Holiday Request from work turned down :(

[willutalk]

This is where God should have curated Glastonbury Bank Holiday for Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and the Monday after! If God hasn't done that by June I hope that your work has actually come to terms with the positive implications on a good stress-free Wednesday to Monday Worthy farm break. @gooner1990

[AndyRaine]

If you get signed not fit for work due to stress, medical advice is have a holiday, get away from it and unwind. Is there a better place than the hallowed grounds of Glastonbury Festival for that? 

[stuartbert two hats]

10 hours ago, russycarps said:

It's an understandable rule but this is extraordinary circumstances and a lot of money is at stake.

If you explain the situation calmly and compromise by only asking for Thurs, Fri and Mon then I would be staggered if they still said no. 

 

To be fair, the only money that is currently at stake is £10.

[russycarps]

18 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

To be fair, the only money that is currently at stake is £10.

Fair point....

Best course of action is to try and get a colleague or two to say they are happy to cover for him, like someone suggested earlier.

I can understand maybe teachers or doctors or something being indispensable, but an office bod for a charity? It's insane. 

[eFestivals]

If they think you being off work for 5 days makes their business not-viable, then the same applies to your resignation but more-so.

 

 

Edited January 26, 2016 by eFestivals

[Zoo Music Girl]

OP I can totally relate to what your saying, although I sort of have the exact opposite problem! I started my new job a few weeks back and for a lot of reasons it's a good job with great experience that will help my employment prospects in the future, particularly with regards to going freelance. Which is ultimately what I want to do as begging for holidays irks me no end. I want to work to live , not live to work as said. 

Anyway I was unlucky in the Glasto sale and have had my eyes open for a good alternative. I was overjoyed when primavera was announced.Unfortunately, even six months in advance I'm not allowed the time off (same goes for a day of one of my best mates hen do  ) as others have booked it. I work shifts on a rota. Anything In half term or summer hols is long booked up. I've never worked anywhere so inflexible about it before and was tempted last week to just quit but realistically I can't just quit like that and I'm not sure it wise in my case., either financially or career wise.

Ironically I have now had the Glasto time granted, even though I don't have a ticket. As it falls outside of school hols, it is actually one of the few non problematic times to get booked and nearly any other festival I'd want to go to falls in school hols. So for all my bravado about going elsewhere this year I'm back to square one.

Anyway I do sympathise. Was in tears over the primavera thing! 

 

 

Edited January 26, 2016 by Zoo Music Girl

[Zoo Music Girl]

Also this kind of policy does encourage people to call in sick, which is surely worse for the business. I can't do that now I've asked and been refused. But I can see how people would. 

[**claire**]

Thankfully so far I've not had an issue booking Glastonbury time off, & my boss knows me well enough now to know that it's just like Christmas for me - non-negotiable & non-moveable.  Considering the ticket has already been purchased though (I assume) I think I would defo approach HR & see if there was anything they could suggest to help - it's a lot of money to lose, & not like other festivals when you can buy day tickets - it's like having a week's holiday booked & them saying you can go for 4 of the days if you're lucky.

As an aside - the lady needs TWO WEEKS off because her daughter's getting married?  Would it be worth trying to appeal to her better nature & see if she really needs that long off?  If I was getting married & my mum was hanging around for a fortnight it'd do my head in.

[russycarps]

what if you actually are sick on those days then? 

There is absolutely nothing a company can do if you pull a sicky for the glastonbury time off. The fact you've already requested it as holiday is irrelevant.

 

 

[Smeble]

everyone has holiday turned down over the course of their working life, that just life,  and no festival is worth not being able to pay your rent/mortgage, however you need to consider the future, how often in the future are you going to be denied holiday. If your work has a very restrictive holiday policy then this may not be the job for you.

if I were you I'd go on a charm offensive, carry on doing the every day things like being on time and not going sick but put yourself forward for extra shifts or those little jobs nobody else like doing, don't kiss butt, but be the perfect employee, get on your bosses good side, show you are a team player and he/she should be much more amenable to making an exception for you nearer the time.

whlist doing all this keep an eye out for a different job and if they still don't give you the time off, you are in a much better position to tell them where they can stick their job

ultimately they may make a compromise, you may not get wed-mon off but they may give you Thursday and Friday off.

[Yokel Again]

Sit it on it for a couple of weeks, write a well reasoned argument to the HR dept. based on some of the points in this thread would be a good starting point. See where it gets you. I'd be surprised if they didn't (at least) comprimise. If not, you'd have to assess whether it is the kind of place you want to work anyway.

Quite dramatic to quit, but life is all about balance - what is the point in working if you then can't use your income for the things you enjoy?

[russycarps]

5 minutes ago, tonyblair said:

Is an employer allowed to check up on you when you're sick? ie, a phone call to your home number? To see if you're ok.....

for a long term illness they can, but not for just a few days.

You cant get fired for being ill for 4 days!

 

[A Guy Called Matt]

25 minutes ago, russycarps said:

what if you actually are sick on those days then? 

There is absolutely nothing a company can do if you pull a sicky for the glastonbury time off. The fact you've already requested it as holiday is irrelevant.

 

 

Unfortunately a company can do things under modern legislation. As long as they can prove you were not sick (so they would monitor social media for example) they can take action.

12 minutes ago, tonyblair said:

Is an employer allowed to check up on you when you're sick? ie, a phone call to your home number? To see if you're ok.....

Yes they can, often it is done under the guise of wanting to check out something work related such as did you reply to an email.

4 minutes ago, russycarps said:

for a long term illness they can, but not for just a few days.

You cant get fired for being ill for 4 days!

 

See above, sadly they can and do. If they can prove you have taken time off as sick but were not sick they they can sack you.

[Zoo Music Girl]

Also it would create a fair bit of bad feeling between you and them, which I personally would find to work with, although arguably there's bad feeling on your side anyway...

I think a poster above made a good point: I'm not going to leave over it but it's made me think I'll probably stay a lot less longer than I would otherwise if getting requests refused this far in advance is the norm. 

[JoBalls]

I really think calling in sick is too risky.

You've requested annual leave, it gets turned down. You argue it, it still gets turned down. Then the dates roll around and you call in sick. It's obviously going to be glorious weather. You turn up back at the office the week after your "illness" that suspiciously coincided with the declined annual leave dates with a sun tan and a wristband shaped tan-line. 

No boss in their right mind would let that go.

[mungo57]

sucks.

I can't book for G until April 1st as my holiday year starts then. I expect similar when I try and book. Unlucky mate, keep hassling and maybe they will back down.

[russycarps]

14 minutes ago, A Guy Called Matt said:

Unfortunately a company can do things under modern legislation. As long as they can prove you were not sick (so they would monitor social media for example) they can take action.

Yes they can, often it is done under the guise of wanting to check out something work related such as did you reply to an email.

See above, sadly they can and do. If they can prove you have taken time off as sick but were not sick they they can sack you.

Well yes, if you are stupid enough to post photos to facebook then yes you can be disciplined. If you get seen on the telly likewise. But what are the chances?

You are under no obligation to answer the telephone. In fact, repeated phonecalls from your boss when you are off sick can be used against them in a tribunal. (unless things have changed very recently).

It's up to them to find out you are lying. You dont have to help them out by answering the phone/door or putting photos on social media!

 

 

 

[stuartbert two hats]

Let's assume they can't prove you've been away, but as far as they're concerned, they 'know' you have - you've just right royally pissed off your boss for lying to their face and quite possibly pissed off the people who were short staffed by two people  when you were having fun (this  is pure conjecture, admittedly, but I've worked places where people somehow get more annoyed about covering for unauthorized leave than authorised leave. Makes no sense, but that's (some) folk for you).

[A Guy Called Matt]

14 minutes ago, russycarps said:

Well yes, if you are stupid enough to post photos to facebook then yes you can be disciplined. If you get seen on the telly likewise. But what are the chances?

You are under no obligation to answer the telephone. In fact, repeated phonecalls from your boss when you are off sick can be used against them in a tribunal. (unless things have changed very recently).

It's up to them to find out you are lying. You dont have to help them out by answering the phone/door or putting photos on social media!

 

 

 

It is not 'you' posting pics on social media - it is those you are with posting pics and tagging them which most people fall foul of and keeping tabs on that whilst at GF would be nigh on impossible I would have thought.

 

Also all people considering throwing  a sickie should check their contracts very carefully. Some employers expect a daily phone call at the very least. You may have to have  a return to work interview - could you bluff your way through that?

 

Unfortunately workers rights have been slowly chipped away at in recent years making it far easier for employers to keep tabs on you and indeed to terminate employment.

Not that I am employed (I am self employed) but I would be very very wary of throwing  a sickie given that I had asked for that same time period off work.

[russycarps]

7 minutes ago, A Guy Called Matt said:

It is not 'you' posting pics on social media - it is those you are with posting pics and tagging them which most people fall foul of and keeping tabs on that whilst at GF would be nigh on impossible I would have thought.

 

Also all people considering throwing  a sickie should check their contracts very carefully. Some employers expect a daily phone call at the very least. You may have to have  a return to work interview - could you bluff your way through that?

 

Unfortunately workers rights have been slowly chipped away at in recent years making it far easier for employers to keep tabs on you and indeed to terminate employment.

Not that I am employed (I am self employed) but I would be very very wary of throwing  a sickie given that I had asked for that same time period off work.

Aye it's not without it's risks, and that dreaded phonecall in would be tricky to pull off... But it could be done if you are ballsy enough. You could not be fired just for pulling a sicky on the same days you've previously requested off.

But then again, if a company wants rid of you it will find a way. Most people have sent a private email, made a private phonecall etc. If you piss off your boss and they want rid, they will mostly succeed.

[russycarps]

3 minutes ago, tonyblair said:

it's not all bad that an employer might be trying to contact you, if you're sick. There is an element of care involved

 

sometimes

for 3 days though? When you've phoned in to say you've got the raging shits? Unlikely!

[ghostdancer1]

i guess it depends on where you work and the "illness" procedures.

in my place, you need a sick note after more than 2 days off. otherwise just ring in sick each morning. tell them you have a heavy cold/chest infection. back in work on Monday you'll look/feel like shit anyway.

personally, I have no-one from work added to social media and my timeline isn't public, so no-one from work will see anything on Facebook, and if I was really paranoid i'd just untag myself if someone tagged me there anyway.

i'm sure they will suspect that you have gone to Glastonbury but realistically there isn't much they can do.

i've pulled 1-day sickies for festivals before, 2 is the same thing.

[The_Amazing_Oblong]

You can self certify for 7 days. An employee must inform their employer as early as possible that they are unable to work due to sickness. Once they have been informed there is no law to say any contact should be made before the 7 days is up. There is no law that says you must stay at home. 

You asked them, they said no. Say nothing between now and the festival, call in sick on the wednesday, return on the following wednesday.. Continue with life.

 

[The_Amazing_Oblong]

10 minutes ago, ghostdancer1 said:

i guess it depends on where you work and the "illness" procedures.

in my place, you need a sick note after more than 2 days off. otherwise just ring in sick each morning. tell them you have a heavy cold/chest infection. back in work on Monday you'll look/feel like shit anyway.

personally, I have no-one from work added to social media and my timeline isn't public, so no-one from work will see anything on Facebook, and if I was really paranoid i'd just untag myself if someone tagged me there anyway.

i'm sure they will suspect that you have gone to Glastonbury but realistically there isn't much they can do.

i've pulled 1-day sickies for festivals before, 2 is the same thing.

Employers self made rules do not trump Government Law. It is the law that you can self certify for 7 days. Some doctors (mine for example) will refuse to give you a sick note until the 7 days self cert is up. You also do not have to contact them again until the 7 days is up and as said there is nothing stated you need stay at home.

Quite a few I have been with over the years have pulled sickies after being denied the time off, none have lost jobs over it. 

[Zoo Music Girl]

Surely the law can be overridden by a contract you sign with your employer when you take the job? Mine says nothing about days for example but does say they reserve the right to request a doctor's note. Surely it's about the terms you agree with the company as much as the law.