We received a telephone call from an employees mother asking us to authorise a period of annual leave for our employee – her parents were organising a holiday as a surprise. Unfortunately due to other agreed holidays within the department the line manager was unable to grant the annual leave requested. It transpired that the mother had already booked the holiday before the annual leave was organised and became were aggressive on the telephone.
The employee concerned has now come to us and said that if we do not authorise the annual leave for that period she will have to take a period of parental leave to look after her child – it seems her parents act as carer to the child and with them going on holiday they will be no one to look after the child. The child was due to go away with the family, however with the childs mother unable to go her parents are not willing to take the child with them. All a bit complicated.
My question is are we obliged to authorise a period of parental leave after having rejected an annual leave application. What would our position be if the employee was to take the leave anyway
Karen Scott
