Work declining vacation request?

[bunnynurse]

Hi everyone,

I've been currently working at a LTC facility since mid-January 2016. We are quite short-staffed. My boyfriend and I are wanting to go to Cancun in July. I plan on putting in my vacation request this week. My facility has been known to be stingy on accepting time-off requests... and I'm kind of worried. What if I've already paid for my vacation, and they decline my request?

Has anyone have any experience on this? Thanks!

[MunoRN, RN]

At most places I've worked you don't get vacation time until you've been there a year, and even after a year you certainly can't expect to get specific time off in July when asking for it in April (that's usually considered a "late" request). If you've already purchased plane tickets, hotel ,etc then there's a good chance you'll have to pay cancellation charges or quit your job to be able to go.

[summerly]

Never book a vacation without getting the time off work first!

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

You've only been there 4 months and expect a short staffed facility to grant a vacation 6 months after you started? Many companies you are expected to work 12 months full time to be eligible to request vacation. You are also asking with relatively short notice

[dishes, BSN, RN]

@bunnynurse, is your workplace unionized? If so, have you reviewed the vacation guidelines in your collective agreement?

[seaofclouds21, BSN, RN]

You really need to know the policy with your facilities vacation time. For example, my employer considers Memorial Day through Labor Day to be "prime time". Each nurse is only allowed one week during that time frame and it goes by seniority. The person handling the summer vacations goes to each nurse based on seniority and says "these are the weeks available, which one do you want". If you already had something planned, you'd be out of luck if the time was no longer available. Outside of "prime time", time off requests are first come first serve. Generally, if you have the time available and no one else has requested the time, we usually get it. As others have said, always ensure you have the time off before you book a vacation. If you absolutely must book before getting your time off approved, get insurance in case you need to reschedule it.

[roser13, ASN, RN]

This is very short notice, as has been said. Look for your facility's policies regarding both new employees and deadlines for requesting.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

If you want to take a vacation that soon after beginning employment, in my experience it's something you need to negotiate when you accept the offer. I started a new job in June. I had a vacation planned in September that I had already paid for. I negotiated for the week off when I accepted the job. I did not have sufficient PTO by the time September rolled around, so I had to take a portion of the week unpaid.

In general, I don't think 3 months is short notice for a vacation (a month is sufficient in my current work) but when you're working the floor and thinking you want time off in the summer, you usually need to ask for it WAY in advance. When I worked on the floor, we did our vacation requests for the summer in March. Once the vacation schedule was finalized (only 120 hrs of RN vacation time/week was allowed and that's more than most places allow), no one else was granted vacation time for the summer. If you've missed the summer vacation sign up, I'd guess you're SOL.

[Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN]

I'm in the minority here, but every place I've worked has been very liberal about allowing for requesting off. What is your policy?

[SC_RNDude]

I'm in the minority here, but every place I've worked has been very liberal about allowing for requesting off. What is your policy?

. Ya...in my 20+ years of my adult working life (nursing and pre-nurse), I've always accrued vacation time as I go. I've never had to wait longer than a few months. I certainly wouldn't make it a year in a new job without vacation.

[SC_RNDude]

At most places I've worked you don't get vacation time until you've been there a year, and even after a year you certainly can't expect to get specific time off in July when asking for it in April (that's usually considered a "late" request). If you've already purchased plane tickets, hotel ,etc then there's a good chance you'll have to pay cancellation charges or quit your job to be able to go.

Unless someone else has this time off already, how is 3 months in advance considered a "late" request?

[MunoRN, RN]

Unless someone else has this time off already, how is 3 months in advance considered a "late" request?

Where I've worked in the past and currently we bring in travelers to cover June through August vacations, the agency contracts are often set shortly after the new year.