Bdtyktl

You are going above and beyond, and your manager is acting, well, like a retail manager. All they care about is warm bodies and a full shift. To achieve that they will bully, cajole, harass, menace, annoy, threaten, and act like over-tired toddlers with empty bellies and full diapers.

Some industries are better than others as far as this goes and don't let managers pull these tantrums while others....

What you seem to have already learned is a good work ethic, which will be a good bargaining chip in future jobs. Combine this with an in-demand skill and you'll find yourself in positions where this will not occur again.

Most companies will not want to let a good employee go, and if you do more work than others, your absence will be noticed. You are being more than reasonable, your manager is being unreasonable.

I agree with NotMe - you've done everything right so far.

The best part is that you have the original vacation request, and a copy of the original reply/permission to take the time.

If you're written up for this, the paper trail you have will be very helpful to show to her boss if it comes to that.

You are being perfectly reasonable. In fact, while you may simply regard your efforts as doing your due diligence as an employee, you are already showing magnitudes more responsibility than many adults.

Work on your resume, round up some references/letters of recommendation, and find another job. Even if it's just for a few more months (while you presumably finish high school), the exercise will be worth it because as others have indicated, this will not be the last time in your life that you get burned by a manager. Down the road, though, the stakes will be higher, and you will need to understand how to give yourself options.

The consciousness and work ethic that you describe yourself as having will always transcend your job title, and if you can convey those traits in an interview, a good manager will not only be glad to have you but will be happy to accommodate you because he or she values you.

As a side note - not to dig on your manager - but as a young person who is used to placing faith in authority, I would challenge you and urge you to consider that your manager maybe feels a little threatened by working with a rock star such as yourself. (And/or, your supervisor is taking advantage of you.) Beware of this dynamic as you continue to blaze trails and rock boats - some people don't like change, others don't like "upstarts." Good luck.

Another spin on this. You mentioned amusement park. This is seasonal work, they are only open when the weather is good, so this means may to September in most places in the US, other countries will vary, but also have a similar length season. You are now in the final push of the season, the extended season. They have already lost a lot of their workers who went back to other jobs or school. So while they may have had a policy, I have never known an operation like this to allow time off like that.

The mistake here was on the part of your manager who seemed to imply you were free to take off. What she probably meant was you are free as long as you still find someone to cover your shifts per policy, which is honestly unlikely since they probably already have everyone that could work scheduled.

Take this as a lesson learned. This is unskilled labor and as such you are not very valuable to them, even if you were always on time and worked hard. Use this as motivation to push yourself to something that is skilled, something you like and can make a career out of.

Your boss is being unreasonable, not you. If I had already arranged that weekend, I would take those days off anyway and wouldn't worry much about it. Sure you can get fired, but if your boss is unfair like that you could get fired any time for no reason.

Additionaly, consider this:

She's since been forwarded her original response to the message, yet still expected me to find replacements for my shifts.

Filling the shifts is her job, not yours. She basically wants you to do some work for her while she's the one who will get paid. This fact alone would upset me enough to take the day off anyway, even if I could change my plans. But in the end, it's up to you to pick your fights.

Your boss is being abusive though it may be standard culture for the industry.

The idea that time off that's been properly requested in advanced, and approved, is somehow not guaranteed is ludicrous.

Finding replacements for your shifts was nice of you but that really sounded like it was her job, not yours. Perhaps that's how she delegates. If she has lots of direct reports, that might be ok.

How bad do you want that job?

If you take the time off and she retaliates, I'd go to her supervisor. Your career there will be over, but it will probably be good for you to see how it ends. You're 17, don't worry about it.

As others have said, you did everything right. However, often times life requires us to be more correct than what is reasonable.

First understand that food service in amusement parks is a very entry level job. The turnover is high, and the working conditions are pretty darn difficult. Despite this it sounds like you are excelling. Good work. This is a step in your path through this life, but not so much for others. For some managing people like you and your peers is as good as it gets. They tend not to be very good at their jobs thus cannot be promoted or leave for a different position. I suspect your schedule creator forgot that you were going to be on vacation and blamed it on you. Or they simply could not create the schedule without you. Either way it was unfair, but you seemed to get over it and solve the problem yourself. Great work, that kind of experience is invaluable.

Next time you are in this situation be sure to remind the person creating the schedule, a short time before they create the schedule, that you will be out. Its one of those times you might have to compensate for other's weaknesses. Still that may not be enough, but it is worth a try.

Your real goal is to rise above this position. What are your career aspirations? How do you achieve them? Set goals and meet them.

Some time in the future you will likely be able to patronize amusements park with your own friends or family. Recall your time working there and be patient and gracious to the workers serving food.

It sounds like you are doing everything right. It also sounds like the manager might be taking advantage of the fact that you are such a reliable employee.

DISCLAIMER: my advice may not be appropriate for your situation. I leave it to your best judgment.

I work in an office environment and have run into this general situation from time to time: I make plans with someone; they fall through on their end; they expect me to make accommodations. I have found that it rarely sets a good precedent to cave completely and pick up the slack unless you know for sure that it's a genuine mistake and not an abusive pattern of behavior.

Based on encountering your specific situation a few times in different positions, I would recommend the following:

1. Get approval for the vacation at least a month in advance


2. Send a reminder email two weeks out (assuming they post schedules a week ahead) - managers forget things far more than their title might suggest...


3. 
   As soon as you find out that the manager scheduled you anyway, contact them with something like "Per my approved vacation request on [date], I will be on leave [dates]. I see that you have me on the schedule for those dates, but since I will not be here, please let me know if there is anything I can do between now and then to help find replacements!"

The benefit of this type of wording is that it underscores the steps you took to be proactive, it clearly states that you definitely will not be there which I have found sends the unspoken message "no amount of manipulation or abusive language will change the fact that I will be gone on these days", and finally it also reinforces your willingness to help make things work as long as it doesn't impact the commitment your manager made to you.

I changed my availability to no Sundays which my GM approved. 2 sundays off. 3rd Sunday same GM schedules me. I’ve been here long enough to know they don’t need 2 closers at night. I wouldnt worry but I’ve told them before I wouldn’t be in on a certain night. 15 minutes after my shift would’ve started that night they start blowing my phone up.