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I have been working at a YMCA pool as a lifeguard for about 6 months now. I am a good employee who has shown up to every shift, follows the rules and has even come in on late notice due to lifeguard shortage on certain days. I don't ask for much time off but I have been planning a school trip to Japan for about a year now so I had to ask for time off.

My issue is that I let my managers know 5 MONTHS in advance that I would be going to Japan for 10 days and that I would need time off. I let them know multiple times over email, in person and I even submitted an official request on our scheduling app. Despite this, I was scheduled for 5 shifts (including swim lesson instructing shifts as I am also an instructor) during the 10 days I requested off. I was also assigned a shift during some other PREVIOUSLY APPROVED vacation time.

When I asked about these I was told to cover all of the shifts, including the one during my approved vacation time. Getting shifts covered is very hard to do, especially for instructing shifts (I have 3 I need to cover). These managers have been causing difficulties with the scheduling since the start of the year and all the employees complain and have trouble. Recently I got an email from an employee who was so desperate they were willing to pay $100 for a shift to be covered.

If I don't show up for the shifts I would feel really bad for the kids in the lessons. Personally I don't think my managers should have scheduled me during a time where they knew I wouldn't be there, but they did and now it's "my responsibility". I asked if the lessons could be given to another instructor but they said that there wasn't enough instructors. This bothered me because my boss was praising us for the 3000 kids a week that are taking our lessons. If we don't have enough instructors we shouldn't take so many kids.

I really love working here and I have many good friends who are co-workers who I don't see outside of work, but the management system is bringing me very close to quitting.

Does anyone have any advice? I'm not sure what else to tell my managers as they seem to be firm in their decision.

Adam Burke
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Breya Burgess
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    I strongly suspect the answer is "no", but do you have any kind of formal handbook which covers procedures around requesting leave etc? – Philip Kendall Mar 27 '23 at 08:37
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    do you have any sort of formal approval of your time of that you can refer to? – njzk2 Mar 27 '23 at 17:54
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    Whatever you choose to do and whatever happens, make sure to exchange contact information and maintain relationships with your friends. They can be vital professional references who can put in a good word for you. – Cave Johnson Mar 27 '23 at 18:01
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    I don't understand why covering shifts is up to the employees. IMHO, scheduling is part of management's responsibilities, not the employee's. – Thomas Matthews Mar 27 '23 at 20:41
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    I could swear this question, or one just like it, has been asked and answered before, but I can't find the duplicate. – shoover Mar 28 '23 at 03:55
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    @ThomasMatthews Employers in the USA have been shifting unreasonable expectations onto employees for decades now. It's the employee's responsibility because otherwise they're gonna fire you and what are you gonna do about that? – user253751 Mar 28 '23 at 09:58
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    Does this answer your question? Is it reasonable to ask a Front Desk Receptionist to arrange own vacation cover? – mustaccio Mar 28 '23 at 17:52
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    Did the manager specifically order that you perform the work during your already approved vacation? Or did they order that you find any other (certified, capable and available) person to perform the work? If it's the second, did they specify when you should find that person, or are you expected to do that activity outside your normal work hours? – GuilleOjeda Mar 28 '23 at 19:43
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    @user253751 If the employer fires you when they already don't have enough staff, what are they going to do about that? – Andrew Leach Mar 29 '23 at 10:17
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    @Blueriver In the case of the shift which was given to me despite the pre approved vacation time off, I was asked to work on a day which I was supposed to have time off. When I asked why I was given a shift, I was told to find coverage if I wasn't going to be there (I won't, i'm on vacation hence the vacation time off). – Breya Burgess Mar 29 '23 at 13:25
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    @AndrewLeach Work the remaining staff even harder and hope they don't quit, obviously. Have you never worked at or even heard stories about low-wage American workplaces? – user253751 Mar 30 '23 at 06:41
  • "If I don't show up for the shifts I would feel really bad for the kids in the lessons." This one is easy: On the couple of weeks before your vacation, if there is still no replacement you should tell all the kids in your groups that you will be away for the next 10 days, lesson is cancelled. Ask them to notify any friends who usually come but are not there on that day. – alexis Mar 30 '23 at 07:54
  • It would be nice to get an update about how it played out in the end. – Marianne013 Apr 05 '23 at 09:12

8 Answers8

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Politely inform your manager that you will be in Japan at the time these shifts are scheduled for, that the time off was requested five months ago, and that the moron scheduling you for when they knew you wouldn’t be there can schedule someone else.

It is up to you to make this sound polite enough, but fact is that you go to Japan, and that you won’t find anyone to replace you.

Philipp
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gnasher729
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    I would not use the term 'moron'. – Geert Immerzeel Mar 27 '23 at 09:23
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    "It is up to you to make this polite enough" :-) Personally I think it's polite for that manager. Well, maybe he's just a bully. – gnasher729 Mar 27 '23 at 09:27
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    this is almost exactly what i emailed my shift manager and i got "cover all your shifts including the lessons and the one shift that is during approved vacation time " (the passive aggressive smiley face was there i’m not kidding). I'm thinking of sending a mass email to my co workers asking for coverage then sending an email to my "big boss" saying I tried and I asked for time off well in advance. hopefully he will be more understanding. – Breya Burgess Mar 27 '23 at 12:34
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    I recommend that you NOT send a mass email to your co workers asking for coverage. This is tantamount to admitting that scheduling is your responsibility. – A. I. Breveleri Mar 27 '23 at 17:37
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    "per my last email..." – Mad Physicist Mar 27 '23 at 17:39
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    I recommend sending a reminder email that you will be away {from the office} from Day X to Day Y. It's kind of polite to remind other people of why you are not present. – Thomas Matthews Mar 27 '23 at 20:43
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    @BreyaBurgess You need to be much more firm. "This is not a negotiation. I was scheduled in error. Whoever made the error needs to fix it. I am not in charge of employee scheduling." Unfortunately, you are dealing with people who will push you around if you let them. – David Schwartz Mar 28 '23 at 04:02
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    @BreyaBurgess agree with the comments that you need to be firm on this. When your boss has already approved a request for time off, it is your boss' responsibility (or whoever they delegate scheduling to) to not schedule you for work during that time. There is absolutely no purpose of having the approval process for time off otherwise - it is an acknowledgement that you are unavailable for work in this time period. If they've scheduled you during a time they already acknowledged you're unavailable, that's their mistake and their problem. – Chris H Mar 28 '23 at 06:50
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    If I truly, truly didn't care about coming back to this job, I'd email the manager with their boss copied in. words to "As you are aware, this leave has been approved for the last three months. If you are having trouble finding coverage, prehaps grandboss (cc'ed) can hep you with scheduling, because I will not be available." – lupe Mar 28 '23 at 08:33
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    By accepting it's the manager's fault you are very likely to be fired (even though it is). If that's worse for the manager than for you, you might be okay with that risk. If you really can't afford to be fired, maybe you're not and then you have no choice but to lick their boots. – user253751 Mar 28 '23 at 10:00
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    @bob They are asking him to do unpaid scheduling work. That is not reasonable. If they think refusal to do unpaid work is cause for firing, they're wrong. – David Schwartz Mar 28 '23 at 17:09
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    If the OP is a certified lifeguard they can almost certainly find work elsewhere. It's not like the Y in question is short staffed because there are too many qualified lifeguards. – IllusiveBrian Mar 28 '23 at 18:02
  • @bob: Can probably win unemployment on that one if they do fire. – Joshua Mar 28 '23 at 18:43
  • @lupe: I actually think your suggestion is much more diplomatic than most of the other ideas here. – Daniel R. Collins Mar 29 '23 at 22:45
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    One way I've responded to mails like this was to feign ignorance (if the proposed course of action is so preposterous I will treat it as a misunderstanding): "Thank you for confirming that you will try to find a cover for my shift. I know it can be difficult to fill all shifts, that is why I took the time and informed you 5 months in advance so I'm happy you used the time to plan accordingly." – Falco Mar 30 '23 at 08:08
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"cover all your shifts including the lessons and the one shift that is during approved vacation time "

Hi boss - As you know, I have had this vacation time scheduled and approved for 5 months. I have tried to find people to cover the shifts, but at this point, I need to focus on preparing for my trip, and let management adjust the schedule as needed. Good luck, and I look forward to helping out my co-workers on their vacations when I return.

And then, go, enjoy your vacation. Let it be their problem and responsibility. Yes, there is a chance they might fire you, but it's a small chance: if they're already having difficulty getting people to cover, they won't want to get rid of someone who is a good worker and reliable. And if they fire you after a response like that, they'll look especially bad.

(I removed the part that implies that management is not doing their job. They aren't, but for best results, it's better to not point that out.)

Charles Duffy
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thursdaysgeek
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    This answer makes a good point. If they are already short-staffed, you have the advantage. Firing you means they will be even more short-staffed. Go to Japan. Have fun. And I bet you still have a job when you get back. Your boss will be annoyed, but they will get over it. – Greg Burghardt Mar 27 '23 at 17:40
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    @GregBurghardt. Expecting rational behavior from someone that has not been exhibiting it so far is iffy. – Mad Physicist Mar 27 '23 at 17:41
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    @MadPhysicist ...but the more irrational they are, the less appealing it is to work there in the first place. – fectin Mar 27 '23 at 17:48
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    oh i don't think they will be firing me, they are desperate for lifeguards so i don't know how they think they can treat us all like this. as the other comments are saying it seems i should be more firm on this. I will tell them that it is on them for scheduling me for shifts when I would be unavailable and if they get angry and fire me then it's a load off my back. other pools pay better and treat people better – Breya Burgess Mar 28 '23 at 07:09
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    Don't lie -- don't say "I have tried to find people to cover the shifts" if you haven't actually done this. Say something like "I don't think it should be my responsibility to find coverage when I've given you months of warning." – Barmar Mar 28 '23 at 14:20
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    The other reason to not say "I have tried to find people to cover the shifts" is that the OP would be conceding that it is their responsibility to do so, which is the root of the whole question. – spuck Mar 28 '23 at 15:30
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    @bob quitting would make OP ineligible for unemployment compensation. If OP gets fired for failing to perform management duties, they can still qualify. Getting fired is much better in this scenario. – David Mar 28 '23 at 17:40
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    @Bob - if the OP says "I was fired because I took a pre-approved vacation" -- they will be eligible for unemployment benefits (if in the US), and anyone they interview with will recognize that the problem was not the OP. And, as they say, "other pools pay better and treat people better" -- finding another job should not be a problem. – thursdaysgeek Mar 28 '23 at 18:20
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Other answers cover the advice, I'll just cover the guilt you are feeling and help you to see it should not exist.

I don't think my managers should have scheduled me during a time where they knew I wouldn't be there, but they did and now it's "my responsibility"

Whether it's you or them asserting this, it's not correct.

Shift scheduling / planning adequate staffing is one of the responsibilities of the manager job. They have failed in that responsibility, period. Moreover, after you've done everything required and expected to help them not fail in it.

This error is completely outside of your control. You have zero responsibility for it. The managers have full responsibility for it.

If I don't show up for the shifts I would feel really bad for the kids in the lessons.

Reframe. You are not "not showing up for the shifts". These shifts for you do not exist, because creating them is and was invalid and cannot be done.

The managers have still not created valid shifts for someone who is available. They'll have to do this if the lessons are to go ahead. This is a problem for them to solve as part of their job.

If the kids get let down because they don't do this, well, perhaps you'll feel bad for them generally because you're a good person, but you should not feel responsible or involved in any way because you are not.

Enjoy your vacation!

davnicwil
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    I would add that you can still politely give the kids and their parents a heads up. Eg, at your last lesson before the holiday, you can say that you are going to be away for x weeks, and are not sure who the replacement will be as yet, as some of the shifts are still being organised. – Adam Burke Mar 28 '23 at 02:02
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    unfortunately for some reason we don't learn the names of the kids or parents until the day we start lessons. i don't know why and i think it's stupid but i cant contact the parents at all – Breya Burgess Mar 28 '23 at 07:12
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    @BreyaBurgess this is important. You are NOT the business owner or an associate. You're getting paid to do a job whose contents was agreed upon in advance, no less but certainly no more. Also be cautious that directly contacting the parents could be construed as a professional misconduct and used against you. – armand Mar 28 '23 at 08:19
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    @armand in no way would this message ever be "professional misconduct" unless you went well out of the way of normal procedure (e.g. looking them up in the phone book and texting them) – user253751 Mar 28 '23 at 10:01
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    @user253751 that's what i meant n'y contacting. Their adresses and phone number are private information and as such protected under much jurisdiction (of course depending on the country YMMV). The meanness of the manager should also be taken into account, some people have no problem with making a mountain out of a molehill to cover their ass. – armand Mar 28 '23 at 10:40
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    @armand personally i wouldn't go through the effort of contacting the parents as I don't see it as my responsibility, I just think it's stupid that I don't receive any info on my kids until the day lessons start. I wish they gave us our attendance sheets in advance along with any important notes on the children in case there is anything I am missing. This is just a seperate issue I have with my pool in general. – Breya Burgess Mar 28 '23 at 22:28
  • I was imagining the classes were already running. If it's cascading failure where you don't even have enough information to let the customers (and kids) down gently, there really is no helping them. Badly managed organisations tend to manifest failure everywhere. Enjoy your holiday. – Adam Burke Mar 31 '23 at 06:05
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Someone said you might like a response for your supervisor from you so here's an example:

Dear (Supervisor),

I need to confirm that you are handling staffing in my absence before I leave for my youth cultural exchange trip to Japan from (insert date) to (insert date). My only concern is that when I reminded you of my upcoming trip a few days ago, you mentioned that I should cover shifts that were incorrectly scheduled with my name last week, when the appropriate course of action is for you to work with the scheduler to manage staffing, given that the scheduling error was made by the scheduler 5 months after your approval of my vacation. As you know, the YMCA employee handbook states that a supervisor may require an employee to bear initial responsibility to locate a substitute, in instances of unscheduled absence provided on short notice. However, the requirement of an employee for vacation is obtaining supervisory approval well in advance. Again, as you know I obtained approval from you five months ago.

Optional: I can imagine as a supervisor you need to juggle a lot and staffing is tight. Please know that if I were in town while on vacation, I would make every effort to help you cover shifts made in error by the scheduler. However, being that I will be on the other side of the world, it is just not physically possible. It’s important that the Y acknowledges vacation is an essential contributor to both personal well-being and productivity on the job and you know that this trip has been planned for a long time. Please let me know I can count on you as my supervisor to rectify the situation and I’ll be sure to let Human Resources and your boss know how much I appreciate the support. In fact, I’d be happy to take a picture from Japan with a Y t-shirt for display at the Y to show my appreciation for your support of multi-cultural exchange and development programs empowering youth, worldwide. – which is part of the mission of the Y International!

Although I bear no responsibility for scheduling mistakes made several months after my vacation was approved by you, I very much appreciate you handling the problem with the responsible party as is appropriate and fair. If you could confirm you are handling scheduling yourself, I would appreciate it, as I cannot given the circumstances.

Best regards, (name, date)

Note: if you do not get written confirmation within 2 days of leaving be sure to send the copy again to HR and the supervisor’s boss.

References: https://www.ymcasenc.org/clientuploads/Employment/Employee_Handbook_YMCA_of_SENC_-_2022.pdf https://www.ymca.int/about-us/

ScrappyDoo
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    Thanks so much, I wasn't sure where to look exactly but I was hoping someone could find real "handbook/textbook" reasoning against my managers actions. – Breya Burgess Mar 28 '23 at 22:30
  • Always quote the handbook where you can. Good luck @BreyaBurgess! (the lack of knowledge of kids/parent names and contacts is a privacy / records management issue and likely regulated by law). – Rick Henderson Mar 29 '23 at 14:37
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You requested time off well in advance, in writing, got it approved.

You've fulfilled all your responsibilities as an employee.

I'd be telling your boss where to stick it.

Either that, or get a quote from a travel agent for the cost to fly back to cover the shift then back to Japan and advise you will happily work those shifts after they provide a valid PO for the flights...

TheDemonLord
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    "I'd be telling your boss where to stick it." - good answer if the question was "what is a satisfying way to quit" – Laconic Droid Mar 27 '23 at 12:47
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    @LaconicDroid. There is a polite way of conveying that information that does not involve getting fired. See the "per my last email..." meme. – Mad Physicist Mar 27 '23 at 17:43
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    You don't need that last section. The only corret response in this situation is to inform the manager that you will not do their job for them, and since you have your time off approved, you are not responsible for being mis-scheduled or covering any shifts during your time off. – GOATNine Mar 27 '23 at 18:12
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    I know you don't need the last section - but it's always a fun exercise to let them know what the cost would be. – TheDemonLord Mar 27 '23 at 18:36
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    @TheDemonLord the fun exercise can easily backfire. It creates the expectation that time off is only valid if you travel far away. Next time you do your vacation at home or close by, the boss can say "ah, but now you can cover your shift". – wimi Mar 28 '23 at 06:48
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    @wimi - I mean, it could... but then you quote an equally absurd cost to rent a car, Mileage etc. until they get the hint that Vacation means Vacation. – TheDemonLord Mar 28 '23 at 07:10
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If I don't show up for the shifts I would feel really bad for the kids in the lessons.

This feeling is understandable, but it enables employers to get away with poor working conditions. In a broader sense, it applies to any job that people love to do, but it applies especially to jobs involving people, and when jobs involve children, it probably applies more than anywhere else. I believe that is one reason why care jobs don't pay as well as I believe they should. Do not think that way!

Remember:

  • If lessons get cancelled due to staffing shortages, this is not your fault. If your employer needs more staff, they need to create better working conditions — that may include pay, but it certainly includes allowing staff to take time off.
  • Making time for yourself is important for your mental health. If you never take sufficient time off for yourself, you may risk burn-out. Focussing too much on work and having too much stress is a risk factor for depression, and worrying about disappointed children/parents due to cancelled lessons is stressful. You can only properly help others if you help yourself first. If you get a burn-out and are out for six months, everybody — you, children, parents, employer — is worse off.
gerrit
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1

You did not tag the country but since you mention YMCA I guess this is for the US. You therefore have the "I can be fired for that" part to manage (which I do not know what well, being in France)

We have that part covered by the law: once your vacation is approved, you are done. Only extraordinary events can change that and then you would be reimbursed etc.

What happens when you are away is formally not your problem, but depending on your seniority there may be informal requirements regarding backups. I imagine i could refuse to provide a backup and that I would still force my vacation to be accepted but this is something I do not even imagine. I know I need to provide my backup because of th deposition I have.

Down the hierarchy in my team, people need (and feel the need) to do this less and less, and then they simply don't. Which is OK because their management will make sure that tasks are done by someone else.

In your case, someone who works as a lifeguard, I cannot imagine a universe where you would even be expected to do that. This could even be legally challenging and the job you are doing can be done by someone else (with the same qualifications). A pool has lifeguards so it is not that you have a function/knowledge that is hardly replaceable.

In other words this is absolutely not your problem.

But then you can get fired.

WoJ
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-4

I can't tell you what to do. But I can show you what your options are:

  • Cancel your trip. Thereby establish precedent that the job is more important than vacation and that it's normal in your workplace to trample on employee rights like the contractual right to personal time off. Best outcome for your workplace and your managers but worst outcome for you personally and for your colleagues.
  • Find a substitute, if necessary by finding someone external. No, acquiring new employees isn't part of your job description. But when you are working under managers who are incompetent or lazy, then you sometimes have to go out of your comfort zone and do their job for them.
  • Contact the parents and tell them that the swimming lessons will not take place due to a shortage of instructors. Tell your managers that you solved the problem that way. Then leave and have fun in Japan. They will probably consider if they should fire you for this. Whether or not they will depends on circumstances you know much better than we do.
Philipp
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  • First one is not an option. – gnasher729 Mar 27 '23 at 09:14
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    @gnasher729 Sure it is. As I wrote it's not a good option, but it is an option I mentioned for completeness sake. We are not here to make decisions for people. We are here to help them make decisions by showing them what they can do. – Philipp Mar 27 '23 at 09:15
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    You missed option 4: shove the problem of finding a substitute back to the manager (as the other answers indicate). – Bart van Ingen Schenau Mar 27 '23 at 10:45
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    @BartvanIngenSchenau. It's the only option. The only other option is asking for a promotion that allows you to do items 2 or 3 on your own authority. – Mad Physicist Mar 27 '23 at 17:42
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    I like that your answer breaks down the options, but in my opinion the last two options are definitely not advisable. You can either go on your vacation or not go. You don't have to go over anyone's head and do something that will definitely get you fired (or worse). You are not qualified to hire someone and what if the person you hire turns out to be a child predator. – Cave Johnson Mar 27 '23 at 18:12
  • Or contact the parents and tell them that the lessons will not take place due to managerial incompetence. And remember that this is a work task which should be done on work time (so is scheduling). – TRiG Mar 27 '23 at 19:32
  • @MadPhysicist, I don't agree that is the literal only option, but it is the only reasonable option. – Bart van Ingen Schenau Mar 28 '23 at 06:59
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    All these options are unreasonable. The answer is written as if those were the only options, but that is not the case: there are other, more reasonable options. – wimi Mar 28 '23 at 08:31
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    None of these seem like reasonable options – Darren H Mar 28 '23 at 09:27
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    I liked that someone mentioned a variant of 3: Don't tell the parents there won't be instructions. That's not your job, remember? Tell them you'll be away and you don't know who the replacement will be and they should speak to the manager to find out. – user253751 Mar 28 '23 at 10:02
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    @DarrenH That's what happens when all the options listed are catering to unreasonable demands. – DKNguyen Mar 28 '23 at 14:17
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    (-1). Option #1 is just ridiculous, but I'm inclined to believe that was intentional. Option #2 is absolutely submitting to a totally unreasonable request from management and establishing they can abuse you however much they want. Option #3 is a sure way to get fired as a massive overstep of OP's responsibility, along with a nice exposure to being sued for probable financial loss. Neither of these suggestions are helpful at all. This answer seems to be sarcastic and lacks actual help. (I'm struggling to see why it got even one, not to mention 8 upvotes.) – Neinstein Mar 28 '23 at 16:08
  • @Neinstein: Too easy to find people who believe that those who are in power are automatically right. – Joshua Mar 28 '23 at 18:47
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    "...it's not a good option, but it is an option I mentioned for completeness sake." This list is far from complete and does not include some of the better options noted in other answers. Thus this incomplete answer, with only horrible options to choose from, gets a downvote from me. – CramerTV Mar 29 '23 at 17:21