“I’m sorry but that will not be possible. This leave was communicated months in advance and approved prior to my first day of work. I’ve made financial commitments that are not reversible and will be taking the time as previously agreed. I am happy to discuss further when I return on x date.”
Do not reply to any communication/threats during off time. You are not working, you are not on call, you are on approved leave. They will need to figure it out. If they let you go for this it is not any kind of place you’d ever want to work.
>Do not reply to any communication/threats during off time
This OP. Don't even send a reply. You're already on your trip, for all they need to know and you aren't checking your devices / don't have signal.
Except you should print out anything that shows that this vacation was approved since you may not have access to those systems upon return.
Edit: If fired, you will need this information to show PROOF to UNEMPLOYMENT that you were on vacation.
If they have an HR dept that's worth a shit all they have to do is email HR. EVERYTHING in our HR/ payroll system is tracked. Literally every single move we make. From unassigning a shift to assigning a shift to publishing a shift. Every approval, every denial. EVERYTHING. HR protects the company. Part of protecting the company is being good to your staff and not having turnover. I have overriden dept heads when it comes to time off. I've told them they need to approve the time off request and to figure it out. Work the shift if you have to. Because you'll be working that shift when that employee quits. Hell, I literally scheduled a dept head to work a line staff shift when they randomly approved time off without having coverage. You're not going to screw your team over and create OT, you're salaried. You approved it, you can't find coverage then you're working it 🤷🏼♀️
But I've learned from this sub and others that I might be a minority in my way of thinking. I also have to go through the recruiting and hiring process so turnover is more work for me. Also I want to be known as a good company to work for if you're a good employee.
As soon as you left for the weekend, you turned off devices, hopped on a plane/train/submarine and headed for remote mountains/beach/darkest Peru. Didn't see anything until you got back. Because you had cleared this leave months ago, before hire, you didn't know you'd need to be in communication for this timeframe.
And as soon as you get back, start looking for another job, regardless. Assuming that they can just cancel leave at their convenience is indicative of a badly run organization.
My thoughts exactly, no response. Also I understand it’s your dream job but is it the right work environment to make it enjoyable, doing this to a team member isn’t okay.
be sure to cc the HR dept, yourself when you respond forward the response to your attorney and any additional communication going forward to your attorney
Childcare typically doesn't have HR, in my experience. The director of the facility is the one who hires and fires. They also have no qualms about firing and finding a replacement.
I feel like everyone always brings up HR like everyone has that resource. I’’m currently self employed, and in the past worked for small companies with no HR. Just the boss and 3-10 employees.
I'm 55. Only one of my employers has had an "HR department" and they're a Fortune 150, so of course they do.
All the other ones had 50 employees or less. Any over about 10 will have someone who does the bookkeeping, payroll, and tracks vacation time and so forth, but that's the closest they'll get to "HR."
also, if a company is large enough to have an HR department, that department is NOT there to help workers. They are there to manage resources, the human ones. Individuals in the department might be willing to help, but the department as a whole is there to help the company and could not care less about the workers.
I disagree. HR is not on your side. Only forward the response to them if necessary later.
In my experience, OP will return to the job without issue after their vacation. Getting HR involved makes it way easier to get a write up or some kind of issue to do with child care I am less aware of.
Any reason you may have will not be different when OP returns. You're simply making an unforced error that can only hurt you, until there are some consequences to respond to.
All the more reason to communicate it to HR. They’re on the side of the company not you or your boss. Establishing that this was agreed upon before beginning employment will serve you better if your boss tries to weasel out of it.
Establish facts and loop in hr before he makes some shit up and pushes some narrative.
I mean, I’ve been in early childhood education for 25 years, and most childcare centers don’t even have an HR department. It’s usually an owner and a director and that’s it.
Wonder how that works out when employment is at will everywhere? From an attorney's website:
"At-will employment is a term used in U.S. labor law meaning an employer can terminate an employee at any time, for any reason without incurring legal responsibility. In addition to employer rights to terminate, at-will also means an employer may change the terms of employment (including wages, hours, benefits, and paid time off) with no notice or consequence.
At-will employment is generally presumed in all U.S. states (excluding Montana) even when it is not expressly written or otherwise communicated. Most employers provide a clear statement of at-will policy in employee handbooks or other written documentation given to the employee upon hire. An at-will employee can not sue for lost wages due to dismissal from a job, provided the dismissal did not violate any state or federal law.
All 50 states in the U.S. and Washington, D.C. are at will employment states"
Union anyone?
I agree with this.
Additionally, if they cancel your PTO after it has been approved (and after it has started, WTF?) they are NOT your dream job, they just looked like they were. You deserve better.
Not in Canada where we have the Apology Act:
Effect of apology on liability
(2) Despite any other enactment, evidence of an apology made by or on behalf of a person in connection with any matter is not admissible in any court as evidence of the fault or liability of the person in connection with that matter.
I wonder if it’s not colloquial or native to a certain country. In South Africa we would say “I’m sorry but” as a way to assert that it isn’t going to happen. I can’t explain it really but it wouldn’t be taken as an admission of guilt. Think of it as an “with all due respect” placeholder that’s less passive aggressive. We do generally say sorry a lot - even if someone bumps into us.
"Saying "sorry" can be used as evidence against you, making it difficult to negotiate a fair settlement. Insurance providers may use your apology to minimize their own liability, resulting in lower compensation for your injuries or property damage." Dmlawusa
"After an accident, even one that’s clearly not your fault, saying “I’m sorry” may feel natural. However, you should avoid saying “sorry” or any other word of apology in this situation.
This is because doing so may result in the other party taking it as an admission of guilt. This is especially the case if you are speaking to an insurance adjuster." Burkettlawfirm
"Apologizing after a car accident is instinctual for many people, whether or not they were at fault for the accident. Though it may not seem like a big deal, apologizing can have a big impact on your ability to gain damages. If you say sorry after an accident, this could be interpreted as you admitting fault for the crash. This can be used as evidence in a personal injury case and prevent you from earning the compensation you deserve." Atlantalegalcare
Idk where you got that bit of info from but it seems wrong after 30 seconds on google. What states would be the exception?
My insurance card has an accident checklist on the back.
First two bullets:
* Ensure you are in a safe location, if you are not in a safe location move your vehicle if possible, or walk to a safer location prior to exchanging information or calling emergency services.
* Do not admit fault, this includes saying anything that may be used against you such as "I'm sorry" or "I didn't see you".
Yeah so here for insurance purposes we can’t admit guilt. We can say “I’m so sorry that this happened” but we can’t say “I’m so sorry that I drove into you”. It has to be admitted guilt and not implied guilt. I could be sorry for myself in the first instance. So it wouldn’t really hold up in court, plus you only need to prove 1% negligence on either party’s side for insurance to pay. The reason we ask clients not to admit liability is because they don’t know if their policy will respond or not, they’re actually exposing themselves to a civil lawsuit if the insurer doesn’t pay out. The apportionment in 3rd party recoveries is where it usually gets interesting but clients aren’t privy to that and if the claim is valid, it’s settled and paid.
In canada sorry doesn't always mean "I'm sorry I did this to you", it can also mean "I'm sorry you are so stupid you fucked up and are now facing the obvious consequences"
This is my (American) understanding of the two ways to use “I’m sorry”. When a friend’s pet chinchilla dies and you say “I’m sorry for your loss” you’re not admitting guilt in killing the chinchilla!
In New South Wales of Australia we have the Civil Liability Act with very similar wording: "Evidence of an apology made by a person is not admissible in any civil proceeding as evidence of the fault or liability of the person in relation to the matter."
As a business owner, I have had to really work hard on that.
I don't apologise anymore for our products breaking down, or 3rd-party screwing up. I'll find an alternative way to express the fact that, yes, I understand it sucks, but I'm not directly responsible for it, so I'm not "sorry".
Ironically to me, this seems much more disingenuous than if you simply said you were sorry. But it's probably just a regional thing/me not really liking corpo-speak.
That’s why I said unnecessary apologies. I’m a Canadian, I will say sorry to literally anything by default. However, as a female business owner who has serious people-pleaser tendencies, the amount I say sorry by default can show a lack of confidence in my work or leaves room for a client to give pushback. So instead of “sorry for the delay” I’ll say “thanks for your patience”, or if something has to change, I say “thanks for your understanding” instead of “sorry for any inconvenience”. Changes like that don’t change the meaning, but also leave no room for negotiation. I even have a plugin for my emails called “just not sorry” that tells me when I might be using “soft language” that a male businessperson probably wouldn’t use. Females are culturally programmed to use undermining phrases, so being reminded to not say “I’ll try” vs “I will” or “I think” vs “I know” is very helpful.
This. I started a job on June 23rd. I told them I was leaving for 5 days on July 5th. They were like, okay, not a problem. July 6th came, and I was in Texas on vacation. You communicated with them when you were hired about this. They agreed to hire you knowing this. If they back out of this and give you grief, they aren't a company that you want to work for.
If OP is very risk averse and wants zero risk of getting fired, they could also try calling the managers bluff by asking the company to 100% cover the money lost by canceling the vacation and the additional cost of rebooking (ie if prices are higher later).
That’s how I handle this situation in my field. But in my field companies aren’t cheap and would actually cover the rebooking costs.
In child care where they are cheap , they’ll just say no thanks and then you get credit for being willing to play ball. If they have the audacity to suggest they can’t pay the fees but OP should then OP can say “if it’s not worth it for you to pay to rebook, why would it possibly be worth it to me.”
>But in my field companies aren’t cheap and would actually cover the rebooking costs.
But it sounds like those type of companies would call you and say something like "we are really sorry but due to (reasons) you can\`t leave on your planned date - please let us know the cost involved and the extra for rebooking and we\`ll reimburse you this amount before the end of the week"
In the US, anyone can sue, but with at-will employment, they can be fired for this. It is not a protected category. Maybe the company cannot successfully sue for damages, based on your argument, but they can fire.
This is a common misunderstanding. You cannot be fired for *any* reason under at-will employment, but you can be fired for *no* reason.
The big difference is that if you're fired for no reason, you are eligible for unemployment while you find a new job, and the company's unemployment tax gets higher. Furthermore, there's more to unlawful termination than just "is it a protected class?" Vacation time is part of the employee's compensation package, so this is more akin to witholding pay than discrimination.
And this was the nicest most professional way possible to say FUCK YOU I’M GOING lol well done!! Seriously just copy word for word because this sounds perfect!
I embed a small image in every email, which causes the client to download the image when it is opened. It’s a read receipt you can’t turn off. I have used this as evidence in court against a former employee who hurt someone by ignoring my advice.
Thank god I have my email set to not automatically download images in emails; glad it was useful in your case, but I personally consider read receipts very invasive, especially for emails I didn't ask for.
> I embed a small image in every email, which causes the client to download the image when it is opened. It’s a read receipt you can’t turn off. I have used this as evidence in court against a former employee who hurt someone by ignoring my advice.
Most email clients have an option to turn off downloading images which makes this very obvious (and gets you reported as spam if I receive it), and some have started doing this by default.
When sending to people who live in the EU, this is also illegal if done without proof of consent.
This still doesn't provide any information, depending on the email client. Just because an email was displayed on the screen doesn't mean anyone was around to view the screen at that time.
Other email clients automatically block images from external sources unless the user chooses message-by message.
Anyone even slightly tech savvy will have image download turned off. In fact, in most email clients, that's the default.
Because auto-downloading images can be used to implement various attacks, up to and including installing malware, and because it's one of the easiest ways for a spam network to identify a 'live' email to flood.
>you wait to see what happens.
which will likely be nothing. Sure there might be some vindictive companies/bosses out there but the majority are just try-hards that will fold once you stand your (justified) ground.
This is the truth. I work in HR and this is a bluff. Do not quit, OP. I’m betting they don’t want to pay the cost of onboarding and training another employee. Also, they’d have to pay unemployment since this isn’t a valid term reason to avoid it. Stand your ground.
Go on vacation. I work in childcare and when I switched centers it literally took me less than 24 hours to get an interview. There is incredibly high turnover in this field and centers ALWAYS need to hire more staff. Also, if this place isn't respecting your time off requests now, they won't the next time you need time off either. (And honestly they probably won't fire you if you go on vacation because I'm sure they're short staffed too)
Right! Exactly what you said. And cancelling OP’s pre-approved vacation is just one example of why there is such high turnover in this industry. Horrible pay and horrible treatment. Not sure why this is OP’s dream job.
I worked in a childcare facility. When I went by to drop of my resume they offered to have me stay that day and look after kids. (Should have been a red flag tbh).
For real! Child care facilities are desperate foe workers. If the place they work at now is struggling to get coverage for a week, imagine how challenging it will be once they quit. Workers have the power in this situation.
Well it’s a judgement call on that one and I pondered it.
The way I see it is if they are matter of factly demand what is their right they probably won’t have a job in a week.
So instead act nice and apologize for getting what you should anyways.
People on Reddit often take hard stances when it isn’t needed. Saying sorry is free. You can be sorry for the inconvenience or sorry you can’t cancel, it’s a simple word to include for the small amount of good will it brings
Apologizing sort of implies you did something wrong or that you weren’t able to live up to some sort of mutually agreed expectation. In this case the expectation was you are going on vacation.
> Apologizing sort of implies you did something wrong
Not in that context it doesn't. Its doesn't just mean to 'regret' something, it also means 'sympathy' towards someone.
For example, "sorry for your loss", doesn't imply you caused that loss.
,
Unfortunately, I will not be able to cancel my trip on such short notice. As you will recall, this was an approved precondition for my accepting this role and I am past the point of being able to make adjustments. While I am always willing discuss scheduling changes to best support the team, I will need a more reasonable timeframe to make those accommodations in the future.
I look forward to discussing this more when I return as planned on .
Regards,
You can rid " as you may recall". It suggests that their ask was made despite knowing - putting forward how much of a shit head they are and you admitting that with that short phrase.
Regardless of what you do about your vacation, prep your resume and start looking for a new job now. What your boss did was absolutely unacceptable.
Contacting you the night before your vacation and telling you that they're canceling your approved time off isn't appropriate. You let them know months in advance. You have a message from your boss acknowledging your time off (since they left you a message canceling it). They can't claim ignorance.
What is the most likely cause is someone unexpectedly called out for the week. Maybe COVID. Something else. Doesn't really matter. But I'd bet they're now shorthanded because of a combination of your vacation and whoever called out, so they're trying to force you to come back in.
Many companies are intentionally understaffed, such that it puts a strain on them any time an employee misses work. They are doing this to maximize profits, but the approach is shortsighted. Clearly OP's management did not plan well, but their greed and/or ineptitude has nothing to do with OP.
It is sad for OP to find out this way, but their workplace is toxic due to management's poor planning, and attempts to shift responsibility to OP.
Everyone has given you good replies about standing your ground. But don’t let the cloud of this ruin your vacation shut off and deal with any replies when you get home. That’s easier said than done, but don’t let a job worry ruin your life and experience
If this was your dream job, you wouldn’t be dealing with this kind of BS.
Your dream job would let you take your vacation that you planned and communicated in advance.
Boss here. Just say "I'm already out of town since we have scheduled this off time months ago". You don't even need this much explanation but whatever. I wish every employee would give their vacation notices months ago. As a boss if I didn't plan for your absence, this is my problem. If I'm understaffed, this is my problem.
If your message was an email, you were so busy you never opened it. It wasn't until you reached your destination that you read it.
If you decide to stay, you need to ask them how your get refunded for your tickets and reservations.
On your death bed you’d likely regret not going on that awesome vacation more than missing a day of work. Take that vacation and have the time of your life!
# Don't quit. Also, go on your vacation. Let your boss know this vacation was approved as part of you accepting the position. Tell them you will report back to work on the 16th (or whatever day you were supposed to come back).
Make them fire you, so you get unemployment. Also consider a wrongful termination suit threat. You can easily get another job in child care. Opening are everywhere.
You say: “I’m sorry, but I already paid for the trip. I provided you with notice that I would need this time off when I interviewed in July so you would have time to prepare. It is non-refundable and I cannot cancel on this short of notice. If you could not approve the time off, that should have been discussed in the interview. If the circumstances were different, I would absolutely be in tomorrow and would happily do so. However, this is outside of my availability- as discussed from day one. I will not be in tomorrow. I apologize for any frustration this may cause, but I feel that I have more than enough notice and while I sympathize with the situation, there is nothing I can do at this point in the process. I will happily return in x, as we agreed in July.”
You’re not the one being unreasonable here. Sometimes you have to spell it out for people and hold your ground so they don’t take advantage of you.
I disagree, u/NotRandomoyGenerated has worded this really clearly and succinctly for the manager. Sometimes you really just need to be direct and hold you ground.
Also OP, if they do this now to you they'll do it again down the track. They need to respect your holiday time especially given you clearly stated and confirmed it was okay months ago.
I disagree. In my experience (having moved from working in childcare/early childhood education to corporate) there is generally an expectation in that line of work that you will provide more details. The center will be forced to completely close leaving multiple families without childcare if they don’t have adequate staffing. There is significant red tape around legal ratios of adults to children. While “sorry, I’m scheduled to be off and it’s too late to change the plan” will fly in a more corporate environment, speaking to people that way in a childcare center can damage your career for years. It’s not a corporate type of role, and if you want to progress you have to be a very clear and detailed communicator and they need to understand the magnitude of the situation. It’s a highly interpersonal field, and over communicating is better than being short and ruining your shot at advancing because you’re “bitchy.” Workers aren’t well protected at all.
Just go. The childcare industry is really hurting for employees right now. Either they keep their word and let you have your vacation time, or you'll have no problem landing another job when you get back. I was a supervisor for a childcare program for years, and I can tell you that they should be doing anything they can to keep employees happy.
This is not your dream job if they pull this kind of ugliness on you. Find another job when you get back from vacation. I think childcare usually has openings everywhere.
Advice from your internet auntie. This may seem like your dream job, but it’s actually probably your dream career. Find another childcare spot. You really don’t want to work for people who don’t value you, or their prior commitments to you.
“Sorry to hear you’re in a scheduling bind! Based on the agreement we determined at hiring, the plans I booked for the week aren’t reversible. I’ll check in with you when I’m back in on Xday.”
This isn’t your problem. It’s a red flag that they’re trying to put it on you instead of having integrity. Politely identifying it’s on them while showing your continued commitment to moving forward based on what was originally agreed to is the professional and respectful way to move forward. If you return and they’re still scapegoating on you, restate the agreement made, and do the bare minimum while applying elsewhere.
An important distinction is your employer did not cancel your vacation -- only you can do that; they've canceled their prior approval of your time away, but that's a them problem. Meaning, you've still booked and paid for a vacation under the pretense of their approval, if they want to rescind their approval the day before you leave for said vacation, then they're going to have a bad time. You go on your vacation though, and have a good time!
Lol my friend, this isn’t your dream job if they are both going back on their word and not entertaining discussion about it. So do with that what you will
Ask him why he canceled your vacation when you leave in 24 hours. To me, it sounds like he wants you to quit or get fired. I can not understand why else 24 hours before he would do this. Maybe he forgot, idk. I'd speak with him in person.
Say hey yall approved this month's ago. No disrespect, but this isn't very fair or professional.
If they need you that badly, they don’t have the ability to fire you. If it’s not a staffing need, then it’s a power-trip/control thing in which case you’d be dodging a bullet. Go on the trip.
Have a great vacation! Review that message when you get back to work.
And ... DON'T PANIC!
Or, you could get employer to commit in writing to refunding all your fees and expenses and rescheduling your vacation ... but I kind'a doubt they'd go for that anyway.
Oh, and don't quit. Let 'em fire you if they're going to be that stupid about it.
Dang its crazy you didnt have any cell service the days prior to leaving.
Also…. What boss actually thinks someone will actually show up and work? Guarantee they come in tomorrow and have zero idea why your missing.
If your dream job/dream employer treats you like this, then I'd be looking for a new dream job.
If you do come back and they fire you, depending on your jurisdiction, you might have an unfair dismissal case.
What is actually the point of scheduling holiday time if it can just be canceled by an employer the day before. You’ve done your due diligence by giving months of advance notice.
It's babysitting not brain surgery. Tell your employer that you are unable to change your plans as they need no additional information than that.
If they fire you get a job at another day care center.
Just don't go in to work, come back like nothing happened. "My leave has already been approved. See you in X days."
If you are being treated this way it's not a dream job. It's just a job. Good luck.
Speak directly with your manager, tell them unless they’re refunding all cost of vacation you’re going.
They need you more than you need them. That’s why they’re short staffed and cancelling vacations
Yeah, this is big no.
Will your boss refund your expenses? Re-book your holiday?
I don't think so.
I would say a firm no, not possible, not happening. See you when I'm back.
I don’t want to be crass because I deeply emphasize with your situation and agree with some of the top votes here. Draw the line and stand by it.
As for your last paragraph. Don’t confuse your dream job with a bad workplace. It may be your dream line of work, but it sounds like from this incident you’ll be happier doing it elsewhere if they cannot honor their verbal agreements with you.
Yes. I had this happen and I didn't go. Got fired a few months later. Quit and file for unemployment, as they failed to meet your agreed upon terms for employment.
You work for them. They do NOT control you. Tell them “I have a scheduled vacation that you were told about far in advance. Poor planning on your part, does not constitute an emergency on my part”. Then say “I will see you when I get back”.
Yeah this isn't your problem OP... don't let them make you feel guilty. I agree with the top comment on a simple response that states you had communicated the leave months in advance (maybe even attach the original email/communication) and that you cannot cancel trip last minute and lose out on what you've invested. Full stop.
Don’t quit, if they do fire you then you can at least claim unemployment until you find a better workplace. Also if they’re trying to cancel your first vacation and you go with it don’t expect to ever be able to take a vacation while working for them.
Don’t quit. Either they will keep you or fire you. If they fire you, collect unemployment.
As many have said, you will have no problem finding another job. Child care workers are in demand
Just don’t quit.
Politely say that you have made non-refundable plans under the agreement that you have time off.
You have an agreement that you will not be reporting to work on the given days and they had plenty of time to discuss this with you. It’s unacceptable that they would wait until you are about to leave to rescind.
Don’t give in, because they will continue to take advantage of you.
Enjoy your vacation. You’ll be okay.
Absolutely. Take your vacation. You earned it. It's not a permission they grant you because they're nice. You earned it. If they want to fire you then find a better job when you get back. If they failed to hire enough people to handle a vacation then that's a failure of management.
Quit and have your vacation. It may be your dream industry but clearly not your dream employer, and now you have experience that you can use to get another job at another facility.
Let them fuck around and find out.
In my area of the US, they can’t fill any childcare positions anywhere. They won’t fire you, as they want you to cancel because they can’t cover your shifts. If you live anywhere like here, you’ll find another job easy.
My dad worked with a guy who had a vacation planned and the boss wanted him to reschedule it. My dad’s coworker gave the boss three options.
1) You can fire me, and then I’ll go on vacation.
2) I’ll quit, go on vacation, and then ask for my job back when I get home.
3) I’ll go on vacation and come in to work when I get home.
His boss chose number 3.
I think you should put your foot down and say something similar. If they don’t honor what they said when you interviewed, then you should bail because that place is gonna pull shit like that again in the future.
“I’m sorry but that will not be possible. This leave was communicated months in advance and approved prior to my first day of work. I’ve made financial commitments that are not reversible and will be taking the time as previously agreed. I am happy to discuss further when I return on x date.” Do not reply to any communication/threats during off time. You are not working, you are not on call, you are on approved leave. They will need to figure it out. If they let you go for this it is not any kind of place you’d ever want to work.
>Do not reply to any communication/threats during off time This OP. Don't even send a reply. You're already on your trip, for all they need to know and you aren't checking your devices / don't have signal.
Except you should print out anything that shows that this vacation was approved since you may not have access to those systems upon return. Edit: If fired, you will need this information to show PROOF to UNEMPLOYMENT that you were on vacation.
If they have an HR dept that's worth a shit all they have to do is email HR. EVERYTHING in our HR/ payroll system is tracked. Literally every single move we make. From unassigning a shift to assigning a shift to publishing a shift. Every approval, every denial. EVERYTHING. HR protects the company. Part of protecting the company is being good to your staff and not having turnover. I have overriden dept heads when it comes to time off. I've told them they need to approve the time off request and to figure it out. Work the shift if you have to. Because you'll be working that shift when that employee quits. Hell, I literally scheduled a dept head to work a line staff shift when they randomly approved time off without having coverage. You're not going to screw your team over and create OT, you're salaried. You approved it, you can't find coverage then you're working it 🤷🏼♀️ But I've learned from this sub and others that I might be a minority in my way of thinking. I also have to go through the recruiting and hiring process so turnover is more work for me. Also I want to be known as a good company to work for if you're a good employee.
My wife worked at a daycare for a long time. I highly doubt there is any HR department.
Worked maintenance at a daycare. Can confirm, no HR.
Daycare centers do not have the budgets for HR staff.
As soon as you left for the weekend, you turned off devices, hopped on a plane/train/submarine and headed for remote mountains/beach/darkest Peru. Didn't see anything until you got back. Because you had cleared this leave months ago, before hire, you didn't know you'd need to be in communication for this timeframe. And as soon as you get back, start looking for another job, regardless. Assuming that they can just cancel leave at their convenience is indicative of a badly run organization.
Updoot for Paddington reference :-).
Don’t even read messages from them. It will only serve to cause stress/anger when that is the last thing you want.
My thoughts exactly, no response. Also I understand it’s your dream job but is it the right work environment to make it enjoyable, doing this to a team member isn’t okay.
My “dream job” wouldn’t cancel my vacation time the day before I left after approving said time off.
You don't say you're sorry, that admits some sort of fault on your behalf which is not even remotely the case.
Personally I prefer "Unfortunately". As in, Unfortunately you'll have to find someone else
be sure to cc the HR dept, yourself when you respond forward the response to your attorney and any additional communication going forward to your attorney
Childcare typically doesn't have HR, in my experience. The director of the facility is the one who hires and fires. They also have no qualms about firing and finding a replacement.
I feel like everyone always brings up HR like everyone has that resource. I’’m currently self employed, and in the past worked for small companies with no HR. Just the boss and 3-10 employees.
my company has about 60 employees and "HR" is the owners cousin, lol.
I'm 55. Only one of my employers has had an "HR department" and they're a Fortune 150, so of course they do. All the other ones had 50 employees or less. Any over about 10 will have someone who does the bookkeeping, payroll, and tracks vacation time and so forth, but that's the closest they'll get to "HR."
that's why it's so important to read up on the labor laws of your state and know your rights. there are so many places that screw their workers over.
also, if a company is large enough to have an HR department, that department is NOT there to help workers. They are there to manage resources, the human ones. Individuals in the department might be willing to help, but the department as a whole is there to help the company and could not care less about the workers.
Not to mention that HR isn’t there to help you. They are there to protect the company.
I disagree. HR is not on your side. Only forward the response to them if necessary later. In my experience, OP will return to the job without issue after their vacation. Getting HR involved makes it way easier to get a write up or some kind of issue to do with child care I am less aware of. Any reason you may have will not be different when OP returns. You're simply making an unforced error that can only hurt you, until there are some consequences to respond to.
All the more reason to communicate it to HR. They’re on the side of the company not you or your boss. Establishing that this was agreed upon before beginning employment will serve you better if your boss tries to weasel out of it. Establish facts and loop in hr before he makes some shit up and pushes some narrative.
I mean, I’ve been in early childhood education for 25 years, and most childcare centers don’t even have an HR department. It’s usually an owner and a director and that’s it.
It's a totally unnecessary and useless way to escalate and be confrontational. OP needs to say what's above and leave it at that.
Wonder how that works out when employment is at will everywhere? From an attorney's website: "At-will employment is a term used in U.S. labor law meaning an employer can terminate an employee at any time, for any reason without incurring legal responsibility. In addition to employer rights to terminate, at-will also means an employer may change the terms of employment (including wages, hours, benefits, and paid time off) with no notice or consequence. At-will employment is generally presumed in all U.S. states (excluding Montana) even when it is not expressly written or otherwise communicated. Most employers provide a clear statement of at-will policy in employee handbooks or other written documentation given to the employee upon hire. An at-will employee can not sue for lost wages due to dismissal from a job, provided the dismissal did not violate any state or federal law. All 50 states in the U.S. and Washington, D.C. are at will employment states" Union anyone?
I find this absolutely insane. How is that a law... some of the US laws seem created to just mess people up.
Never underestimate the power of big business to buy what they want--including Congressmen.
I agree with this. Additionally, if they cancel your PTO after it has been approved (and after it has started, WTF?) they are NOT your dream job, they just looked like they were. You deserve better.
Not in Canada where we have the Apology Act: Effect of apology on liability (2) Despite any other enactment, evidence of an apology made by or on behalf of a person in connection with any matter is not admissible in any court as evidence of the fault or liability of the person in connection with that matter.
That is so cute and so … Canadian.
I wish it would be adopted in the US. It’s so frustrating when people can’t apologize for fear of legal repercussions.
Apology laws exist in 39 states but only seem to cover medical malpractice. In Canada it’s covers all situations.
I wonder if it’s not colloquial or native to a certain country. In South Africa we would say “I’m sorry but” as a way to assert that it isn’t going to happen. I can’t explain it really but it wouldn’t be taken as an admission of guilt. Think of it as an “with all due respect” placeholder that’s less passive aggressive. We do generally say sorry a lot - even if someone bumps into us.
That's very normal in America too.
Yea I’ve always figured it as a broad “I’m empathetic to your situation”
At least for auto accidents in most states in the US, saying sorry can't be used against you.
"Saying "sorry" can be used as evidence against you, making it difficult to negotiate a fair settlement. Insurance providers may use your apology to minimize their own liability, resulting in lower compensation for your injuries or property damage." Dmlawusa "After an accident, even one that’s clearly not your fault, saying “I’m sorry” may feel natural. However, you should avoid saying “sorry” or any other word of apology in this situation. This is because doing so may result in the other party taking it as an admission of guilt. This is especially the case if you are speaking to an insurance adjuster." Burkettlawfirm "Apologizing after a car accident is instinctual for many people, whether or not they were at fault for the accident. Though it may not seem like a big deal, apologizing can have a big impact on your ability to gain damages. If you say sorry after an accident, this could be interpreted as you admitting fault for the crash. This can be used as evidence in a personal injury case and prevent you from earning the compensation you deserve." Atlantalegalcare Idk where you got that bit of info from but it seems wrong after 30 seconds on google. What states would be the exception?
My insurance card has an accident checklist on the back. First two bullets: * Ensure you are in a safe location, if you are not in a safe location move your vehicle if possible, or walk to a safer location prior to exchanging information or calling emergency services. * Do not admit fault, this includes saying anything that may be used against you such as "I'm sorry" or "I didn't see you".
Your honor they took my apology in the wrong context. I wasn't saying "I'm sorry I caused an accident" I was saying "I'm sorry you're a fuckin idiot"
Yeah so here for insurance purposes we can’t admit guilt. We can say “I’m so sorry that this happened” but we can’t say “I’m so sorry that I drove into you”. It has to be admitted guilt and not implied guilt. I could be sorry for myself in the first instance. So it wouldn’t really hold up in court, plus you only need to prove 1% negligence on either party’s side for insurance to pay. The reason we ask clients not to admit liability is because they don’t know if their policy will respond or not, they’re actually exposing themselves to a civil lawsuit if the insurer doesn’t pay out. The apportionment in 3rd party recoveries is where it usually gets interesting but clients aren’t privy to that and if the claim is valid, it’s settled and paid.
In canada sorry doesn't always mean "I'm sorry I did this to you", it can also mean "I'm sorry you are so stupid you fucked up and are now facing the obvious consequences"
This is my (American) understanding of the two ways to use “I’m sorry”. When a friend’s pet chinchilla dies and you say “I’m sorry for your loss” you’re not admitting guilt in killing the chinchilla!
Or like if someone gets turned away from the border for being unvaccinated, you say "I'm sorry (that your education failed you)"
I sometimes apologies to the computer when I have to backspace.
In New South Wales of Australia we have the Civil Liability Act with very similar wording: "Evidence of an apology made by a person is not admissible in any civil proceeding as evidence of the fault or liability of the person in relation to the matter."
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Hard agree to this. “I’m sorry” is not a phrase people should be putting in everywhere.
I’m sorry that you failed to plan for adequate coverage during my time off.
"it is unfortunate that you ....
I like this one.
Disagree - a Canadian ... Sorry
💯 agree - a Canadian Definitely not sorry
Underrated comment. ...sorry
Sorry, but I agree too. (Brit)
Sorry, but as a Canadian I disagree.
Does "Sorry for your loss" imply fault for someone's death?
It is funny how "I'm sorry" and "I apologise" mean wildly different things at funerals
As a business owner, I have had to really work hard on that. I don't apologise anymore for our products breaking down, or 3rd-party screwing up. I'll find an alternative way to express the fact that, yes, I understand it sucks, but I'm not directly responsible for it, so I'm not "sorry".
Fellow business owner, I usually replace all unnecessary apologies with a “thanks for your understanding/patience” and it seems to work.
Ironically to me, this seems much more disingenuous than if you simply said you were sorry. But it's probably just a regional thing/me not really liking corpo-speak.
That’s why I said unnecessary apologies. I’m a Canadian, I will say sorry to literally anything by default. However, as a female business owner who has serious people-pleaser tendencies, the amount I say sorry by default can show a lack of confidence in my work or leaves room for a client to give pushback. So instead of “sorry for the delay” I’ll say “thanks for your patience”, or if something has to change, I say “thanks for your understanding” instead of “sorry for any inconvenience”. Changes like that don’t change the meaning, but also leave no room for negotiation. I even have a plugin for my emails called “just not sorry” that tells me when I might be using “soft language” that a male businessperson probably wouldn’t use. Females are culturally programmed to use undermining phrases, so being reminded to not say “I’ll try” vs “I will” or “I think” vs “I know” is very helpful.
This. I started a job on June 23rd. I told them I was leaving for 5 days on July 5th. They were like, okay, not a problem. July 6th came, and I was in Texas on vacation. You communicated with them when you were hired about this. They agreed to hire you knowing this. If they back out of this and give you grief, they aren't a company that you want to work for.
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Lack of planning on your part is not an emergency on my part
OP, don’t say this.
Oh but do and watch surprises Pikachu face! I'm kidding, don't lol, unless you want hell at work.
this, times 1000.
If OP is very risk averse and wants zero risk of getting fired, they could also try calling the managers bluff by asking the company to 100% cover the money lost by canceling the vacation and the additional cost of rebooking (ie if prices are higher later). That’s how I handle this situation in my field. But in my field companies aren’t cheap and would actually cover the rebooking costs. In child care where they are cheap , they’ll just say no thanks and then you get credit for being willing to play ball. If they have the audacity to suggest they can’t pay the fees but OP should then OP can say “if it’s not worth it for you to pay to rebook, why would it possibly be worth it to me.”
>But in my field companies aren’t cheap and would actually cover the rebooking costs. But it sounds like those type of companies would call you and say something like "we are really sorry but due to (reasons) you can\`t leave on your planned date - please let us know the cost involved and the extra for rebooking and we\`ll reimburse you this amount before the end of the week"
Instead of saying sorry replace with “there seems to be a miscommunication”
If they let you go over this, sue them...this time off was a term of employment agreed to upon hiring.
In the US, anyone can sue, but with at-will employment, they can be fired for this. It is not a protected category. Maybe the company cannot successfully sue for damages, based on your argument, but they can fire.
This is a common misunderstanding. You cannot be fired for *any* reason under at-will employment, but you can be fired for *no* reason. The big difference is that if you're fired for no reason, you are eligible for unemployment while you find a new job, and the company's unemployment tax gets higher. Furthermore, there's more to unlawful termination than just "is it a protected class?" Vacation time is part of the employee's compensation package, so this is more akin to witholding pay than discrimination.
Yes, say this and then after you take your vacation make sure you find a new job asap because I can sense this job to be very toxic from the get go.
This is the best response.
And this was the nicest most professional way possible to say FUCK YOU I’M GOING lol well done!! Seriously just copy word for word because this sounds perfect!
This is excellent advice! Please be brave enough to follow it and enjoy your time off. Don’t let them ruin it🙏🏻💪🏼
Wow. That's perfectly worded; that's a talent for sure.
She should switch out the I’m sorry part to “unfortunately “
Tell them you've already left for vacation, too late
If it's in writing in a form they can't verify you got, like an email, then you can play dumb and pretend you didn't see the email too.
I embed a small image in every email, which causes the client to download the image when it is opened. It’s a read receipt you can’t turn off. I have used this as evidence in court against a former employee who hurt someone by ignoring my advice.
Thank god I have my email set to not automatically download images in emails; glad it was useful in your case, but I personally consider read receipts very invasive, especially for emails I didn't ask for.
I work in an IT department and that feature is disabled for our entire organization to prevent phishing. I’m shocked any organization allows that.
Yeah me too, exactly for this reason.
Same method employed by email newsletter companies. But most email clients block images by default so the data is not 100% accurate.
> I embed a small image in every email, which causes the client to download the image when it is opened. It’s a read receipt you can’t turn off. I have used this as evidence in court against a former employee who hurt someone by ignoring my advice. Most email clients have an option to turn off downloading images which makes this very obvious (and gets you reported as spam if I receive it), and some have started doing this by default. When sending to people who live in the EU, this is also illegal if done without proof of consent.
This still doesn't provide any information, depending on the email client. Just because an email was displayed on the screen doesn't mean anyone was around to view the screen at that time. Other email clients automatically block images from external sources unless the user chooses message-by message.
Anyone even slightly tech savvy will have image download turned off. In fact, in most email clients, that's the default. Because auto-downloading images can be used to implement various attacks, up to and including installing malware, and because it's one of the easiest ways for a spam network to identify a 'live' email to flood.
No you don’t quit. You tell them that you’re going on vacation as agreed and you wait to see what happens.
This but tell them tomorrow evening after you've arrived at your destination.
This is the correct way
>you wait to see what happens. which will likely be nothing. Sure there might be some vindictive companies/bosses out there but the majority are just try-hards that will fold once you stand your (justified) ground.
They absolutely can’t afford to fire her if they can’t afford for her to leave for a week on vacation
This is the truth. I work in HR and this is a bluff. Do not quit, OP. I’m betting they don’t want to pay the cost of onboarding and training another employee. Also, they’d have to pay unemployment since this isn’t a valid term reason to avoid it. Stand your ground.
Go on vacation. I work in childcare and when I switched centers it literally took me less than 24 hours to get an interview. There is incredibly high turnover in this field and centers ALWAYS need to hire more staff. Also, if this place isn't respecting your time off requests now, they won't the next time you need time off either. (And honestly they probably won't fire you if you go on vacation because I'm sure they're short staffed too)
Exactly. Cancelling her vacation last min like that tells you these bitches are already short-staffed.
Right! Exactly what you said. And cancelling OP’s pre-approved vacation is just one example of why there is such high turnover in this industry. Horrible pay and horrible treatment. Not sure why this is OP’s dream job.
Nightmares are dreams
Hahaha touché!
Yeah I've worked in it for years and it's DEFINITELY not my dream job lmao
I was going to say, unless this is some specialized facility or OP is doing an unusual role, I don’t think this dream job will be hard to find again.
I worked in a childcare facility. When I went by to drop of my resume they offered to have me stay that day and look after kids. (Should have been a red flag tbh).
You work in child care and there's a severe shortage. Go on the trip and when you come back find another childcare place to work at.
Yep - this shows you the sort of company you're working for.
For real! Child care facilities are desperate foe workers. If the place they work at now is struggling to get coverage for a week, imagine how challenging it will be once they quit. Workers have the power in this situation.
Just go on the vacation dude lol
Agreed. Alternative say: Sorry boss I’ve already left town and have no way to get back in time so I’ll see you next Monday as we previously agreed.
But leave out the word “sorry” because you shouldn’t apologize for taking the vacation they agreed to before you started.
Replace it with "unfortunately". ie, it's unfortunate that the boss sucks at their job.
Or: “As previously agreed”
Well it’s a judgement call on that one and I pondered it. The way I see it is if they are matter of factly demand what is their right they probably won’t have a job in a week. So instead act nice and apologize for getting what you should anyways.
People on Reddit often take hard stances when it isn’t needed. Saying sorry is free. You can be sorry for the inconvenience or sorry you can’t cancel, it’s a simple word to include for the small amount of good will it brings
“I’m sorry but I’m not apologizing for this.”
Agree, just say apologize and say you already left
Apologizing sort of implies you did something wrong or that you weren’t able to live up to some sort of mutually agreed expectation. In this case the expectation was you are going on vacation.
> Apologizing sort of implies you did something wrong Not in that context it doesn't. Its doesn't just mean to 'regret' something, it also means 'sympathy' towards someone. For example, "sorry for your loss", doesn't imply you caused that loss.
If you send a response, this is the best one
You can rid " as you may recall". It suggests that their ask was made despite knowing - putting forward how much of a shit head they are and you admitting that with that short phrase.
Tell them you’re already on the holiday with no way of getting back.
Regardless of what you do about your vacation, prep your resume and start looking for a new job now. What your boss did was absolutely unacceptable. Contacting you the night before your vacation and telling you that they're canceling your approved time off isn't appropriate. You let them know months in advance. You have a message from your boss acknowledging your time off (since they left you a message canceling it). They can't claim ignorance. What is the most likely cause is someone unexpectedly called out for the week. Maybe COVID. Something else. Doesn't really matter. But I'd bet they're now shorthanded because of a combination of your vacation and whoever called out, so they're trying to force you to come back in.
Many companies are intentionally understaffed, such that it puts a strain on them any time an employee misses work. They are doing this to maximize profits, but the approach is shortsighted. Clearly OP's management did not plan well, but their greed and/or ineptitude has nothing to do with OP. It is sad for OP to find out this way, but their workplace is toxic due to management's poor planning, and attempts to shift responsibility to OP.
Message? What message?
Good one.
Everyone has given you good replies about standing your ground. But don’t let the cloud of this ruin your vacation shut off and deal with any replies when you get home. That’s easier said than done, but don’t let a job worry ruin your life and experience
I agree, act like you already left and respond tomorrow when you’re already out of town.
There's also a severe shortage of childcare workers.
If this was your dream job, you wouldn’t be dealing with this kind of BS. Your dream job would let you take your vacation that you planned and communicated in advance.
If you let them do that to you, your dream job will quickly become a nightmare.
Just go on your trip. Don't respond at all. After you come back just let them know that you ignore work related messages during vacations.
Boss here. Just say "I'm already out of town since we have scheduled this off time months ago". You don't even need this much explanation but whatever. I wish every employee would give their vacation notices months ago. As a boss if I didn't plan for your absence, this is my problem. If I'm understaffed, this is my problem.
Just don't respond until you're already there
Make them fire you.
Go on vacation. If they fire you file for unemployment and fight for the unemployment benefits.
If your message was an email, you were so busy you never opened it. It wasn't until you reached your destination that you read it. If you decide to stay, you need to ask them how your get refunded for your tickets and reservations.
Please update us what happens OP!
"My dream job is childcare" A dime a dozen industry, just get a different job.
On your death bed you’d likely regret not going on that awesome vacation more than missing a day of work. Take that vacation and have the time of your life!
# Don't quit. Also, go on your vacation. Let your boss know this vacation was approved as part of you accepting the position. Tell them you will report back to work on the 16th (or whatever day you were supposed to come back). Make them fire you, so you get unemployment. Also consider a wrongful termination suit threat. You can easily get another job in child care. Opening are everywhere.
You say: “I’m sorry, but I already paid for the trip. I provided you with notice that I would need this time off when I interviewed in July so you would have time to prepare. It is non-refundable and I cannot cancel on this short of notice. If you could not approve the time off, that should have been discussed in the interview. If the circumstances were different, I would absolutely be in tomorrow and would happily do so. However, this is outside of my availability- as discussed from day one. I will not be in tomorrow. I apologize for any frustration this may cause, but I feel that I have more than enough notice and while I sympathize with the situation, there is nothing I can do at this point in the process. I will happily return in x, as we agreed in July.” You’re not the one being unreasonable here. Sometimes you have to spell it out for people and hold your ground so they don’t take advantage of you.
Too many words, keep it short.
I disagree, u/NotRandomoyGenerated has worded this really clearly and succinctly for the manager. Sometimes you really just need to be direct and hold you ground. Also OP, if they do this now to you they'll do it again down the track. They need to respect your holiday time especially given you clearly stated and confirmed it was okay months ago.
I disagree. In my experience (having moved from working in childcare/early childhood education to corporate) there is generally an expectation in that line of work that you will provide more details. The center will be forced to completely close leaving multiple families without childcare if they don’t have adequate staffing. There is significant red tape around legal ratios of adults to children. While “sorry, I’m scheduled to be off and it’s too late to change the plan” will fly in a more corporate environment, speaking to people that way in a childcare center can damage your career for years. It’s not a corporate type of role, and if you want to progress you have to be a very clear and detailed communicator and they need to understand the magnitude of the situation. It’s a highly interpersonal field, and over communicating is better than being short and ruining your shot at advancing because you’re “bitchy.” Workers aren’t well protected at all.
Just go. The childcare industry is really hurting for employees right now. Either they keep their word and let you have your vacation time, or you'll have no problem landing another job when you get back. I was a supervisor for a childcare program for years, and I can tell you that they should be doing anything they can to keep employees happy.
Go on your vacation. If you cancel, besides losing money, you will have a huge resentment that you did not go.
Don't respond to the message, just go on your vacation. Let them fire you if that's what they will do.
You should go on vacation, fall asleep, and dream of a better job. No offense, but fuck that place.
This is not your dream job if they pull this kind of ugliness on you. Find another job when you get back from vacation. I think childcare usually has openings everywhere.
You TOLD them you won't be there, not asked to not work....... its their problem not yours
Dude there are a million childcare jobs out there lol. Take the vacation and call their bluff.
You could have left after work on Friday. You were already gone when they sent the rescind email.
Oh my gosh sorry I didn’t see your message and I’ve already arrived at my destination there’s no way I can get a flight back now.
If you don't go on vacation, they will only know they can make you work harder for less.
Take your vacation. Deal with it when you come home
There are TONS of childcare jobs. They pay terribly. Tell her NO
Welp ... is this still your dream job?
Advice from your internet auntie. This may seem like your dream job, but it’s actually probably your dream career. Find another childcare spot. You really don’t want to work for people who don’t value you, or their prior commitments to you.
“Sorry to hear you’re in a scheduling bind! Based on the agreement we determined at hiring, the plans I booked for the week aren’t reversible. I’ll check in with you when I’m back in on Xday.” This isn’t your problem. It’s a red flag that they’re trying to put it on you instead of having integrity. Politely identifying it’s on them while showing your continued commitment to moving forward based on what was originally agreed to is the professional and respectful way to move forward. If you return and they’re still scapegoating on you, restate the agreement made, and do the bare minimum while applying elsewhere.
An important distinction is your employer did not cancel your vacation -- only you can do that; they've canceled their prior approval of your time away, but that's a them problem. Meaning, you've still booked and paid for a vacation under the pretense of their approval, if they want to rescind their approval the day before you leave for said vacation, then they're going to have a bad time. You go on your vacation though, and have a good time!
Lol my friend, this isn’t your dream job if they are both going back on their word and not entertaining discussion about it. So do with that what you will
Go on your vacation. You’re not working. Do not respond to emails or texts while off work. If they fire you, file for unemployment.
Ask him why he canceled your vacation when you leave in 24 hours. To me, it sounds like he wants you to quit or get fired. I can not understand why else 24 hours before he would do this. Maybe he forgot, idk. I'd speak with him in person. Say hey yall approved this month's ago. No disrespect, but this isn't very fair or professional.
Tell them to cover it, not your fault for their bad planning.
Go on the trip. You can get another job in childcare. They are very short staffed everywhere in that field.
I’m already on a flight out of the country, I would of needed more advance notice to plan around this.Etc.
If they need you that badly, they don’t have the ability to fire you. If it’s not a staffing need, then it’s a power-trip/control thing in which case you’d be dodging a bullet. Go on the trip.
Have a great vacation! Review that message when you get back to work. And ... DON'T PANIC! Or, you could get employer to commit in writing to refunding all your fees and expenses and rescheduling your vacation ... but I kind'a doubt they'd go for that anyway. Oh, and don't quit. Let 'em fire you if they're going to be that stupid about it.
Obviously not your dream job. Go on your trip.
Dang its crazy you didnt have any cell service the days prior to leaving. Also…. What boss actually thinks someone will actually show up and work? Guarantee they come in tomorrow and have zero idea why your missing.
A job that doesn't honor their promises about time off isn't your dream job.
If your dream job/dream employer treats you like this, then I'd be looking for a new dream job. If you do come back and they fire you, depending on your jurisdiction, you might have an unfair dismissal case.
Take the vacation. Jobs come and go. This place has shown that they don't care about you.
What is actually the point of scheduling holiday time if it can just be canceled by an employer the day before. You’ve done your due diligence by giving months of advance notice.
It's babysitting not brain surgery. Tell your employer that you are unable to change your plans as they need no additional information than that. If they fire you get a job at another day care center.
Just don't go in to work, come back like nothing happened. "My leave has already been approved. See you in X days." If you are being treated this way it's not a dream job. It's just a job. Good luck.
Speak directly with your manager, tell them unless they’re refunding all cost of vacation you’re going. They need you more than you need them. That’s why they’re short staffed and cancelling vacations
Yeah, this is big no. Will your boss refund your expenses? Re-book your holiday? I don't think so. I would say a firm no, not possible, not happening. See you when I'm back.
I’d quit. No dream job treats people like that.
I don’t want to be crass because I deeply emphasize with your situation and agree with some of the top votes here. Draw the line and stand by it. As for your last paragraph. Don’t confuse your dream job with a bad workplace. It may be your dream line of work, but it sounds like from this incident you’ll be happier doing it elsewhere if they cannot honor their verbal agreements with you.
Yes. I had this happen and I didn't go. Got fired a few months later. Quit and file for unemployment, as they failed to meet your agreed upon terms for employment.
"Sorry, I'm not available."
You work for them. They do NOT control you. Tell them “I have a scheduled vacation that you were told about far in advance. Poor planning on your part, does not constitute an emergency on my part”. Then say “I will see you when I get back”.
Yeah this isn't your problem OP... don't let them make you feel guilty. I agree with the top comment on a simple response that states you had communicated the leave months in advance (maybe even attach the original email/communication) and that you cannot cancel trip last minute and lose out on what you've invested. Full stop.
Don’t quit, if they do fire you then you can at least claim unemployment until you find a better workplace. Also if they’re trying to cancel your first vacation and you go with it don’t expect to ever be able to take a vacation while working for them.
Don’t quit. Either they will keep you or fire you. If they fire you, collect unemployment. As many have said, you will have no problem finding another job. Child care workers are in demand Just don’t quit. Politely say that you have made non-refundable plans under the agreement that you have time off. You have an agreement that you will not be reporting to work on the given days and they had plenty of time to discuss this with you. It’s unacceptable that they would wait until you are about to leave to rescind. Don’t give in, because they will continue to take advantage of you. Enjoy your vacation. You’ll be okay.
A job at a daycare is easily replaceable. And this is 100% a power move. Why would you want to work at a place that does this?
Absolutely. Take your vacation. You earned it. It's not a permission they grant you because they're nice. You earned it. If they want to fire you then find a better job when you get back. If they failed to hire enough people to handle a vacation then that's a failure of management.
Just don't respond until tomorrow afternoon and say "I just saw this text. I'm already on vacation."
Quit and have your vacation. It may be your dream industry but clearly not your dream employer, and now you have experience that you can use to get another job at another facility. Let them fuck around and find out.
Sue them if they fire you.
DO NOT GO BACK ON YOUR BOUNDARY! read the post below and be firm or they will walk all over you
In my area of the US, they can’t fill any childcare positions anywhere. They won’t fire you, as they want you to cancel because they can’t cover your shifts. If you live anywhere like here, you’ll find another job easy.
My dad worked with a guy who had a vacation planned and the boss wanted him to reschedule it. My dad’s coworker gave the boss three options. 1) You can fire me, and then I’ll go on vacation. 2) I’ll quit, go on vacation, and then ask for my job back when I get home. 3) I’ll go on vacation and come in to work when I get home. His boss chose number 3. I think you should put your foot down and say something similar. If they don’t honor what they said when you interviewed, then you should bail because that place is gonna pull shit like that again in the future.
Yeah, “unfortunately I won’t be able to make it, but will see you after my pre approved vacation is over”.
Just don’t respond. Later you can say you had already left and you didn’t get the message