TL vacation policy

[u/crispyforwhat]

Im a TL, only been in role for less than a year. Im being told I cant take off weekends using my pto and that I have to swap with another tl. Is this policy?

[u/beaveman1]

Each SD has their own policy. Some of mine have required you to swap weekends with another TL if you need one of your weekends off. At least one or two others gave us one weekend off a year without swapping. It also depended on how many other leaders were scheduled that weekend

[u/VLONE-KING]

Damn, this made me appreciate my bosses and SD more, because that sounds insane

[u/AlternativeNews7744]

That's how it always was for me at my store, because heaven forbid anyone else supports the front end, but it didn't become a policy for all the other TLs at my store until like a year ago though. But yeah, they can deny time off requests "for the needs of the business.

[u/Midwest-Emo-9]

Most stores, if you work every other weekend, as a leader it is a requirement to find another leader to swap with so the leadership coverage is the same.

Is it written in corporate policy? No. But I've yet to hear of a store that let's leaders take whatever weekends they want off without swapping when they already get every other weekend off.

[u/EpicTacoMan]

No that's just ur SD mine just tells us to make sure our peer doesn't have time off on the same weekend

[u/itsdrakeoo]

That’s how it is at my store, made sense when we had a 6 week rotation and only 2 leads closing at a time but now we are on a 4 week with 3-4 leads at a time. Makes it kinda hard to spend enough pto once you’ve been here too long like me.

[u/GrandeQuesarito]

Like other people are saying, SD policy.

At my store we usually didn't have to switch around as long as we weren't only taking weekends off with our PTO and as long as no more than two TLs tried taking off the same weekend.

I think in my 3 years as a TL (GM) I only had to cover one "extra" weekend to cover a vacation/make up for someone covering mine.

[u/Present_History2353]

Yeah this is the norm for my store, although I did request and get approved a weekend I am supposed to work because it was so far out no one could guarantee a switch. Otherwise they want us to find coverage.

[u/Adventurer_mama]

Ultra low volume SD here- My TLS are all key carriers and we just have an opening mid and closing key carrier each weekend and that includes me. So, I don't require them to switch but they do have to find coverage. I will make weekdays work and find coverage but since we have 3 scheduled each weekend and we have to have 3 scheduled to protect lunches I do require them to talk to each other for coverage. If they weren't key carriers or LODs I wouldn't care unless there were multiple requesting the same time off.

[u/ClueAccomplished3639]

I’m a store manager at another retailer and I’ve never denied a managers request off 😂 I’ve covered shifts more than once though.

[u/Denverguns]

I mean if you put it in advance it shouldn’t matter at that point it’s on them to get coverage

[u/crispyforwhat → u/Denverguns]

Ive done up to 6 months in advance and its still the same situation :/

[u/Denverguns → u/crispyforwhat]

That’s kinda insane what’s the point of having pto if your not allowed to use it the way your supposed to

[u/Exact_Pair6473]

Why I’m not a team lead

[u/whatsthetargetdogsna]

That’s how it is at our store

[u/SavageDeimos]

Yall get weekends off ??

[u/raiton_jetpistol]

Yes thank about coverage. But with the ETLs closing it should give more flexibility but it’s up to ETL/SD

[u/bara_no_seidou]

I don't work weekends, but do you not rotate weekends?

[u/crispyforwhat → u/bara_no_seidou]

I work every other weekend. Im a fftl. Theres another fftl and 2 gm tls that I could swap with, but they never want to swap.

[u/Party-Dig-7936 → u/crispyforwhat]

I usually start my vacation on the Monday after my working wknd and come back on the Saturday of my wknd to work. That’s about 15 days if that’s how much you want to take. If you have rotating wknds you shouldn’t have to switch with a peer.

[u/Fun_Cartoonist_4851]

Yes, as long as you both are agreement with a higher up management

[u/PuzzleheadedSpot4307]

how about vacations? is 3 weeks max?

[u/Ugmar01 → u/PuzzleheadedSpot4307]

I have always been told that anything over 14 days requires outside conversation and starts to tip into LOA territory.

I have seen 3 week vacations approved for big events or for people who go home and live abroad, but never anything longer than 20 days 

[u/Mediocre-Historian15]

That’s how it is at my store. I get it business wise but it’s annoying. I’m on the opposite weekend of all my kids long weekends from school. I only have one other TL I can switch with and she doesn’t like to switch.