How Should I Handle a Last-Minute Birthday Leave Request Without Upsetting My Boss?

Handling Last-Minute Leave Requests

Kindly help me! One of the employees of our organization has a birthday today. She emailed me the same information in the afternoon. However, our rules state that an employee should provide leave information a day before. My boss is very disappointed with me because I considered this leave and approved it. Now, he wants me to spoil her birthday party today by conveying that she is not supposed to come for this entire week. She is on her probation period with the first month having no salary. Please let me know what I should do to handle this situation.

Regards,
Ankita

I would suggest allowing her to take leave since it is her birthday. Once she returns tomorrow, you can give her an oral warning stating that such instances will not be entertained in the future, as per your policy. Convince your manager that you will take care of such matters going forward.

Regards,
Amith R.

Find out mitigating (gravity-reducing) factors that work in her favor, such as her efficiency as a worker, the fact that this is her first instance, or her years of service to the organization. Also consider that she is a team player and that her absence for a week could impact teamwork. Identify other favorable factors that may lead to the decision to overlook her lack of prior notification.

Regards,
B. Saikumar
HR & Labor Law Advisor

You could have given additional details. What is the length of experience that an employee has? What is her designation? Is she a junior person?

Now here you need to be a bridge between your boss and the employee. If she is a junior employee, then her antics could be condoned. Telling the employee not to attend duties for the rest of the week is too harsh a punishment. Please tell your boss that you cannot use a sledgehammer to kill flies! Has your boss thought of the consequences of this decision? By awarding this kind of punishment, will that employee get the sympathy of other employees? Will this decision reduce the morale of other employees? Will this punishment shatter the motivation of the employee in question?

Is this yardstick made applicable to all employees? If you keep the rule the same for everybody, then you should also have uniform punishment. What punishment is given to other employees?

By the way, who is your boss? Is he the manager, the Director, or the owner? Did he commit any mistake any time, and what punishment has he awarded himself?

The incident well illustrates the difference between the boss and the leader. It is easy to be the former and difficult to be the latter. If your boss remains adamant, then please do not communicate this decision today but communicate it tomorrow morning.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Your manager is right in his place. At work, if need be, we work till late nights on our birthdays, and probably the best way to gauge a person's professionalism is through these little things. However, it is also true that a little bit of understanding turns a nice place to work into an amazing place to work. Sometimes, even a verbal warning can be quite demotivating. I would say set expectations and be a senior who grooms their subordinates; after all, that's what we all look for in our seniors.

Thanks,
Jintan Dinesh

The Boss is clearly overreacting! To correct one wrong by the employee, he is committing a monumental wrong. A person, especially one who is on probation, deserves some understanding, kindness, a supportive climate, and an inclusive approach.

This issue apart, if your organization embodies these factors as part of your organization's culture, soon you will realize that what could lead to attrition will not happen, and there will be good bonding and a sense of belonging on the part of members of the organization. Either the Boss refuses to understand this golden truth or is incapable of understanding!

Be kind to the Boss. Educate him on the finer qualities of leadership and teamwork, but not at this juncture. (It might prove counterproductive!) Try and reason out. You are NOT siding with the wrongdoer but are clearly protecting and furthering the organization's interests is the message the Boss must get. If he refuses to see reason and if good sense does not prevail, then so be it! Sometimes a "cost" has to be paid to "learn". This may be one such occasion.

Regards,
Samvedan

October 22, 2013

In regards to your post, her salary should go as LWP (Leave Without Pay) as she is on probation. The probation period states that the employee is not entitled to approved leaves or other benefits from the organization until they are confirmed.

Regarding not spoiling her birthday, no one is telling you to do that. Instead, inform her about leaves and other policies in writing 

Also, update your boss with the same as this shall never be repeated going forward.

All the best ...

This is a typical situation that any HR officer has to face many times in their career. However, there is hardly any solution format available. Here, you have the opportunity to think and create something not written in any HR management books.

I can see the dilemma you are facing. You have a boss who is a bit overreactive, and you have a subordinate who has just started her career but had a lapse.

Steps to Handle the Situation

I suggest that first, you send greetings to the Birthday Girl on behalf of yourself, your boss, and the company. Let her enjoy her birthday.

The next day when she reports, call her. Explain the rules regarding leave, etc. Inform her about the way she had taken leave and how it made the boss unhappy. Also, make it clear that such behavior will not be tolerated. Have her fill out a leave application stating the reason for the birthday party, etc.

The next important step is: both of you go to the boss and ask the lady to apologize for not informing about her leave and assure that she will be more diligent in the future. Let the lady request the boss to sanction her leave. By doing this, you can establish direct communication between them, which can be very helpful. Even if the boss expresses dissatisfaction, it is essential to listen.

By following these steps, I believe everything will be resolved, and there should be no further issues with your boss. So, proceed with this approach.

Regards,
Adv. K. H. Kulkarni

Well, as she is on probation, it would be better if you give her a strict warning, as the same mistake should not be repeated. Otherwise, strict action will be taken against her. You can warn her when she returns to the office after celebrating her birthday.

Employee Management Software

Also, it would be beneficial if you have advanced employee management, HR, or payroll software where you can save these details. That will help you.

My first query is: do you state the leave rules/policies/procedures to new employees during their induction/orientation programme? If you have communicated this to the employee earlier, she may have been aware.

From the employer's perspective, did her birthday come to her mind on the day of her leave? Certainly not; it could have been planned in advance by her. Secondly, as per your statement, she is only in her first month of employment, which was likely the primary reason for your boss's reaction. In my opinion, I would not agree that he is overreacting due to the aforementioned reasons.

Probable Solution to the Problem

Speak to your boss and inform him that you will address the concerned employee upon her return from leave and issue a stern warning. Also, request an apology from your boss for granting leave instantly without communicating the leave procedure to the employee when she informed you.

I recommend that you do not allow her to meet your boss, as you should handle it yourself. HR has two sides of the coin: the good boss and the bad boss. The good boss appreciates and motivates employees for good work, while the bad boss reprimands and punishes employees for errors.

Explain politely to your boss that a one-week loss of pay is a severe punishment. Inform the employee that she has only been with the company for a short time, and her actions are not appropriate.

Employees may feel demotivated when being corrected, but sometimes it's necessary.

Unanswered Question

One unanswered question is: she has communicated with you, but does she report to your boss, meaning is she in your department? If she is in your department, then it is your responsibility. However, if she belongs to another department, the department head is equally accountable. Often, bosses overlook such matters, causing discomfort, and pass the issue to the HR department to handle.

Regards,
M.V. Kannan

Probationer's First Month and Unannounced Leave

The probationer, who is in her very first month, may be someone fresh out of college and equates taking an unannounced leave for celebrating her birthday as equivalent to bunking classes! Or maybe she has pulled off this feat earlier too when she was a summer trainee/intern in her previous assignment.

Now, it is clear that the company does not have a policy in place to celebrate the birthdays of its employees (and probationers)! Rather than congratulating her on her birthday, the boss has other innovative ideas for Employee Engagement! To make things appear more realistic and educate the new employee on the harsh realities of work-life, the boss takes it upon himself to make her forget her birthday until she is an employee of the company and to assert his authority to tell her "who is the boss here," wanting to punish her harshly by forcing a week of Leave without Pay on her!

I am pleasantly surprised by most of the responses that do not question the boss's decision! Where does one get such loyal subordinates, or how does one make such docile subordinates? I wish I had an opportunity to work in such a disciplined company. The kind of camaraderie and team spirit I have shared so far with my reportees and colleagues, they would have been the first to point out my mistake of being much too harsh on the new employee, a new team member.

Provision for Casual Leave

Secondly, is there no provision for Casual Leave in such an organization? Casual Leaves are those that can be taken in exigencies and do not need prior approval. Another aspect to consider is, do such experiences not teach employees to become hardened and compulsive liars? The probationer, if she continues for one more year, will surely learn to give the reason as someone in her family (father, mother - the closer the better) had suddenly taken ill, and she is rushing them to the hospital!

I hope members would reflect upon these contrarian and divergent views. Those who are liable to feel offended easily may kindly take it in a lighter vein.

Warm regards.

Balancing Humanity and Company Policy

It's a tough situation for an HR professional. As humans, we don't want to spoil her birthday. However, according to company rules and regulations, or the company leave policy, we should not violate any rules. Otherwise, there could be consequences, such as punishment or penalties, under certain circumstances.

From an HR point of view, it might be better to issue an initial warning and make her aware of the company's rules regarding leave issues.

Everyone is presuming that this is the first offense of the probationer lady in this job and suggesting taking a lenient view by giving an oral warning, etc. Suppose this is her second offense. (The first offense was also some kind of minor issue; HR warned her orally and expected that she would improve). Now she has committed a second offense of remaining absent without prior approval. Anybody will agree that a birthday cannot fall under the category of 'last-minute planning' since it is known well in advance.

Question on Disciplinary Action

My question: She is on probation, and her salary for the leave day will be deducted as per rules. What is the punishment for her for not obeying office discipline a second time? Of course, 'Do not come for a whole week' is a very harsh punishment. What can be the punishment for such indiscipline behavior if it is done a second time when the first warning is already given?

Ankita, the fault is apparently yours, not hers. She applied (though out of rules); it's you who allowed her to go on leave. Punishing her makes no sense in this context. If you had not allowed her and still she had gone, then it would be justified to punish her. You need to tell your boss that it was your fault and that she should not be punished. Offer to take whatever punishment he gives out to you. (Though I think my post is late and what you had to do, you have already done...)