SHUTTERSTOCK ILLUSTRATION |
to this option . If he says OK and cancels his trip , what will happen ? You might have a new employee with a bad attitude and a grudge against you for not letting him take his planned trip . It may be difficult for him to recover from this and be a productive employee .
3 Tell him he may go , but it will be an unpaid leave of absence . California considers vacation time as earned income , so you have to pay out any unused vacation time at termination , voluntary or involuntary . I hope your plan requires a gradual vacation accrual rather than a lump sum . You don ’ t want this guy to work two days , take a two-week paid vacation , and then quit . Or get fired and still walk away with two weeks of vacation pay . While he should have negotiated with you before he started , he didn ’ t , so this is probably your best option . Morally , you ’ re under no obligation to pay someone for vacation time in this sort of situation . But suppose your policy is unlimited vacation time ( something some California employers do to avoid paying out unused vacation upon termination ). In that case , your policies combined with the law may force you to pay for the vacation .
4 Tell him to go , and tell him he will receive vacation pay . This , of course , is the nicest thing you could do . I don ’ t love it , though , because it rewards bad behavior and teaches this guy that he can do whatever he wants and you will grant forgiveness .
The aftermath
If he goes on vacation , you still have to deal with this employee when he returns . Hopefully , this is just a blip , and he becomes a fabulous employee . I have my concerns , though . At best , it ’ s inconsiderate to spring something like this on your new employer . At worst , he ’ s someone who is self-centered , doesn ’ t respect his boss ’ s authority or his coworkers and can ’ t be trusted .
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I have no way of knowing from this question where he is on this scale . But I ’ d have a very clear conversation with him that this was not appropriate . Let him know that if he had asked before accepting the job offer , you would have worked with him . Let him know that you expect advance notice of any scheduled vacation time in the future .
And then keep an eye on him . His behavior isn ’ t great , but it ’ s not a deal breaker either . So just pay attention to how he interacts with other employees , and correct him if he has boundary issues . Make sure he understands that this is an office where asking permission is better than asking forgiveness .
Suzanne Lucas spent 10 years in corporate human resources , where she hired , fired , managed the numbers and doublechecked with the lawyers . On Twitter @ RealEvilHRLady . Send questions to evilhrlady @ gmail . com .
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What have you asked forgiveness for instead of permission for at your workplace ?
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April 2021 | comstocksmag . com 21 |