Calendar Daze

As the keeper of the time, it is my responsibility, obligation, duty and chore to assist in the coordination of days off for the other eight employees. I do not authorize or decline the days off, I am the record gatherer, advisor of conflicts and keeper.

For this purpose, I print and release to the two other supervisors and the general manager a blank calendar, save for my own scheduled days. Generally speaking, planned days off are requested, at minimum 10 days prior to event. I usually plan mine a month in advance. There remains room for contingencies.

The managers fill in the appropriate dates with the appropriate codes for all employees under their purview and of course their own dates. Each manager returns his completed calendar, I transfer the data to a master, note and advise of any conflicts, as necessary. Once cleared, the completed calendar is posted in the breakroom.This has been a monthly occurrence for five years now.

I'm DP. The fh shown on the calendar is floating holiday. Floating holidays are personal days. These are above and beyond vacation days. As you can see, I've scheduled a personal day for 11/17/2006. November 23rd and 24th (Thanksgiving and day after) are paid holidays for our business, have been for five years.

One supervisor came in my office to ask me about 11/21 and 11/22. "Do you have anything special planned for those days?" I quickly dismissed that he was asking me out or if I might be available to clean his gutters. I most always respond to questions from this particular co-worker with a question of my own as I can rarely offer the reply that is tittering on the edge of my tongue. I ask the buffer question to give the titter time to dissipate.

He acknowledges that the days are blank, thus affirming that I have not asked for nor been given authorization to take those days. He goes on to tell me how he'd like to have those days because his mom will be in town and he needs to...I don't know, I stopped listening. I don't authorize days off. I re-iterate that I'm not planning anything for those days, if he wants them-he should go and get them.

The general manager, my boss yells from his office, two doors down, "do we get the Friday after Thanksgiving?" Did I mention the Friday after Thanksgiving was added as one of our paid holidays five years ago?

The radio volume is tweaked upward ever so slightly. On this day, it was 70's rock.