TLDR at the end.
I work for a health insurance call center, paid hourly. We are given an amount of PTO hours we can use. If your time off is not approved by your manager, you get an “occurrence” (ooo so scary). So we have to ask for approval even on sick days. However, approved or not, your PTO hours are used towards paying the hours you’ve missed. Mine ran out months ago since I have fibromyalgia, and even though I am accommodated 3 days/month off without approval without an occurrence, they still use up my PTO. So basically, it costs me money to be sick from my disability which I can’t control since I don’t get paid for hours missed anymore. Whatever, doesn’t matter, just background.
My husband and I officially got the plan/details for our honeymoon ironed out a month before we decided to leave. I would be missing 2 weeks of work. I understood this would be unpaid. I called HR to coordinate how it would affect my full time status/benefits, and they suggested I apply for a LOA such that the hours off are “approved” and therefore don’t affect my FT status. So, I applied about a month in advance and notified my managers to expect the request once it started through HR. None of my managers responded.
I was going regardless, approved or not. This job doesn’t own my life. But I was awaiting the decision… which was pending… pending… pending. It was still pending when I left. I made it clear to my clients and colleagues I would be out, but I of course would have liked an official denial/approval regardless.
Don’t worry though, I got my answer. A full week into my vacation. I got denied. Notified by email. Like… a little late, guys! If I was an obedient employee, a denial would mean I don’t go. So denying halfway through the trip is insane. My husband suspects it just timed out. I got a phone call from HR the next day saying they wanted to “discuss” it. Of course I didn’t answer because I WAS ON MY HONEYMOON.
It’s funny but definitely annoying.
TLDR: My request for two approved weeks off for my honeymoon got denied a week into my honeymoon.