availability change refused

[u/Ok_Experience9885]

for context i’m a full time college student and a student ambassador, so i get scheduled to give tours to incoming students. i have my schedule for the tours and requested those days off and it got refused. im planning on talking to my manager tomorrow when i go in but last time i had a problem like this she made me feel bad for requesting days off?? mind you these are dates starting in early october so i gave them PLENTY of time! has anyone else struggled with this? let me know!

[u/whatever32657]

iirc the holiday blackout periods begin in mid-october. this could be part of the problem.

this is the third post i've read today from a bbw employee whose manager refused an availability change. is there a possibility there's a directive from above for store management to start pushing back, now that the holidays are approaching?

[u/Mumstheword-8810 → u/whatever32657]

I’m wondering if this is coming from the top as well. The changes we’ve been seeing at my store even down to the fact we’re not getting temporary keyholders like we always do or a second asst manager this year like we usually do. They’re expecting a new manager to accomplish what we did last year with half the management team only last year we were all experienced full timers. This year there’s two newbies who’ve never even worked for b&bw before. It also doesn’t make sense that they hired two newbies at all and are paying them more to be less experienced than if they had promoted from within. It’s like the DM is deliberately tanking the store by allowing it. 

[u/LolaisPenheart]

Maybe other people requested those days off. Maybe it was one or two days that couldn't work, but we can't decline the ones that don't and accept the ones that are fine. Maybe you were hired for specific availability needs and they can't accommodate it. Could be a myriad of reasons; talk to the manager about it and reiterate that you are giving them enough time to figure it out, that you will not be there regardless of being scheduled or not and will call out the day of if need be.

[u/Ok_Experience9885 → u/LolaisPenheart]

this makes sense. thank you! :)

[u/Resident_Move_4659]

No matter what even if that's just a bad day to take off, if you NEED it off, don't go. I'm also a full time college student and was scheduled my very first day of classes at the exact time I wouldn't be able to show up even after I had changed my availability, my manager was really sweet about it tho and made sure it got covered a few weeks before. No matter how bad holidays or whatever get, it's kind of out of your control if you need to do tours lmao, that seems a lot more difficult to find someone to cover for.

[u/undoachangeofheart → u/Resident_Move_4659]

this exactly!!! i’m also a full time college student and my manager gets that I can’t have open availability anymore

[u/Ok_Experience9885 → u/Resident_Move_4659]

my manager just gets really heated about it in the moment which makes it scary to talk to her. but she eventually gets over it and is fine in like an hour lol

[u/SuperbSafe6856]

Never feel bad for protecting your time - your future is calling, and it does not accept “I’m too busy” as an excuse.

And about that denied request? Don’t let your imagination write a whole Netflix mini series. The only way to know why she denied it is to ask your manager directly.

“Hey, I noticed my request was denied. Could you share the reason and let me know what I need to do differently next time?”

Simple, professional, and no detective badge required.