Poll: Is this a sackable offence?

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  1. #1

    Is this a sackable offence?

    About two months ago, I wrote a letter saying I'm going away for Christmas so I can't work Christmas week (23rd - 30th, excluding Christmas Day). After a few conversations, they let me have it off. Technically you're not allowed to have holiday during the Christmas period.

    As it happens, I'm not going away for Christmas, I just wanted Christmas off. Dealing with night shifts over Christmas would be a pain in the ass and I would miss most of the daily activity as I would be sleeping. I used my last week of Holiday for this, so technically I just booked my week off cleverly.

    I'm not a doctor. I'm not a policeman, I'm a night shift shelf stacker at Sainsburys that hire shit loads of temps to cover Christmas anyway.

    So in short, do you think the managers could sack me for lying to them?

    Interested to know.
    Cheers

  2. #2
    Quote Originally Posted by FrankLampard View Post
    About two months ago, I wrote a letter saying I'm going away for Christmas so I can't work Christmas week (23rd - 30th, excluding Christmas Day). After a few conversations, they let me have it off. Technically you're not allowed to have holiday during the Christmas period.

    As it happens, I'm not going away for Christmas, I just wanted Christmas off. Dealing with night shifts over Christmas would be a pain in the ass and I would miss most of the daily activity as I would be sleeping. I used my last week of Holiday for this, so technically I just booked my week off cleverly.

    I'm not a doctor. I'm not a policeman, I'm a night shift shelf stacker at Sainsburys that hire shit loads of temps to cover Christmas anyway.

    So in short, do you think the managers could sack me for lying to them?

    Interested to know.
    Cheers
    Yes.

    Accept the firing and go find an actual job.

  3. #3
    So long as you don't run into your manager in a pub or so you should be OK, you do after all have a bit of paper saying you don't have to show up for work this week. What does your contract specifically say?

  4. #4
    If they find out, yes. So... don't let them find out.
    9 out of 10 people agree that in a room full of 10 people one person will always disagree with the other 9.

  5. #5
    It's a white lie. If people care, they need to take the stick out of their arse.

    That said, I generally prefer to not lie and instead be vague. I would have said something like "I need this time for holiday" (which is true) instead of "I'm going away".

  6. #6
    Fluffy Kitten Krekko's Avatar
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    No. I wouldn't let off that you didn't go away though. Plans can always change after all you you could maintain that you liked the days off, and had made alternate plans with the group that you had originally planned to go away with.


    In my opinion they have no right to comment on how you use your holiday days, so long you have them and they have the staff to cover it. It's not like you're working on say film or Theater and a production needs to go up and you're going away.

    I have a friend who's worked at Enterprise for a year and a half after moving across country (NY -> CA). He saved up all his vacation days to take off for several events and they kept not letting him take it no matter what. He kept asking they kept denying. They were more than properly staffed, they just denied all his requests. After about 9 or so requests for times off and missing plenty of events back in NY, he finally gets his first vacation (limited days too) at a time he didn't even want. That'd piss me off. You work hard to earn your pay, and save up your days off and can't use them when you'd like (within reason) and are so limited to why and how you can use them?
    Last edited by Krekko; 2012-12-24 at 08:34 AM.
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  7. #7
    Maybe not, but you could easily get a warning, and I would keep your mouth shut about it in work, and well away from the supermarket and anyone who works there who might see you.

    Trust me from someone that used to work in a supermarket, youngsters who think they are being cool skipping all the shitty shifts (yes, now someone else has to work them and miss stuff instead of you) and get seen about get reported. Seen it happen...

    Basically you are being a douchebag to your colleagues.

  8. #8
    The Lightbringer starkey's Avatar
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    Shouldnt even worry about it, now if you called in sick and someone from your work saw you walking around town doing xmas shopping then ya your fucked lol
    I'm gonna let 'em know that Dolemite is back on the scene! I'm gonna let 'em know that Dolemite is my name, and fuckin' up motherfuckers is my game!

  9. #9
    Deleted
    No, you told a white lie. But you booked your time off and it was granted as per company procedure.

    It is your choice what you do with time off, be it holiday or just to get time off during the holidays. All it creates now is a (most likely) trust issue with your Bosses/colleagues should they find out that you are not going away.

    I did the exact same thing, although I only lied within a few seconds of my old boss telling me 'You can't just have time off when you want it'. Made some crap up about it was already booked etc. - Totally bought it!

  10. #10
    Titan Seranthor's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by FrankLampard View Post
    About two months ago, I wrote a letter saying I'm going away for Christmas so I can't work Christmas week (23rd - 30th, excluding Christmas Day). After a few conversations, they let me have it off. Technically you're not allowed to have holiday during the Christmas period.

    As it happens, I'm not going away for Christmas, I just wanted Christmas off. Dealing with night shifts over Christmas would be a pain in the ass and I would miss most of the daily activity as I would be sleeping. I used my last week of Holiday for this, so technically I just booked my week off cleverly.

    I'm not a doctor. I'm not a policeman, I'm a night shift shelf stacker at Sainsburys that hire shit loads of temps to cover Christmas anyway.

    So in short, do you think the managers could sack me for lying to them?

    Interested to know.
    Cheers
    dont know about where you live, but if you worked for me I'd sack you for lying to me.

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  11. #11
    Deleted
    Voted no. The reason doesn't matter. Employees private lives are none of employers business anyway. Only exception would be health reasons and lying about that would be sort of bad. But if it's possible to get time off for a trip, it should be allowed for sleeping on a couch or singing Christmas carols on the street just the same.

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Lizbeth View Post
    Voted no. The reason doesn't matter. Employees private lives are none of employers business anyway. Only exception would be health reasons and lying about that would be sort of bad. But if it's possible to get time off for a trip, it should be allowed for sleeping on a couch or singing Christmas carols on the street just the same.
    None of this is actually true.

    This also all greatly depends on what country/state the OP is in, because if this is the US he can basically be let go for nearly anything.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Jaxsz View Post
    None of this is actually true.
    Care to elaborate?

    Until and unless my personal life affects my employer's business, it's, well, none of his business.

  14. #14
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by Jaxsz View Post
    None of this is actually true.

    This also all greatly depends on what country/state the OP is in, because if this is the US he can basically be let go for nearly anything.
    Well, that's another subject entirely. Lying about your private life to the employer however is not a sackable offense. It might cause the employer to dislike you if they find out and find another reason to let you go however But then again, if they did go to these lengths in order to find out about it, he could probably sue them for that as well.

    My point is, it's none of their business. If it's ok to get time off for any personal reason, it a should be for all.

  15. #15
    You lied to be selfish, not sackable.
    You lied to your bosses to break company procedure, not sackable.
    You lied which can be construed as gross misconduct, sackable.
    They could quite happily fire you and while you may sue them for it, I doubt you would so you'd be fired and they'd be down 1 selfish employee.

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Lizbeth View Post
    Well, that's another subject entirely. Lying about your private life to the employer however is not a sackable offense. It might cause the employer to dislike you if they find out and find another reason to let you go however But then again, if they did go to these lengths in order to find out about it, he could probably sue them for that as well.

    My point is, it's none of their business. If it's ok to get time off for any personal reason, it a should be for all.
    He isn't lying about his private life, he's lying about why he needs to take time off of work. Regardless, the employer can let him go for any reason, basically just say "sorry we don't need you." Simple.

    Where I worked it was *very much* the case that if you lied about anything you were fired, the actual "motto" taught in the training process was "you lie you die." If this is the US you can be fired for anything they feel like except "discrimination" which is bogus anyway.

    Good luck suing the company for finding out that you were lying about your requests for time off.

  17. #17
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by Jaxsz View Post
    None of this is actually true.

    This also all greatly depends on what country/state the OP is in, because if this is the US he can basically be let go for nearly anything.
    Actually it is. When a holliday is approved, how you spend it is up to you. you coud've made plans to go skiïng but have a torn mussle which prevents you from going on the trip. No employer will expect you to come back from the approved holliday (talking big company's here). The working ssheduals will be made up already and won't be changed because you've changed you mind about going on holliday.

    Holliday was asked 2 months in advance and approved. I see no issue what so ever why he could be sacked.

  18. #18
    I would try to avoid mentioning why you need a week or day off. Imo, it's not really your boss' concern to know what you are up to. In your case, you told em you were going away, hence you gotta make sure you are away and nobody can compromise you.

  19. #19
    Deleted
    Your employment contract may well have small print regarding this but even if it doesn't, at the end of the day they can sack you for pretty much anything they fancy as long as it doesn't break discrimination laws. Sacking someone for lying would not break the law, so yes - they can. Whether your bosses really care about why you booked time off is another matter.... I doubt they do. They had no legal obligation to give you that time off work if its in company policy that you can't use your holiday days over christmas, you gave them notice, they agreed, I seriously doubt they care that much. If it turns out that they do care, and they catch you.... then you could get fired and there's not a lot you can do about that, but it seems unlikely.

    If you already had a poor work history and they were looking for an excuse, then this would be a lot more likely.

  20. #20
    Most places don't care what you do with your sick days, vacation or whatever else. Since you gave them a fake reason for wanting/needing the time off though you may have opened up a nasty can of worms if they find out. I know if one of my employees told me they needed time of for some reason, during a period we don't normally give time off, and I found out they lied to me about it if we didn't fire them you can bet their schedule would show my displeasure.
    "Privilege is invisible to those who have it."

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