NotBaroque]

Wow! Time to stop telling this employer anything - except maybe that you have "cancelled your trip" & will be doing a "three-day-only trip" instead.

 

[kmb584]

I work in a large medical practice and if someone is requesting vacation time, they only need to put in for the days of work that they would miss. Nearly all of us work full-time, but there is a medical assistant that only works 3 days per week (M-W). She went out of town a couple of weeks ago and though she missed two full work weeks, she only used 6 vacation days as she had only missed work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday for both of those weeks.

I think your employer's policy is really awful. You wouldn't be at work on that Thursday or Friday regardless of whether you sat at home or went on vacation. So, why make you pay, so to speak, because you have a 3-day work week? I'd refrain from telling them in the future that you're planning on being out of town... and I'd be looking for a new job!

 

[CdnCarrie]

Further complicating matters, I was told they are putting a new policy in place soon regarding time off. We won't be able to take time off - appointments, vacations - unless we first find someone who agrees to cover our position/days. So even if they decide to approve my 10 days off (which is really only 3 from work, which I'm entitled to) I still couldn't have the time off unless a co-worker, or co-workers, agree to cover for me. Our vacation days don't carry over either - use 'em or lose 'em.

That would be against labour law here. They are legally mandated to allow you take minimum 2 weeks of vacation time off a year. Can they really enforce that?

 

[ronandannette]

This situation is bizarre - do your coworkers have to count weekends as "vacation time"? And as for not being able to take any PTO unless somebody agrees to cover - that's outrageous. Earned time is earned time. I don't believe a company anywhere is allowed to enact policies that effectively prevent you from taking your earned time.

 

[gotomu212]

That makes no sense. I work a normal M-F schedule and my employer has no idea what I do on the weekends. Why would you even tell them what you are doing on non-work days???

This is one of those situations where you don't overshare. Ask off for 3 days and don't elaborate on what you are doing on your non work days.

 

[Belle0101]

Only days worked should be on request. What is it their business if you are not going to be in town those other days. It's only3 days off. Are you on call during those days off?

No, I'm not on call. Ever. That's not to say that I don't get calls and texts asking how to do certain things or where something is or why another co-worker didn't do something that was assigned.

We request days off that we are scheduled to work. For instance, last week we had 2 holidays but if I went away for a week, I would use 3 vacation days not 5.

BUT back in the winter we got a snow day. Everyone scheduled to work that day was paid without using PTO but if you were already scheduled to be out, then you were still charged the day.


I think every position in a company should have some degree of cross training so that work gets do e when someone is out for any reason. That should just be company policy which would leave time off approvals on a first come/first served basis (or however the company wants to handle that).

It's a smaller business, just under 30 employees, in 2 locations. It looked for a while like my location may have to close so for job security I asked to cross trained on a few different things. I don't know enough to be an expert, but in a pinch I can help out.

And this is why being union is awesome. Workdays only need to be requested. I do need to give 10 day notice but don't have to find someone to work the days.

My husband is union and he loves it! I can't believe sometimes the things he tells me their leader was able to negotiate for.

 

[Colleen27]

DH had an employer that was like that. Retail, which often sucks for workers. His regular days off were Tues & Wed, but when he took his paid vacation he only got the 5 days he requested off. They changed the schedule for the weeks on either side of the trip and he ended up working his "weekends" on both sides. So instead of 9 free days, as we'd hoped, he had the 5 he was paid for and no more.

He didn't work there very long.

 

[Belle0101]

Wow! Time to stop telling this employer anything - except maybe that you have "cancelled your trip" & will be doing a "three-day-only trip" instead.

I'm thinking this might be a good idea!

I work in a large medical practice and if someone is requesting vacation time, they only need to put in for the days of work that they would miss. Nearly all of us work full-time, but there is a medical assistant that only works 3 days per week (M-W). She went out of town a couple of weeks ago and though she missed two full work weeks, she only used 6 vacation days as she had only missed work Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday for both of those weeks.

I think your employer's policy is really awful. You wouldn't be at work on that Thursday or Friday regardless of whether you sat at home or went on vacation. So, why make you pay, so to speak, because you have a 3-day work week? I'd refrain from telling them in the future that you're planning on being out of town... and I'd be looking for a new job!

I'm taking classes now and I'm hoping once I get farther along to find something else.

That would be against labour law here. They are legally mandated to allow you take minimum 2 weeks of vacation time off a year. Can they really enforce that?

We only get 1 paid "week" off per year, provided you work more than 1 day a week. And your week equals how many days you work. I work 3 days a week so I get 3 paid days off this year. Another co-worker works 4 days a week so she gets 4 paid days off. And so on.

This situation is bizarre - do your coworkers have to count weekends as "vacation time"? And as for not being able to take any PTO unless somebody agrees to cover - that's outrageous. Earned time is earned time. I don't believe a company anywhere is allowed to enact policies that effectively prevent you from taking your earned time.

If they are only gone on the weekend, no. If they combine it with a paid day off then the total number of days is counted. I wouldn't think a company is allowed to prevent you from taking earned time off, and they say they aren't, just that you have to find you coverage yourself. If they do enact it, even if they don't, looking into labor laws is certainly in order.

That makes no sense. I work a normal M-F schedule and my employer has no idea what I do on the weekends. Why would you even tell them what you are doing on non-work days???

This is one of those situations where you don't overshare. Ask off for 3 days and don't elaborate on what you are doing on your non work days.

I never considered that I was oversharing, I thought we were just having a causal conversation. I see now that it worked against me and I'll be more careful in the future.

 

[Poohforyou]

You're requesting days off from work. You aren't requesting to take a vacation. You don't need permission for that. Just ask for those days and don't share what you're doing. For all anyone needs to know, you're sitting home in your pj's binge watching Netflix.

 

[Belle0101]

DH had an employer that was like that. Retail, which often sucks for workers. His regular days off were Tues & Wed, but when he took his paid vacation he only got the 5 days he requested off. They changed the schedule for the weeks on either side of the trip and he ended up working his "weekends" on both sides. So instead of 9 free days, as we'd hoped, he had the 5 he was paid for and no more.

He didn't work there very long.

I'm sorry, that would be awful. I wouldn't stay very long if that happened to me either.

 

[tvguy]

That would be against labour law here. They are legally mandated to allow you take minimum 2 weeks of vacation time off a year. Can they really enforce that?

I can't speak to all 50 states which may have stricter laws, but U.S. law does not require an employer to give paid vacation time . https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/workhours/vacation_leave

 

[tvguy]

Further complicating matters, I was told they are putting a new policy in place soon regarding time off. We won't be able to take time off - appointments, vacations - unless we first find someone who agrees to cover our position/days. So even if they decide to approve my 10 days off (which is really only 3 from work, which I'm entitled to) I still couldn't have the time off unless a co-worker, or co-workers, agree to cover for me. Our vacation days don't carry over either - use 'em or lose 'em.

I'd look into the legality of that. THAT is your bosses job. THAT is what they are getting paid for. To manage. However, they can reasonably limit how many employees are off at the same time.

 

[brockash]

I work part-time, 3 consecutive days a week, always the same 3 days. My schedule never changes. If I decide to go out of town on my 4 days off my employer doesn't ask to be notified. If I will only be out of town the 3 days I work then I only have to include in my request those 3 days. If I am going to be out of town for regular days off plus work days then I have to include my scheduled days off in my request.

So for example, let's say I decide to go out of town Thursday - Sunday (my regularly scheduled days off), I don't have to request the time off. As far as my employer is concerned, I'm not on vacation.

If I decide to go out of town Monday - Wednesday (my scheduled work days) then I only have to include Monday - Wednesday in my request. I'm considered on vacation.

If I go out of town on scheduled days off plus work days off then I have to include all the days in my request.

This came up when I conversationally mentioned I was hoping to visit family next year. I was asked how long I would be gone. I said ideally 10 days - Thursday - Sunday (regular days off), Monday - Wednesday (3 vacation days I'm entitled to), and Thursday -Saturday (regular days off). I was told they (my employer) didn't know if they would approve it.

I reiterated that I would only be gone from work 3 days, 3 days that I am entitled to. I was told that it would still be a 10 day vacation and that's not fair (yes, fair was the exact word used) to the other employees who couldn't, for whatever reasons, take 10 consecutive days.

I asked my husband how requests are at his work and he said he only has to list the actual days he will be gone from work. I asked my sister and she said the same - just the days that you will be gone from work.

So, I'm wondering, how are requests for vacation time handled at other places?

Further complicating matters, I was told they are putting a new policy in place soon regarding time off. We won't be able to take time off - appointments, vacations - unless we first find someone who agrees to cover our position/days. So even if they decide to approve my 10 days off (which is really only 3 from work, which I'm entitled to) I still couldn't have the time off unless a co-worker, or co-workers, agree to cover for me. Our vacation days don't carry over either - use 'em or lose 'em.

Ummmm, no, absolutely not. If they're going to be idiots about it, just tell them you're going out of town for the 3 days you need to take off. It's none of their damb business what you do on your days off. This is an example of someone not using their brain, plain and simple. If they're too stupid to figure out, do it for them and stop discussing any personal matters with them. You need whatever days off...as long as you've put it in with enough time etc. there's no need for then to even know what you're doing with those dats, let alone days that are never there's to dictate.

 

[sam_gordon]

At my place you request the days off you would normally work. Being good managers, if we see an employee has requested all the days off in a week (in your example M-W), we'd assume they planned on including the Th-Su before and after and wouldn't schedule them to work those days. Note: We might ask what their plans are and if they can work, but we wouldn't force them to.

Second, if they bring up the "it's not fair" line, if someone works a normal M-F week, they get 9 days off, Saturday through the following Sunday. That's argument 1. Argument 2 is if a full timer thinks it's not fair, they can shift to PT and give up whatever associated benefits (around here it's medical, dental, 401k match, OT, etc).

 

[okeydokey]

I would put in a three day request and leave it as that. They don't need to know where you are going or for how long.

 

[aprilgail]

That sounds crazy- why would it even matter that you were going away on days you don't work?? Is it paid vacation because working part time I never knew any part timers to get paid vacation time? I would work there up until the vacation and if they gave you a hard time just go find another part time job! They don't control the days that you don't even work!