I need time off request that was ignored advice

37 Comments

1. Maria MolinariOctober 17,2024 at 12:06AM UTC

   This is by no means an excuse but, after you submitted it, did you reach out to confirm or touch base before your boss went on vacation? life gets busy and depending on how you submit for pto be it a form, shared intranet or email, it could be a simple oversight but again, not an excuse.

   Is there a peer of hers you can connect with or someone who could provide sign off that you could reach out to?

2. AnonymousOctober 17,2024 at 9:25PM UTC

   I would have encouraged you to reach out when you submitted for them to approve or respond at that time. You should wait to see if it's approved. Put it on their calendar day back as the reason for the invite. You need to show this iniative and getting this addressed. Welcome Back / PTO Approval reason for invite.

3. AnonymousOctober 17,2024 at 9:34PM UTC

   Go to your boss' boss. Forward the email to them, copy in your boss, then follow up in person. As another poster mentioned, follow up after you ask via email. I know I do as their inbox gets pretty full. I would go ahead and book and buy the insurance, but would they possibly not let you take off? It's a gamble, but as for me, I email, then if I don't hear back in 3 days I go to their office and ask. I get oh so sorry, yes, I'll approve right now.

4. AnonymousOctober 18,2024 at 12:43PM UTC

   not necessarily. Vacations even for bosses are allowed without interruption. I have taken a vacation to Antarctica among other places where there is not cell coverage. I agree with others, she should have reached out on day 2 after submitting the request. Another person said to buy the tickets but also the insurance as back up in case it is not approved.

5. AnonymousOctober 18,2024 at 1:25PM UTC

   It's negative that the boss won't answer emails on her vacation? No, it's the opposite - the boss is modeling good practices to completely disconnect while away, the same as all employees should do. If this was urgent for the OP, she should have requested this earlier and been more on top of it instead of expecting someone on vacation to deal with her bad planning.

6. AnonymousOctober 18,2024 at 2:58PM UTC

   Did you follow-up with her to remind her your request needed to be approved? If you can't afford them, don't book them. Period.

7. AnonymousOctober 18,2024 at 4:38PM UTC

   I would book the flights, and do what you need to do. Assume it is approved. If she declines it let her know that you already purchased the tickets because of the cost and hope she will honor that request which is now a month old.

8. maria roseOctober 18,2024 at 9:11PM UTC

   Isn’t there something stated in your employment handbook that clarifies the time off requests process. Something that states how far in advance you need to put in the request and a list of “blackout dates “ that no one can request off. If the dates requested were made following the company policy, you should be able to have arranged for the travel accommodations unless you are required by company policy to get your immediate supervisor’s final approval in writing. You, the OP here, should have done this already even if you had to ask HR to explain the time off request policy. This has nothing to do with the OP’s opinion of the necessity of their being at work on the specific dates needed off—we all know that reasoning has nothing to do with making a time off request notification.. If everything was done right in making the time off request, then the OP should take the time off as requested .

9. AnonymousOctober 19,2024 at 12:44PM UTC

   I agree with everyone who says check your policy. I can’t believe any company would let an employee take time off at both Thanksgiving and Christmas. The business still needs to operate and everyone deserves the opportunity to take one of those off. Think about how you are impacting others .

10. AnonymousOctober 19,2024 at 1:05PM UTC

    Everyone wants these dates off every year to be with their family. The office has to have coverage. Do they have a policy on PTO at Holiday's? My company does. We do not allow both to the same person, and if you had PTO last year, preference will be given to someone who did not get the chance to be off last year. It is also a busy time for us, so we do not allow any week long vacations at this time of year. I would check the policy and ask in person. I will add, do not book the flights, until you are approved, someone did this in our office without approval. Just because you booked the flights, it does not mean they have to approve you.

11. AnonymousOctober 19,2024 at 1:27PM UTC

    Can you fly Southwest? They have free cancellation. Funds go to future flight.

12. Colleen HansonOctober 19,2024 at 2:31PM UTC

    I don't know how your boss operates but I can tell you that I had a boss that would literally ignore time off requests that were made via email or the company calendar (despite that being HIS policy). If you would ask him in person for time off he would refer you to the company calendar followed up with and email (then he would ignore it). There was no reason for him to act this way other than to be a narcissistic control freak and try to deny all time off. He was the owner of the company so there was no going over his head. I was seeing a doctor for cancer and this guy would not approve my time off, either way I went, he wouldn't deny it, he just wouldn't approve it. It was miserable!

    Also, I agree with other posters who say that you need to look at your company's policy on this. I have never worked anywhere that allowed us to take time off during both holidays; it was normally one or the other, and we weren't allowed the same holiday two years in a row in order to make it fair for all other employees. I think you should have spoken to your boss before she left on vacation if you knew that rates were changing. I would not go ahead and book something now because there is a chance your request could be denied; they are under no obligation to give you time off during the holidays and truth be told you also dropped the ball by not asking her in person before she left for two weeks.

13. Gee EmmOctober 21,2024 at 3:26PM UTC

    Thank you, Colleen. This is the ONLY sensible explanation. I'm sorry about your boss. I had the same. I hope your cancer is in remission and wish you all the best.

14. AnonymousOctober 19,2024 at 4:11PM UTC

    I would book a refundable flight. It may be a little more expensive but at least you can lock in a less expensive flight overall.

15. AnonymousOctober 19,2024 at 5:44PM UTC

    Not sure if this has been addressed, but did your boss designate sone one to cover during their absence? Maybe you can check with that person.

16. AnonymousOctober 21,2024 at 8:31PM UTC

    Correct! You'd think that would have been a top priority.

17. AnonymousOctober 20,2024 at 5:04AM UTC

    Devils advocate here.

    Maybe your boss was running like crazy to get ready for HER vacation and YOUR vacation just wasn't her priority? Or maybe, since you "just answer phones", coverage for other people in the department to have PTO is more important for both the organization and her? Or possibly, a whole list of other people in the organization are asking for holiday PTO and she has to really sit down and parse it all out across all of you?

    Is it possible that the tone of your request - written much like this post - came off a little entitled about PTO across the holidays and rather than just deny it, your boss did you a favor by letting it sit until she could give it a fair thought? Your ticket price, sister's birthday and holiday PTO are hardly organizational priorities - which is exactly what most people try to make sure are covered before they walk out th door on PTO .

18. Kerry McColloughOctober 20,2024 at 2:07PM UTC

    Seems like your boss isn't doing her job. Ensuring her employees are resourced to perform their tasks INCLUDES their PTO needs. I'd go up the ladder

19. AnonymousOctober 20,2024 at 3:33PM UTC

    Her managers' PTO is not exactly an 'organizational priority' either. The posters' tone here may be entirely different than her request to her manager. Why not assume the best rather than the worst, of someone asking for advice?

20. AnonymousOctober 20,2024 at 7:20PM UTC

    I agree, maybe the non-answer is the answer. It might be a black out time for vacation (check handbook). Just because the original poster requested time off does not mean she will recieve it.

21. Nicole HowardOctober 21,2024 at 2:33PM UTC

    The managers vacation isn't priority either. And I don't think she sounded untitled. You must be a manager or higher somewhere. And your comment comes off as snobby.

22. AnonymousOctober 22,2024 at 12:09AM UTC

    And your comes off as someone trying to pick a fight. Yes, I HAVE been a manager and higher. And I have also been an employee. I was trying to bring another viewpoint. What's your point trying to add?

23. AnonymousOctober 21,2024 at 8:01PM UTC

    You might be right and that the manager was super busy planning her vacation that she forgot about her work responsibilities. However, when she goes off to wherever she's going, the work and processes aren't going to stop. I just think that being a little bit proactive enough to assign and/ delegate folks to act on her behalf, to approve time requests etc. would have been a better option. IJS

24. Karen LOctober 20,2024 at 12:59PM UTC

    Politely request her boss to approve as you know the company would want to failry review and approve everyone's time off requests in a timely manner. After her her return Id hear her out as to what the business reason was that she let your request sit there. Was it legit or did she forget? I might look for a new job. It was very poor move on her part. Not a good leader to put her needs before her team's.

25. Ann SweeneyOctober 20,2024 at 1:02PM UTC

    Go to you manager’s manager for approval. Explain the situation and offer to WFH if they are worried about being short-staffed. (Calls can be rerouted to you there.)

    Sorry you don’t have a better manager.

26. Gee EmmOctober 21,2024 at 3:22PM UTC

    Who said her manager has a manager?

27. WandaOctober 21,2024 at 7:15PM UTC

    Let's hope that it's the case that her manager has a supervisor. I'd shudder to think about what it must be like if there isn't one. IJS

28. Manjit VirdeeOctober 20,2024 at 1:42PM UTC

    Just wait to be sure.

29. AnonymousOctober 20,2024 at 9:49PM UTC

    It seems that you boss prioritized their vacation time over yours.

    I would ask Human Resources if your vacation time could be approved. But it is more likely that you request is simply pending until your boss can approve of it.

    I would try to look for another job in the mean time.

30. C. CheekOctober 21,2024 at 2:08AM UTC

    They would be the first person I talk to on Monday. I’m not sure if you’re in the same office. Or, I would call and resend the email. You can schedule a send so it’s will be at the top of the many emails they have waiting for them after vacation. I would , I realize you just returned from vacation. I sent a vacation request and…

31. AyianOctober 21,2024 at 12:15PM UTC

    Book the flights. You put in a request that was informational, not asking permission. It is not reasonable for the request to not be approved. There's a gentler way to put this when you have the conversation with your boss, but this is the core of that conversation if she does not approve it immediately.

32. AnonymousOctober 22,2024 at 2:22PM UTC

    Agree! You earned your PTO, it’s your to take and not contingent upon someone’s “approval” - you’ve already done your courtesy and due diligence. If she “forgot” to acknowledge your travel request, it’s not your fault

    book your flight and have a great time

    they can’t do anything to you since you already submitted the request

33. AyianOctober 24,2024 at 10:22PM UTC

    There definitely can be some repercussions, but at the end of the day, we work to live, not live to work. Organizations that fail to understand this basic concept don't keep top talent. Holiday plans placed well in advance are unreasonable to deny when the person simply won't be present and, knowing that travel fees increase weekly if not daily for year end holiday travel, it's not reasonable to not respond within a week or two at the most extreme.

34. AnonymousOctober 21,2024 at 12:55PM UTC

    I wonder if you could you go up the exec chain and have her manager approve your time off requests? It seems that you might have to go this route. I'm sorry and I don't mean to sound judgmental, but this is a process that a manager should already have in place in the event that they're either gone during an absence or are terminated.

35. Gee EmmOctober 21,2024 at 3:20PM UTC

    Just because something "should" be a certain way, doesn't mean it IS that way.

    It doesn't always follow that people are in large enough organizations that there are several people further up in the chain of command.

36. AyianOctober 24,2024 at 10:27PM UTC

    Also, you CAN take time away from work "whenever you feel like it". There are consequences when the quantity or timing are well outside the organization's needs, but that absolutely does not change a person's ability to take time away from work - for vacation, illness, death, or otherwise. The point of giving advanced notice is so an employer can make whatever arrangements are necessary - a temp, someone from another department filling in, etc. Some 'requests' such as 'I'm visiting my family this holiday season' are informative, not inquisitive.

37. AnonymousOctober 28,2024 at 12:55PM UTC

    Your manager and possibly even company suck. If they're making you squirm and wait to see if prices go up or not they have no incentive to approve this. Go ahead and make the plans and tell them what you're doing. If you have the PTO time and you put in the request two months in advance they are being unreasonable.