Dear Ms. Green,

I am sorry to bother you, as I know you are very busy, but I would like to change my vacation time request. I asked to take the first 2 weeks of July off, but now, if it is okay, I would like the first 2 weeks of August instead.

The rule is that no changes may be made once requests have been submitted in writing, but I think that requiring requests to be made in January is a little unreasonable. It is difficult for some people to know, 6 months in advance, what their summer plans will be. I understand that time is needed to hire temporary replacements to take care of things while people are away. I am also aware that everyone needs to coordinate their vacation plans in a way that ensures no single department is understaffed. However, I believe 2 or 3 months' notice should be sufficient. According to my friends, that's the amount of notice required by other places of employment here in Canada.

The reason I am changing my request is that I had originally planned to take a trip to Japan during the first 2 weeks of July. However, I have now decided to go to Africa instead, and that tour is scheduled for the first 2 weeks of August. My husband and his retired parents have already made a non-refundable deposit for the trip to Africa for the four of us, and they are really looking forward to it. In fact, my husband, who will be taking a solo business trip to Mexico afterwards, bought six suitcases yesterday and has already started planning everything. I do not want to disappoint my family with news that I cannot get the time off. As I am still giving 5 months' notice, I hope it will be sufficient.

Please let me know at your earliest convenience whether I can change my vacation time to the first 2 weeks of August, as I will need to either finalize the booking with Global Travel Agency or try to get our non-refundable deposit back!

Thank you,

Else Birch