How to get time off work? FMLA help or?

[hobbes]

#1 in seniority, 401k, pension, good salary, assuming insurance.........keep the job unless you despise it and can replace it. I would likely be looking for another but there's a good chance that you won't have vacation to use in the new job by then without them making an exception.

I'd go to management and discuss your situation before making any wild decisions. If that doesn't work, move the hunt and start looking for a replacement job.

You can't use FMLA without some elaborate lie and I wouldn't recommend that.

 

[downthepipe]

Ok I’ll answer your question. You could easily make it work if you wanted to create a fairly elaborate set of circumstances regarding some type of mental health issue that requires counseling. You would need to start this as least 3 months prior to the hunt and retain counseling services. You would then need to lie to the counselor for at least 3 sessions prior to your mental breakdown. You would want to see the counselor very soon before you have the mental breakdown and then go back to counselor right after you return from your hunt and lie a bunch more. Then you would need a note releasing you back to work. Your employer would question everything and would require a work release. If you were able to lie through all of this and keep it all a secret from everybody, it may work. Good luck.

 

[doc holiday13]

Seems odd that your employer is blocking out time off request for late 2024.. I would put in the NOTIFICATION that you won't be there for your hunt schedule dates. Since when do you have to ask if you can take time off? Do they own you? Just call off if they "deny"..... Get all your work handled and set so any booger eater can pick up where you left off. If they call you, just say "sorry i can't come in. I'm dealing with some personal issues".

 

[WV Mountaineer]

I have a hunt booked for 2024. My employer notified me yesterday that all vacation will be blocked out from mid August through mid November. I work in Illinois and there are no laws preventing this.

Other than quitting and finding a new job, how can I use FMLA in my favor to get the needed time off? Any insight or advice? I could use the mental health aspect, but I’d have to lie and make up a bunch of BS and go see a counselor or psychiatrist or psychologist and I don’t need to. I’m fine, I just need the time off.



Any advice helps. Thanks

Find another job. Don’t compromise your ethics. Your employer isn’t compromising anything for you.

 

[PNWGATOR]

Is the money you make worth the price you pay?

 

[Burnsie]

Develop migraine headaches, that seems to be the golden ticket around here. Amazing how all the low life's only have migraines on Mondays and Fridays.

 

[Yoder]

Is the money you make worth the price you pay?

Without the money, good luck paying for extravagant hunts.

 

[TX_Diver]

The employer giving a years notice/heads-up shows some effort on their part. If they dropped that restriction next July it'd be a lot more concerning.

Go talk with them and see what you can work out. I wouldn't lie about anything to them though. If you do leave (or if you lie about it and they find out which they probably will because people talk) and your next employer calls for references you definitely don't want your integrity to be in question...

 

[Pony Soldier]

After high school I got a job as a tail sawyer in a sawmill. A week before hunting season some idiot in management decided we needed to go to manditory overtime and work seven days a week for the next three months. I refused and was demoted to a sticker poker on a stacker. It gave me an incentive to go to college. I never did trust management of anything after that. You are in a tough place but I would start shopping for a new job. There are refineries in Billings. Go shopping.

 

[missjordan]

That’s a long time for your employer to block out a no vacation time period.

I would have an honest conversation with your supervisors and feel them out on the situation. If all sounds toxic then it’s time to find a different job.

My place of work blocks out 4th of July, Christmas, and new years week for no vacation times to keep the majority of people from taking time off. But they understand that sometimes people do want to travel during these holidays and they make exceptions. Especially in this period of time when they were telling people no, and employees either weren’t showing up intentionally or they were quitting and going somewhere else.

I think you might be surprised by what they say when you hold your boundary of I’m going on this trip no exceptions. Work with me or replace me it’s your choice


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[hunterjmj]

Years ago I worked for LP driving forklift and got 5 days approved for deer season. About 3 weeks prior to hunting I was told my vacation couldn't be used because of increased production or some crap. So, when hunting season came I went, used my vacation and came back to work as if they never said a word. I got called into the office and got a formal write up. I had been at LP for 2 years, no wife, no kids, etc so it wasn't a big deal to me whatever they decided to do. I don't suggest you try this but it's always an option.

 

[Jn78]

I guess a lot depends on the circumstances of your job, the hunt, and your situation. Is it a once in a lifetime sheep hunt? Is it an elk hunt that you could do in late November instead of early November? Also, as far as the job, will this possibly happen every year? Does it make sense that the company needs everyone around for that time period next year, i.e. is there a planned move and they need all hands on deck? Finally, is hunting a big part of your life? Do you do a big out-of-state hunt every few years or do you take a month to archery hunt every year?

Regardless, lying to get FMLA is a bad idea. As long as you work for a decent place, communication is a good idea.

 

[Btaylor]

Johnny Paycheck has your answer.

 

[doc holiday13]

That is how most jobs are.

Thats just the problem though.. WTF are teh gonna do if you're sick.. Fire you? Drive to your house with a Dr. to verify you're sick? 3 jobs back, I had a manager tell me to bring a Dr. note to verify i was sick.... Hell no, I'm not going to the Dr. to get a note that says "doc holiday13 feels like poop so he skipped work to help improve his health"
Why should my being sick and me not showing up be treated any different? Does your reason for not being at work change how they conduct business? Now.. if you're a sh!t employee I can see that being a problem

Another way of thinking about being sick is your own mental health. If I'm sick of showing to my job, I'll take a day off without scheduling it.
Most people will take everything I just said and probably think "Wow Doc must be 'one of those' employees". But reality is I show up, I do my job well and rarely call off work, but the company does not own me

 

[Will_m]

Man I would ask the mods to delete this thing. Not a good look if your employer discovered it even if there wasn’t anything nefarious intended.

 

[woods89]

I think an honest conversation is in order.

"Look, I don't want to leave this job. But this hunt is important to me. If time off isn't available, it's probably going to be time for me to shop my skills around."

This only works if you are providing real value in your field, though.

 

[CorbLand]

Sounds like its time to waive that 14 years and #1 seniority around.

 

[svivian]

 

[TaperPin]

In life there are exceptions to every rule. My wife is in the business of selling expensive things to big companies and I’ve learned from her there is no such thing as a hard no. The success in getting to yes is getting decision makers to see what you’re proposing as a good thing for them, or at least it doesn’t hurt - that’s also the hard part.

You’re not a young dingaling that needs hand holding so there are more exceptions. I don’t know the internal politics of your union, but have you explored getting help on the union side? I’ve heard of time off requests coming from the union side that otherwise would not have happened, but unions vary so much I wouldn’t count on it.

Don‘t avoid asking for what you want, but it doesn’t hurt to understand the right timing and way to do it. You don’t have to lie, but you also don’t have to say what the trip is other than it’s important and has to happen on those days.

When we’ve been slammed at work with no vacations, I’ve told young guys to suggest banking hours prior to the trip and adjusting days off before and after so the company is getting as many hours of work.

One of the most valuable skills for me has been developing an ability to talk with someone you barely know about a complex project and ask them to commit to an expensive solution with no hesitation in my voice, no over explaining, no fluff, no over promising, no weird body language, just confidence that this is in their best interest.

 

[Burnsie]

As someone who has to deal with these type of things almost daily, I am always wary of opening up a can of worms and setting a precedent. I don't know what kind of leeway your boss has with this, if he makes an exception for your hunting trip, then how does he say no to another employee who has planned a trip with his buddies to Vegas, or the other guy who had planned to take a golf trip to Myrtle Beach....etc.
We need to keep in mind that as hunters we are a very small percentage of the population, most companies could not care less that you enjoy hunting, golfing, gambling...etc.
If you have the luxury of being able to tell your employer to _iss off and get an equal or better job right away - have at it. I've never been willing to roll that dice with a family and obligations. If I jumped jobs every time an employer didn't bend to my wants/needs I would be jumping jobs a lot.
Might want to ask if the vacation policy for that time period applies to everyone all the way up the chain.