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Healthcare employee on two-person team is fed up as coworker repeatedly requests last-minute PTO on the same days she's off, leaving her to carry the unfinished workload when she returns: 'Reviewed entire calendar of 2025 and noticed that it’s a pattern'

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  • Two coworkers working on an office laptop together
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  • How to deal with a colleague that requests the same PTO intentionally?

    This is for the managers: I'm on a 2 man team working in healthcare. Per our companies policy, only one person is allowed on pto at the time.
  • However my manager is so nice and I know she hates saying no sometimes. When my coworker and I are both out, no one will take care of our work.
  • I have noticed a pattern recently with my coworker. I've noticed that she's been requesting the same days off LAST MINUTE.
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  • At first I thought it was a coincidence but after what happened 2 weeks ago I'm like no this is intentional... So before I booked my tickets, I had asked my coworker if she had any plans for August and she said no.
  • I requested 8 days off to travel overseas and I put in my request 3 months in advance.
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  • The week before I'm about to leave on pto(because I needed to finish my work so that she doesn't have to do them) she puts in a request for the same days (5 days out of the 8 days).
  • So I'm like wth? And my manager approved it. Okay like whatever she has the hours.
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  • I come back from vacation and found out that she didn't touch any of the work even though she was working 3 of the days.
  • A calendar with the vacation dates marked off
  • I had to do the work that was left. I requested 11/13 HALF DAY off 2 months in advance.
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  • I always look at the work Calendar before requesting days off so that it doesn't conflict with anyone.
  • On 11/12 she tells me she requested half day 11/13 off as well (which is considered a call out) because she wanted to take her dog to pet smart to get groomed.
  • I reviewed the entire calendar of 2025 and noticed that it's a pattern. On random days that I'm off, she's off as well.
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  • Out of all the days to do that she chose the same day I requested off.
  • I have no idea why my manager is so nice and not following the policy. I'm just more fed up because lately she's been not doing her work and I have been taking care of 90% of the workload.
  • How do I bring this up to my manager?
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  • GreenLightt Not gonna lie OP, I'd be doing all kinds of shady moves. Cancelling PTO's last minute so she wastes hers, and making up fake time off to see if she books the same days. I'd be fascinated if she is actually copying all your PTO through you making it as difficult as possible. Sorry this doesn't help your case, but I'm intrigued to see how I'd catch your coworker up
  • Tired employee laying her head upon a pile of paper work
  • OP Sailor-Venus7 Hmm, good idea lol I'll pick a bunch of random Tuesday and Wednesdays to test her. I actually requested the 29th off last minute let's see if she will call out haha
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  • me_version_2 Don't share your holiday plans or ask your colleague to confirm their availability. Ask your manager to stay silent on it too, Person #2 will be stuck unless they come into work and then take a sickie and that would be more noticeable. Person #2 is work shy, I assume there are other ways this is manifesting....
  • OP Sailor-Venus7 I stopped sharing my plans or asking for her availability. I just look at the calendar now but I have to let my colleague know the day before I'm off so that she can cover my workload since we work in healthcare. She would just request the day before when she finds out that I'm off. I'm not sure why my manager isn't say anything even though she sends out pto requests reminders
  • Natural_Donut173 Or maybe she likes OP so much that working there without her is unbearable :)
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  • XenoRyet So I'm clear on your situation here. You ask for PTO, and you get PTO. Is that correct? Your problem is that you don't think that work that should have been done while you were gone was actually done?
  • OP Sailor-Venus7 So we share our tasks, we don't split our work equally. The work was assigned to us both when I was gone and she was in the office. I came back from vacation and it was not taken care of which affects our patients and doctors.. so I had to take care of it even though it was assigned 8 days prior. I guess it's been a pattern where she does this. Regardless of the the pto thing, she doesn't contribute to the work and it's frustrating
  • The_Coaltrain Could you clarify exactly what your question/concern is? Is it work she committed to do and didn't do, or just something you were expecting her to do?
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  • OP Sailor-Venus7 How do I tell my manager that I'm sick of coming back from vacation with all of the work untouched and stacked because my colleague would request time off the day before I'm off lol We share our workload and she just doesn't do them and leaves them until I'm back even though it's also her work.

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