D has her first professional 10 week internship this summer. This year the 4th of July falls on a Thursday, so getting off that Friday would make a nice long weekend to come home. She is understandably reluctant to ask for time off now, but do you think she can when she arrives? Just 1 day?
Check the holiday schedule for the company. Likely it is already a day off.
If it is not a scheduled holiday at the company asking for an extra day off on a short internship may not go over well.
At my company which hires many engineering interns, getting a day off is as simple as just requesting it. I suspect a large number of employees will be taking that Friday off, so it may actually be better for the firm she is working at to take it off too.
I wouldn’t. My D also wants that Friday off to go on a trip. We’re taking a wait and see approach. If it’s offered as a day off, we’ll get last minute tickets. If it’s not, oh well, she’ll work.
She can ask if it’s a holiday. No one is going to take the internship away because she asked. Depending on the how structured the internship program is, if it isn’t a holiday, it may be no big deal or it may not be possible. Why not find out now?
I wouldn’t ask. If it’s offered, great, but otherwise I think it’s better to suck it up and stay.
I hate to say it…but it would also be a nice long weekend for her to get to know a little about the area where the internship is.
I don’t think I would ask…at least not the first week. As noted…I would have her check the work calendar. It might be that the business is closed that day anyway…my husband’s office is closed. Their interns will have the day off. So…wait and see. She will also get a feel for the culture if this.
If the place is open, it’s very possible that the regular employees will be given first dibs on that day off as some my want to take vacation that week.
My birthday is in July. I remember the first time I had to WORK on my birthday. What?!?! At least now I work for myself and can take the day off.
I would ask if she could have a day off to go home for a visit. I think most employers would understand that. If they don’t, I think it tells you something too. To be frank, I would just give that day off to my interns without them asking. The only place where I think it may be more difficult is on the trading floor where they would want to have people to answer phones, and it’s usually the most junior people.
Ask what the holiday schedule is. If that day is not off you can ask depending on the vibe.
My daughter asked those questions before she committed to her co-op. They said they were super flexible and that she’d have all company holidays plus a couple flex days to use as she saw fit. I don’t think there is anything wrong with posing the question.
I think it’s OK to ask whoever in HR she’s dealt with up to now. Asking a future boss/supervisor is different, but HR is there to answer such a basic question as “will Friday, July 5th be a regular working day in my department?”
My birthday is the 4th of July. I DO NOT WORK ON MY BIRTHDAY. But I’ve had to work the day after or the day before.
Son worked a 10 week summer internship for major financial company. Was NOT a problem asking the immediate supervisor for the day off. They are human, most managers working with interns are approachable. The worst that can happen is the manager says no. There is no harm in asking.
I guess people answer based on their own experiences. I had a supervisor who WAS upset when I asked for a day off. That’s why I wouldn’t chance it.
We treat our interns very well. They get taken out, a lot of meet and greet, and we are told not to stress them out.
I would contact whoever she has dealt with in HR and ask now. She can say she wants to plan ahead. If she’s expected to be at work, she can plan her weekend accordingly, but if she has the day off as a holiday she doesn’t want to be stuck in an unfamiliar city with no plans. It could be a company holiday, or a slow business day, and as already mentioned above, if her supervisor has the day off, by asking she could provide a heads up that someone else will need to supervise if she’s working. Asking now shows some forethought and maturity.
Some of the risk involves how she asks the question. Few companies would hold it against an intern who asked about the company culture regarding X, Y or Z. Some companies might hold questions that would be considered ‘tone deaf’ against an intern. An example of a ‘tone deaf’ question would be asking for a day off right before (or worse, during) a company crunch time or deadline. Another example would be not reading any company material first, since some companies send info or links to info that describe time off polices.
Some industries are more flexible than others. Some companies are using internships as recruiting tools so the power is tipped towards the interns and other companies are using internships as a pre-hiring weedout trial period so the power is tipped towards the company.
Don’t say you don’t want to be stuck in an unfamiliar city, say you want to go home to visit your parents - everyone can relate to that.