I’ve requested the same thing for the past five Christmases: a week off so I can visit my family back home. And my employer shut it down every single time for five years in a row. “We’re too busy” was the constant justification. “We have too few employees.” “At this time, it’s not a priority.” Same outcome, different wording: no.
I attempted to outdo him at his own game this year. In order to avoid any last-minute staffing excuses, I made my request months in advance, in June. I believed I was being astute.
The approvals then arrived last week. During Christmas week, four coworkers were off.
And again, it’s not me.
My manager hardly even looked up when I questioned why, telling me that since I don’t have children, I should be a “team player” and “don’t really need” Christmas off. There was a sudden silence in my being. “Okay,” I answered with a smile, and turned to leave.
I wasn’t finished, though.
I emailed the entire group a composed, incredibly polite email the very following day. After congratulating everyone who was accepted, I explained the situation, including the five years of requests being turned down, the rationale this year, and how I was sick of being the go-to sacrifice. I offered overtime and additional coverage in exchange for anyone who would be prepared to trade even one day with me.
Yes, I did CC HR.
The response came instantly. When my supervisor saw it, he was clearly in a panic. By the end of the day, coworkers were approaching my desk to apologize and offer to rearrange their schedules so I could go home at last.
The twist, though? HR intervened before anyone even had to switch a day.
My Christmas week was formally authorized by the following morning, and HR notified my supervisor that going forward, they would handle vacation requests rather than him.
Since then, I haven’t heard from my supervisor.
It was really scary to hit “send.” However, I didn’t remain silent for the first time in five years, and the system genuinely fixed itself. I’m thankful for my coworkers, proud of myself, and still a little taken aback by how quickly things changed.
Perhaps I upset people, but what else was there for me to do after being ignored for five years?
