What about a situation like a restaurant where they need a certain amount of people in and have to prioritize/deny requests when multiple people request off the same shift? Which would be more fair, first request in gets it regardless of the reason or make the determination based on the reason for the request? Could end up having to work during your kid's graduation so someone else can have a day off to go see a movie. I think arguments could be made for the fairness of each approach and in that context asking for a reason is meant to be fair rather than intrusive.
Most fair is for first request in gets it. If it’s important, staff can talk to each other about whether someone’s willing to switch (but not pressure each other).
That's your idea of what's most fair, but i don't think that's a universal perspective. Lots of people turned down and forced to miss something important while someone gets off for something they perceive as unimportant world argue otherwise. I'm not really saying who is right or wrong- i think that's something that can be debated. I'm just saying I don't think someone necessarily has ill intent by asking for a reason. They might just be trying to make a difficult decision fairly.
Your way would end up prioritizing people with families. Single ppl or ppl with no family’s days off being “less important” because it’s not for their kids or family. It’s not “an important life event.” Ask the single or childless ppl expected to work every Christmas because ppl with kids are prioritized over ppl without.
The other way prioritizes ppl who think their day off is important enough to plan ahead, which actually makes it more fair/equitable. You know the date of a kid’s graduation months in advance. Why should your request the week before be more important than someone who requested that day off 6 months ago? If it was that important, why wasn’t it asked off earlier?
Single people have important things too. Very often people request days off when they have no plans, just hoping they'll get a Saturday off. The logic is that it's worth a shot, and the worst that happens is they get turned down and come in to work. If you're not asking why they're requesting off, you won't know that. And someone who's already been given a day off is way less likely to give that day to someone else than they would be too work the shift of their request is denied. Also, if you're thinking about the entire organization and the entire team, you're also thinking that the person with something really important to do is more likely to just call out and leave the team short staffed if you don't grant it. And I know that the person making the schedule is supposed to just come in and work whenever someone doesn't show up for work, but in a medium to large operation that can literally be every day, and that person has a life and other job duties as well, and they can't be multiple people at the same time. If you have PTO, you're guaranteed the time off, but you're not guaranteed to take it whenever you want no matter what. If that was the case, good luck getting any service on holidays.
I’m not saying that single ppl don’t have important things, too. I’m saying that businesses and society often act as if they don’t or that their things aren’t as important as those of ppl with children.
And that pto being decided by whose even is more important ends up being preferential. Usually to ppl with families or to the manager’s favorites
So if I got a day off to binge a TV show because I requested it 10 minutes before your request to do something really important, and I refused to give you the day off, you'd be OK with that? And if you were another person at the company who had to work 2 stations and get home an hour later because the person with something important to do inevitably called out, you'd be OK with that too?
So if I got a day off to binge a TV show because I requested it 10 minutes before your request to do something really important, and I refused to give you the day off, you'd be OK with that?
YES !!! because if they have something genuinely that important, they should call out too, its their right
why is it so hard to understand that workers have rights. Why do you feel the need to be responsible for managements poor staffing ? why are you blaming your peers for issues created by your boss? dont you see how capitalism has pinned you against your peers? your coworkers arent your enemies.
Workers having rights doesn't mean that they have the right to have any day off they want. Having PTO doesn't mean you have the right to request off any day. Where i am, you could always call out sick and still use your pto, but I can deny a request made in advance for a specific day. I do believe workers should have rights, but having rights doesn't mean the right to do anything. We have rights as Americans, but there are also things we can't do. Having rights doesn't mean there's no limitations. If there were no limitations on when people can request off, good luck getting service on holidays- not just big ones like Christmas. No one would be coming in on long holidays like memorial day weekend. You could say it's because the restaurant was managed poorly, but you'd be ignoring the temptations of beach days and bbqs. I've found that people have a much different opinion when they're on the other side of the counter, and even if owners and management came in to cover, there's only so much they can do.
If there were no limitations on when people can request off, good luck getting service on holidays
HOW MANY TIMES DID I MENTION ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS LIKE BLACKOUT DATES ? holy shit its like talking to a wall. i addressed this very point youre attempting to make
you dont give a fuck about your workers. you just care you have staffing and are making money for the owners.
and guess what. a worker absolutely has the right to enjoy a beach day if they want. thats what PTO is for. so suck it, you corporate bootlicker. your boss can earn half a million less this year and he'll survive.
•
u/Capital_Cup_6746 Jul 31 '26
What about a situation like a restaurant where they need a certain amount of people in and have to prioritize/deny requests when multiple people request off the same shift? Which would be more fair, first request in gets it regardless of the reason or make the determination based on the reason for the request? Could end up having to work during your kid's graduation so someone else can have a day off to go see a movie. I think arguments could be made for the fairness of each approach and in that context asking for a reason is meant to be fair rather than intrusive.