Question: Whenever my daughter "Alicia" tries to take time off, her manager interferes. Alicia has a responsible position in which she coordinates a variety of projects. She earns several weeks of vacation every year, but has difficulty using them.

If Alicia tries to plan a trip, her manager often asks her to cancel, sometimes at a moment's notice. When she does get away, she still gets phone calls about problems with various projects. None of these matters are truly urgent.

How can my daughter take some needed time off without fear of a last-minute cancellation or repeated interruptions?

-- Frustrated Mom

ANSWER: Without more information, it's hard to assess this situation. Alicia's boss might be an anxiety-ridden procrastinator who is using your daughter as a security blanket. On the other hand, Alicia may simply have unique skills that are in high demand.

Regardless of the circumstances, however, your hard-working daughter definitely deserves a vacation. One possible solution is to book a trip requiring an advance deposit. That way, Alicia can reasonably request a commitment from her boss before finalizing the arrangements.

For example: "I'm planning a vacation that involves a nonrefundable deposit. Since I won't be able to change the date, I wanted to talk with you before I guarantee the reservations."

Then, if she receives a last-minute cancellation request, Alicia can remind her manager about this conversation.

Phone calls are a different matter, since vacationing employees are often expected to be available for emergencies. As an outsider, you can't possibly know whether these matters are "truly urgent."

But if the interruptions are too frequent or intrusive, Alicia should just forward the calls to voice mail and return them at her convenience.

There's clearly an upside to this situation.

Being viewed as indispensable and conscientious will only enhance Alicia's job security and future career prospects.

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