Time off from work: How do I ask?

[Black_Halloween]

When Daniel came here last time I worked at my new job (part-time/seasonal at a campground) and now its my turn to visit him, the only thing is i'm scared to ask for the full 10 days off. As a new employee it seems like a hefty time off right in the middle of the busy season. My boss also has seemingly come accustomed to making jokes about us breaking up occasionally. After he left she asked "When is he coming back? Never? lol!" and as much as I wanted to punch her in the face, I just matter of factually said "December for two weeks" and left it at that.

How have you guy's asked for long periods of time off from your bosses? How do I go about doing this?

[blankita719]

Does your employer have a set policy for time off? My job has a policy of no more than 1 week off at a time, and can only be from Monday though Friday if you are taking the full week. If there are extenuating circumstances, they can allow additional time but it is pretty rare. The best thing to do is find out what the policy is and go from there. Are you able to take off for 10 days? If not, you may just have to accept taking off what you can while he is visiting. I work when my SO comes down, and he works when I visit as well. As much as I would like to be able to spend more time with him, we kind of accept it that if we were living in the same place, we'd be working so we use it as practice time for when we eventually close the distance.
It also helps to be friendly with your boss, and go the extra mile at work. Bosses tend to give you a break when you do that

[Black_Halloween]

Does your employer have a set policy for time off? My job has a policy of no more than 1 week off at a time, and can only be from Monday though Friday if you are taking the full week. If there are extenuating circumstances, they can allow additional time but it is pretty rare. The best thing to do is find out what the policy is and go from there. Are you able to take off for 10 days? If not, you may just have to accept taking off what you can while he is visiting. I work when my SO comes down, and he works when I visit as well. As much as I would like to be able to spend more time with him, we kind of accept it that if we were living in the same place, we'd be working so we use it as practice time for when we eventually close the distance.
It also helps to be friendly with your boss, and go the extra mile at work. Bosses tend to give you a break when you do that

During the interview she said shes good with giving time off as long as I give her a head's up. I'm just nervous I guess lol!

[blankita719]

Asking well in advance helps big time too. That way it isn't last minute and they aren't worried about finding coverage for you Don;t be nervous though - just go in, explain that he will be visiting and you'd like to be able to take the time off to spend it with him. If he's coming in December, you are definitely giving her plenty of notice!

[Tooki]

Just talk to her about how much she could actually give you off. You can always try and get your time off to work around weekends/days off.

[Black_Halloween]

Asking well in advance helps big time too. That way it isn't last minute and they aren't worried about finding coverage for you Don;t be nervous though - just go in, explain that he will be visiting and you'd like to be able to take the time off to spend it with him. If he's coming in December, you are definitely giving her plenty of notice!

I must have not explained correctly lol! I'm going to him in July! and he's coming back in December :P Sorry for the mix up! But yes I agree asking well ahead of time does help.

[kayla_622]

Find out what the policy is for vacation time where you work and be sure to give at least several weeks notice if you are going to be off for 10 days.

[squeeker]

Yes just ask and give plenty of notice! If it's part time work and she already said they are okay with it as long as they get a heads up, then you should be fine! I don't like how your boss treats your relationship though, but people don't understand long distance relationships a lot of times! My shortest visit was 2 weeks though I also don't get paid vacation so it just means I don't get paid as much! It's a big company though so it's not like my absence was missed much! lol

[katiecat08]

Well it depends on your workplace vacation policy. I get 10 days total. One whole week and then 5 days. Just ask ahead of time.

[SmileyK]

I'm in the same boat as you! I've just started a new job (in my 3rd week, fulltime) and I've kinda had this ideal holiday planned in my head of 4-5 weeks spent meeting my SO, over December/Christmas. I failed to mention anything about wanting to travel in my interview (and seriously doubted I'd get the job), and on my first day I was told I get 4 weeks paid leave, which aren't supposed to be taken over their peak season which is basically October-March, particularly over November-Feburary. She said exceptions and work-arounds can be made, and she seems really nice and friendly, but I'm still petrified. I'm determined to get to my SO around then because I don't know how much longer I can wait and I want to experience the snow! Also, it's going to be some $2000+, so it's not something I only want to spend 1-2 weeks doing, and I feel even 3 weeks would be pushing it because it's a minimum 23 hour flight, if not 40+ with changes, calculate the jet lag and you have like, 4 days of your holiday already gone. There is also my extreme shyness and insecurity, and I think I'll need that bit of extra time to become comfortable around my SO. I am of course willing to take unpaid leave for that time but I kinda, can't see my job being there when I return. :\ New job, they're training me up in the hopes of keeping my long term (and I did say I wanted a position I could stay and grow in), and I seriously seem to be holding out for the end of my 3 month probation to say that I don't know if it's somewhere I want to stay.. just because I don't want to ask about the holiday leave. :P (And honestly, it's not really somewhere I want to stay. I do want to quit and find a better job, but I just spent months job searching. So I may continue to search for better jobs while I'm working now.. but it'll only land me in the same place if I was to accept another job - 'hey I know I just started here, but I found somewhere better where I can explain when I want holidays in the interview process instead!') xD Basically, I'd prefer to meet my SO than to keep my job, but that doesn't make anything easier for me at all, because I don't know how/when to go about stuff, and I'm nice and petrified. It especially makes me feel very ungrateful because I think they took a little bit of a chance with me because I hadn't really had any work experience.

So sorry, I really didn't mean to hijack this thread Being so shy in real life means I have a lot to ramble about online. I'll just go and stand over here now..

[dizzyupthemeg]

Just ask and I would ask ASAP. July is still a few months away so that should give your employer time to find someone to cover your shifts. In my experience, most employers will work with you when they can, but you don't want to wait last minute and then have to change your plans.

[srtd35]

During the interview she said shes good with giving time off as long as I give her a head's up. I'm just nervous I guess lol!

If that is the way it works then I would just say I need these days off for vacation. I wouldn't go into details about where you are going.

[rubydissolution]

Well I have two jobs so asking for time off gets complicated for me lol. At my day job I get 4 weeks paid vacation at the beginning of the year. At the other job my sick and personal time accrues based on how many hours I work per week. Typically its just under 4 hours every two weeks. Considering my overnights are 10 hours each, it takes me roughly 3 months to get enough time to take the weekend off. And at that job, if you don't have the time you can't take it. There is no unpaid time off (except if you are ill, have a doctor's note, and don't have enough sick time to take the time off).

At my day job, its as simple as writing in the request book that you are taking a vacation. As long as its posted 2 weeks ahead of time, all is well. I typically will put a vacation in at least a month ahead of time though, its just the kind of worker I am. At my overnight job, we have to fill out a personal time off form, which can be denied or accepted. Though if you have the time, it rarely gets denied. I save my time for a vacation I take in September, and this year it will probably be two weeks. I have to save up 60 hours. No time off from now til then lol! Again, I typically put that request in at least a month ahead of time so she can find coverage.

So, find out your companies vacation policy. How much time you have, or it they will allowed paid time off and request the time. It's all you can really do. In the future though, if you know you are planning a vacation when you get hired at a new job, mention it in the interview. Most employers are good about that.