Help! Holiday falling apart

[Mickie]

Read a bit more. It is not reasonable when one of your colleagues is due to be off sick for “several months” that there is no contingency plan to ensure you can take time off either for leave illness or any kind of unforeseen event

[cornishfrogboy]

The thought of losing this very large sum of money is undoubtably causing you great concern and even STRESS. I Would immediately bring this fact to the attention of your line manager as the STRESS continues to mount and you find yourself unable to concentrate on your work, being as you are under constant attack from your partner and this is rendering you unable to sleep or think about anything else.
The STRESS must be utterly intolerable and I feel sure that any right minded GP would sympathise with your situation, having no alternative, but to render you as incapable of working as your colleague. He may feel no option is available other than to sign you off.

What are your sickness benefits?
Are you on statutory or enhanced (I can have 6 months on full pay, if certificated and then a further 6 on half). Strangely, I have only taken 1 day sick (this week) in the past 6 and a half years.
As long as you follow your company regulations and have medical support, then I think that you will be able to kick your manager and HR depmnt where it will hurt them most.

I would never play such games with my employer, but then again, he has never pulled such a stunt on me. My companies loyalty to me is reciprocated, and therefore I give as I receive. Loyalty and honesty are however two way streets and my loyalty only exists until such time as events dictate otherwise. I work for MITIE (retained NHS pay and conditions) and work in a very tight knit team of 11 where only one can go sick and one have leave. We man a 24 hour pattern and it can only work with 9. Due to resignations, they are down to 8 as of tomorrow morning when I go on a full months leave. There has never been a murmur about cancelling my leave and they are covering my absence through moving of shifts and payment of some overtime.

Of course I would also discuss my situation with my Union (If I was in a Union (and I am not). Whilst I fully understand that legally they can screw you, it is also the case that you can legally screw them back, should your Dr support your position. In life, sometimes people get back what they deserve.

[Guest]

I would go off sick with stress/anxiety (caused by the cancelled holiday) and take the compensation for the cancelled holiday and go later. It sounds like something a Local Govmt boss would do as they tend to book all the school hols off so staff with children can't go away. Not that I am a bitter ex-Local govmt employee...cough cough

[ROBBOTOO]

Counting the holiday aside which is a horrendous situation to be in, just how long are you actually expected to cover 3 jobs? Your company have a duty of care to you too.

One person off sick, another leaving, a new employee coming in soon who I assume will need training and be on probation. What happens if their probation doesnt work out and your other colleague is still off sick.

Would your manager be so happy to cancel their own leave under such circumstances if it was all paid and booked for so long. I doubt it.

I’d be asking them about their duty of care to you too.

[Love*my*hols]

I would go off sick for a couple of days in the next few weeks with a self certified "tummy bug" and see how they manage without you .

[stecee]

Sorry, I don’t have any solutions to your terrible situation. I’ve a feeling that if you did go down the “sickness” route, it would affect your mindset on the holiday, worrying about the consequences, I know it would me.
I hope you find a solution that enables you to go and enjoy your holiday, or at the very least, get full compensation for having to cancel.

[Feebee2]

I'd be consulting a specialist employment solicitor. It may cost a few hundred but considering what you may lose...
It may help if they intervene on your behalf.

[scoobydooby]

Have they not got any capacity to get agency staff in? If they have to do this you should get a full refund. Poor you.

[Snowball24]

Id definitely not cancel but get advice too. As someone else said, what if you were off sick?

[T.jenni]

I wonder how hard it will be to stay, I think I would always feel some resentment against this manager as I find their actions shocking. I certainly wouldn't trust them again and that's not an environment I'd want to work in.