Last week I requested a week off. Normally I ask my manager, he says yes, end of story. Last week I asked a project manager, an account manager, my own manager. The account manager asked the customer. The project manager was on holiday and so it took four days to get an actual answer after making my request. Everyone said yes. Today, whilst talking to the PM, the subject of my holiday came up.
“I didn’t think I’d get a yes, but if you don’t ask, you don’t get, so it was as well to ask on the offchance”.
The reply from the PM was something along the lines of
“Well, if it’s flexible, it would be better if you didn’t”.
I was flabbergasted. a) no one asked last week whether it was flexible. b) everyone said yes.
“It’s not flexible, it was, but then you all said yes, so then I booked flights so, no, it’s not flexible anymore.”
“Ah, so you’re going somewhere then?”
“Yes, I’m going to France, if I don’t go now, I won’t be able to take these days until December, and who wants extra holidays in December, when you already have two cabin fever weeks off?”
“Oh, I love December, I love finishing up early” i.e. ah go on, wait until December when this project is finished and we throw you back into the pool of pond scum from whence you came.
“Yeah, well, 23rd of December is plenty early for me, I’m not really into Christmas.”

Unbelievable. Don’t say yes to someones holidays if you are later going to try to guilt someone for taking leave they are entitled to at a time they would prefer to take it!