Please Don't Sack Me. Im Allowed Time Off - Honest

This is what we are all fighting over today. Our holidays. Or more specifically when we can actually take them. IE everyone in the whole damn office wants to take them in September - like its the only bloody month in the whole year. I am quite happy for them to all fight over Sept as I will go away anytime, Im not fussed so long as Im not a work, with a cocktail in hand.

What pissed me off big style was my dad booked flights for our new year getaway to Tenerife (for 14 of us mostly made up of people that I hate & if he thinks Im sharing a room with JN again he can go jump off a bridge somewhere) from 28 dec to 4 jan 2008. Please note, our office closes 21 dec - 3 jan 08 so I only use two days of my holiday entitlement of which Im still only getting 21 days for 2007. Fucking brilliant. But I digress. What pissed me off was this:-

I asked J for the 28 dec - 4 jan off. She was like "you have to fill in a holiday request form before you book the actual holiday."
"Yes," I said. "I would have had you actually been in the office instead of skiving at the tanning salon. Besides my dad just booked it without consulting me."
"Your dad doesn't work for us. You do. Someone needs to be in the office to cover my job."
"The office is closed then for xmas & new year," I pointed out. "I only miss two days & you are in work then anyway."

Of course you should never point out you are in the right to your boss. They get all hoity toity & hide behind the companies rules & regs in a desperate attempt to look all high & mighty, big & clever and J was no exception.

"How am I supposed to fight for payrises for us when you don't play by the companies proceedures?"

I swear to god I nearly smacked her in the face there & then. Me not playing by company proceedures?? This coming from the woman that has stayed off work because of hang overs, left early because... well because Im there to cover, takes 2 hour lunches when its company policy for a single hour, has me lie to people saying she's in a meeting when she's actually at the hairdressers or visiting her parents, hell takes 28 days holiday a year when she's only entitled to 25, - do I REALLY need to go on? If I am going against company proceedures then its because I've had a bloody good teacher. But I digress again - that statement has fuck all to do with holidays. Its probably border line blackmail. I mean I have 3 days entitlement from 2006 left which I HAVE to take the second week of Feb because J says thats the only time I can have coz we are too busy any other time. What bollocks but thats not the point. The point is, I can't even pick what days I want off now - I am just told & apparently I have to be ok with it. NO ONE else gets told. Which I'll get to in a second.

Of course I was like; ok.... regarding her above line & was thinking just what the hell to say to that when she followed up with:-

"This should be a written down disciplinary incident but (& here is where she trys to be your best pal again) I don't think we should do that. That's why Im talking to you now."

Do you know I really wish it was put on record as my first strike coz right now, nothing would please me more than to leave that bastard place for a job with wages that actually reflect the amount of work I do.

What sent me over the edge (as if all that wasn't enough) JK was looking in the diary later in the afternoon. I thought he was looking for something but couldn't find it so I offered to help. "Its alright," he said "Im just putting my holidays in for March. Im going to Amsterdam for a few days then down London to see my family." Why did that send me over the edge? He didn't put in a request form & hasn't even told J he's away yet & I had to sit & listen to her go on about fucking disciplinary action when the office is shut anyway. Im so fucking livid I can't put it into words. But you know what the killer thing is?? J & E themselves haven't filled in a form for their holidays in March & September. Hypocritical bastards.

Oh & just in case you wondered, I did actually get the time off but thats not the point.

Ciao

TJ