The Ape pokes the hornet's nest.

[Scrapyard Ape]

Hooboy. I have really gone and done it this time. What did I do? Oh nothing much. I simply reserved ten days off from work over the Christmas holiday season. The trouble is that being a single male, I am expected to defer to those with families when it comes to taking time off during a major holiday... and I've done just that for the past six years. Not this time.

Apparently I've really ruffled a few feathers. (no details except that one person in particular is livid over this) I don't want to be the villain here, but I may have to play seniority card to get this time off. Wish me luck, because things might get really ugly over the next couple of weeks.

[Blue As A Jewel]

You go Ape... errr Greg!

[numcks]

I am a father of 5, but I've never understood why unmarried workers should be expected to work harder or take less time off than those with a family. It's simply a matter of fairness. Good luck.

[Scrapyard Ape]

One more thing... I'm trying to quit smoking so I'm not being very pleasant with those who think I'm out of line with this request.

[Scrapyard Ape]

I've never understood why unmarried workers should be expected to work harder or take less time off than those with a family.

I think it has something to do with "not propagating the species" or "not fully contributing to society" or some such jibber-jabber.

[Trumperman]

Go get em' Ape!



Your Pal,

Ric

[notthesharpest]

I am expected to defer to those with families when it comes to taking time off during a major holiday... and I've done just that for the past six years.

Probably not much that you can do with Livid Person, except repeat this.

[fallingwickets]

Good Luck/ The whole issue sounds preposterous. If it were me i would tell them to go ^$#6&% themselves, but that's why I am self employed hhahaha

clive

[Gareth]

Greg, that's a tough position to be in. Thankfully, like Clive, I am also self-employed so this isn't an issue. If I was employed, however, I would be right down the pecking order, being unmarried without children.

Gareth

[KAV]

Document EVERYTHING and keep your mouth shut and ears open.
I went 8 years working on Saint Patrick's day so a buffoon could go out and play dumb mick,lace curtain,oh the wee people, fake accent,drink COLD Guiness and embalmed corned beef, lets PAR-TAY!!!
Final insult was a girl hired on from Cobh and an guy from Belfast were scheduled too.
So we gave them a bit of irish confetti; minimal work, left a nightmare of unfinished work for him and all called in sick with green flu.

[paperpundit]

Minus the last bit of Kav's post, Greg, I agree with him...

Keep your e-mails. Stash them off into another folder, or onto a flash drive. Keep any memos. And if Livid starts going off on you, make sure other employees are around or walk to the nearest fellow employee...

...as a married male, I still worked all the holidays for years. Well, me, and the one childless gal in the workgroup.

"Why us?" she'd ask.

"Well, I don't have ovaries, and you don't have kids. Next question?"

[ThePossum]

Used to be a gal where my wife worked whose kids were grown and she had no real family responsibilities other than her husband. She would ask for the week between Christmas and New Years off every year. In fact she had her request in on the first business day after the New Year. She managed to piss off most everyone of the younger folks including my wife with her actions.

Then one year I told my wife to get her vacation request in on Dec 31 to the boss. By the way my wife worked directly with the boss. To the older lady's surprise when she handed the boss her request for vacation and he told her that my wife had beat her to it she was livid. She did not speak to my wife for a couple months other than business conversations.

I had to laugh at the older gal because she kinda bragged that she got that week off.

I agree with you though that after 6 years you should have the days off. Single guy or family guy we all have things we would like to do during that period.

When I had my own business I allowed only one of my "girls" to take time during the Holidays and when they did that it was on a rotating basis. So each year it was a different gal off.

[brothers]

I'm with you Greg. Fair's fair. Hold your ground.

[CMur12]

Greg, your coworkers need to recognize that you don't forfeit your human rights just because you're single. You, too, deserve respect and you deserve credit for yielding the privilege to other employee's for six years, even though you had a right to request the time yourself. You have demonstrated gentlemanly good will and you have more than earned your turn.

Hang in there, my friend -

- Murray

[KAV]

DON'T MOURN! ORGANISE!

I never suggested our particular bit of work action was appropriate for another's situation. There are people in this world who would be greatfull for a job-any job tonight.
Sadly, there are always other people who would use that inbalance for personal gain inflicting injustices far beyond workplace nepotism and prejudice on holidays.

My great granda would have simply torched the place after repeated insult. I'm a little more sophisticated.

[IanM]

The trouble is that being a single male, I am expected to defer to those with families when it comes to taking time off

I suspect that this is an "unwritten" rule, because if it WAS written, it would be discriminatory.

You have as much right to that time off as any other employee.

Ian

[Scrapyard Ape]

I suspect that this is an "unwritten" rule, because if it WAS written, it would be discriminatory.

Yep. Unwritten. There's no problem if I ask for time off during "mundane" times in the year. But sweet sassy molassy, if there is a major holiday involved, the "but such'n such wants to spend that time with their kids" laments start flying.

Anyone want to lease their children to me for a week in December so I can use the "spend time with the family" excuse?

[fallingwickets]

in case you have causal fridays, greg

http://shirt.woot.com/shirts/fuming-mad

clive

[brothers]

In my experience, the parent of younger school age children has a problem of dealing with the fact that the teachers and school administrators take off those weeks and close the school. What kid doesn't look forward to the holiday break at the end of December? Then the parent either has to pay someone to watch the kids during that time, or stay home with them, or in some cases, take them to work if all else fails. Whoever is in charge at your workplace needs to exercise some leadership and set out a fair plan for everyone, to avoid this unnecessary friction between workers. As Kav has pointed out, these days everybody who is fortunate enough to have a job is blessed indeed, but everybody has a reasonable expectation of being treated fairly.

[kd7kip]

This amuses me. I am a manager with 18 direct reports, and at any given time I can have no more than three people off. I don't mind terribly the folks who request time off 11.5 months in advance, it's the people who pout when I deny their request and there are three people off already, whose names have been on the vacation calendar for months, and the pouting requestor is asking a week before the fact. ("Oh, but I got plane tickets for Mexico at the last minute- wah, wah, wah")

My criteria is simple: First come, first served with email time-stamp the determining factor. I had two requests come in simultaneously a couple years ago, so seniority solved that.

BTW, I have six children ages 1 to 20. Missing holidays here and there is part of my job, and it doesn't hurt for my kids to see that their Dad does what he has to do. Single folks get to have fun, too, and have earned the right as much as anyone.

Enjoy your time off Greg.

-Scott