We always want to believe the best of the people who are promoted into management position. That said, most of us go into every new job realizing that particular expectation might not be met.
OP worked in disability caregiving. She and a group of caregivers worked in a shared environment and in shifts, which wasn’t always ideal, but did pay well.
I used to work in a disability shared accommodation agency. It’s a job where you support 4-6 people with disabilities who share the accommodation.
Its shift work, 2 clients per staff member during the day, 1 staff member on a “sleep over” at night. The rosters are 4 week rotating rosters.
I was employed as a 0.75 meaning I work 75% of what is considered full time (equating to 57 hours a fortnight).
Working shifts sucked, but the pay was good.
As far as leave, it was pretty much approved on a first come, first serve basis.
I was working in a house I’ll call sunup. Sunup had 4 residents and 7 workers. Each house had a house supervisor, they reported to the cluster manager (who managed 6 houses), cluster managers reports to the CEO.
By company policy, leave requests are “first in best dressed” meaning you need to put your leave in early to ensure you get it.
They arrived at a new assignment to find there was a group of four employees already there who were friends, and always took their vacation together.
I was transferred to sunup from a 6 client house due to my qualifications and situations I cannot legally disclose. I worked for the first year, got to know staff, clients, house supervisor etc.
There was an obvious “clique” between 4 staff members, each school holidays, 3 would apply for leave, and one would call in sick with a medical certificate covering the same amount of time. They would always rotate who is “sick” to hide what they were up to. (They were friends outside of work who would party together)
When one of them was promoted to supervisor, things went predictably bad – namely for OP, who could no longer get leave approved.
After a year, the house supervisor fell sick. One of the Clique members “Karen” was appointment acting supervisor and it went to hell.
She tried reducing my hours and giving extra time to a friend, I pointed out that I’m contracted for 57 hours a fortnight so I’m getting paid for 57 hours a fortnight.
Her friends got extra shifts. Were given the best shifts and we’re all around favored by Karen.
In January, I put in leave for March school holidays, Karen reject it on the grounds that others had already submitted leave (her clique all applied for this time). I left this alone.
Even when they checked ahead of time to see whether or not dates were open, the supervisor would deny it and then claim the best dates for her friends.
In March I checked the leave calendar for the June school holidays (each house had a leave calendar so management and staff can check who scheduled leave is) it’s was empty.
I submitted leave again and it was rejected, Karen said “sorry, You were too slow, Karen said that A,B &C (clique) already submitted leave”. The next day the leave calendar showed this.
In May I checked xmas leave calendar, put in my leave and sure enough, got the same result. This annoyed me as I have a family that I wanted to take on holiday.
I spoke to the cluster manager (also a part of the clique) who said there nothing I can do. Note, I had no leave taken in 2 years.
It all came to a head when OP hadn’t taken any vacation for 2 years, and she ended up with some facetime with their CEO.
January the following year, the clique was on holiday, we had a gastro outbreak across our facilities so we were short staff. All available staff (including CEO) were covering shifts.
I was rostered on with the CEO one shift, during the shift he said to me “op, you have a bit of leave accumulated. You should probably take some.”
Me ” I put in 3 requests last year, all were rejected as others apparently already applied for those dates.”
When he asked why she had so much leave built up she gave an honest answer – and the conversation ended with him personally signing her leave request over the holidays.
CEO, “let’s lock in your leave now”
Me “ok, how about 4 weeks over Xmas”
I filled out the form, CEO signed it off. He filled out the leave calendar and put my application in Karen’s pigeon hole.
I was on sleep over that night so I took my application, photo copied it for my self and replaced under the mountain of paperwork in her pigeon hole knowing she wouldn’t see it for a few months.
The supervisor predictably shredded this request, deleted OP’s leave, and put the time in for her friends instead.
&In March I checked the leave calendar, I noticed my Xmas leave disappeared replaced with Karen, A,B & C. I didn’t say anything as I had a leave form with CEO’s signature.
Fast forward October, original house supervisor passed away, acting supervisor was appointed permeant supervisor by the cluster manager with a mandatory 3 month probation.nbsp;
But as OP had the signed request, they took the leave.
December comes around, first week of my leave, I get a call from Karen. “Where are you?”
Me: “on leave”
Karen: “I didn’t approve any leave, get your *** to work now”
I come in, Karen chews me out stating she didn’t get an application form.
Karen went on to say, “Even if you submitted it I would reject it as you should know by now that we always take two weeks in December/January”.
She wrote me up for insubordination.
The supervisor called them in, but when the CEO got involved, the truth came tumbling free.
I worked that shift, when Karen left I emailed the CEO filling him in on what happened. He called a meeting me and Karen.
CEO: “What happened?”
Karen cutting me off: “OP took it upon himself to approve leave, I wrote him up for skipping work.”
ME: “Actually I submitted leave in January, while you were away.”
Karen: “No you didn’t.”
CEO: ” Yes he did! I approved it and added it to the leave calendar.”
Karen: “Oh, um we already had 4 staff booked on leave.”
CEO: “Show me the leave forms.”
Karen: ” Um I destroyed them.”
Me handing Karen my copy of my form signed by the CEO.
CEO, “OP is on leave and I’m investigating this situation. OP, my apologies go home, I’m extending your leave by an extra week.”
The supervisor lost their promotion and ended up losing their job altogether.
I go home. I come in 4.5 weeks later to be told that Karen has lost her promotion, she is thin ice.
CEO found out that she has been rejecting leave requests. She shredded my request without looking past the date. She deleted my leave from the calendar. The CEO told Karen that this borders on fraud.
The CEO also separated the “Clique” to different houses. He change the leave policy to state that he must sign off leave requests (in addition to house supervisor and cluster managers). He insured that all staff had access to prime leave dates.
Karen was fired 2 weeks later for failing audit requirements.
Will Reddit find this satisfying? Read on to find out!
The top comment says they love seeing conspiring coworkers get their due.
This person says this is a classic example.
And of course, the woman has no one to blame but herself.
Both of these stories prove what can happen if you try to game the system.
Way too many people have stories like this.
I wonder when upper management will start being able to weed these types out before they’re promoted.
Probably not anytime soon.
Source: https://twistedsifter.com/2023/12/supervisor-gets-busted-for-denying-leave-requests-to-make-room-for-her-friends-ceo-found-out-that-she-has-been-rejecting-leave-requests/
