My Boss is Forcing Me to Take Vacation

By Joe Issid

Seriously?

The notion of being forced to take vacation can seem a bit absurd. I mean, most people I know don't need to be asked twice to get away from the office. In fact, most of us believe that we are not given enough vacation days and feel like we often have to beg to be released from our professional responsibilities. While this may sound like an uncommon issue, many companies struggle with how to handle employees who do not take enough vacation days. And many employees are often unsure of how to handle these types of situations. So, who are these people that need to be forced to take a vacation and how can you prepare yourself for such a potential eventuality?

Hoarders

Some people simply like to accumulate as much vacation time as they can to be able to take a very long vacation instead of a few shorter absences. Before you commit to this, you should consult your company's vacation policies to see if such a practice is allowed. I have been put in the difficult position of informing my employees that their plan to take a month off is not something that the organization is willing to permit. In such cases, I have compelled my team members to take shorter vacations as longer work absences will not be approved.

Carry-over

Most companies have policies about how many vacation days employees are allowed to carry over from year to year. If your employer has a limit on the number of vacation days that can be carried over, you may find yourself in a situation where you may be asked to take an unplanned vacation or risk losing your vacation days. To wit, I used to work for a company whose fiscal year ended in May, which happened to be the cut-off for carrying over vacation days. As such, April was always a very quiet period as many of the company's employees were forced to take vacation lest they lose them once the new fiscal year started.

Office closures

In Canada, your employer can compel you to take vacation at a time of their choosing. In practice, this usually coincides with a time of year when office closures are to be expected. For instance, if your office formally closes for a week during the Christmas holidays, your employer can compel you to take your vacation at that time. While this may not sound fair, it is perfectly legal. To be sure of your rights and obligations, check with your provincial labour board.

Performance issues

While your employer has the right to order you to take time away from work, most employers that I know don't usually interfere in this. Having said that, I have seen managers compel members of their teams to take some vacation time when performance or behavioral issues begin to appear. A good manager will want to ensure that his/her staff is motivated, happy and productive and will mandate time away from work if any of these come under threat.

Fight it

Not everyone responds to the same motivations so being forced to take a vacation can actually be unwelcome for some people. You may have very good reasons for not wanting to take a vacation and feel that your absence would be detrimental to both yourself and the organization.

So, if you are being asked to step away from your job but feel that it is not the opportune time to do so, raise the concern with your manager. You may just be rewarded with more work!