It is cold in the Midwest! This morning, as I bundled up to walk my dog, my phone informed me it was 5 degrees. FIVE.
Naturally, this is the time of year when any break in the calendar has people dreaming of beaches, sunshine, and escaping frostbite. Such was the case when I was a new superintendent facing my first real personnel dilemma—to cruise or not to cruise.
As superintendent of a smaller school district, I wore many hats. I wasn’t just leading the district, but also the human resources director, which meant signing off on all staff leave requests. Simple enough, right? That is until a high school counselor emailed asking to meet after school to discuss her denied leave request.
The denial was straightforward—our contract clearly stated that no leave days would be granted adjacent to “no school” days on the calendar. Pretty cut and dry.
She arrived at my office, ready to plead her case, while I sat there fully prepared to stand my ground. I calmly explained why her request had been denied, citing the language in our negotiated agreement.
But then she hit me with this: her mother had already bought the plane and cruise tickets, and if she couldn’t go, I would be responsible for ruining her mother’s life forever!
At that point, a few thoughts entered my head—none of which were appropriate to say out loud. But it did leave me wondering: What do you do when you’re faced with personnel dilemmas that are entirely not of your own making?
Key Takeaways for Navigating Tricky Personnel Decisions:
Don’t Own Someone Else’s Emergency: Poor planning on someone else’s part doesn’t make it your responsibility to fix it. Just because the cruise tickets are booked doesn’t mean the rules take a vacation, too.
Find the Middle Ground (If Possible): When you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place—or in this case, a cruise ship and a contract clause—look for a compromise that keeps both your integrity and staff morale intact.
Set Clear Boundaries Moving Forward: If you do bend the rules, make it crystal clear this is a one-time exception. Document the decision, and let everyone know you’re not opening the floodgates for future vacation snafus.
Stick to the Contract, but Stay Human: Contracts exist for a reason, but life doesn’t always fit neatly into policy language. Sometimes, a little empathy goes a long way—even if you still have to say no.
In the end, we worked out a compromise. The counselor was granted the leave this time, but with a clear understanding that such exceptions wouldn’t be made again. No cruises, no guilt trips (pun intended), and definitely no more life-ruining leave denials.
Navigating personnel decisions isn’t always smooth sailing, but with the right balance of firmness and flexibility, you can keep the ship afloat—even when the waters get choppy.
Anchors Away!
Jane