Etiquette when leaving early for doc appointments

Question

I don't even know if it'll happen but I might need to take half day off (more like leaving 1-3 hours early) twice for health reasons, one of which I'll explain later, around a month from now, which is a month and a week after joining. Kind of paranoid to be worried already but man I need this job.

I'm kind of unexperienced and sometimes get lost with work etiquette. How risky is this? Any advice for bringing it up?

And another thing, while I'll try to prevent it, before relocating for this job I was doing a dentist treatment at another city and I'll ask tomorrow and update you guys but I think there could be a possibility that I have to actually go there one last time before transferring the treatment to a dentist in this city. This would be the reason for leaving work a couple hours early. Again I know it might be paranoid but I'm thinking that this comes across as sloppy, careless and bad planning, to have to go to a dentist hours away. How do I bring it up?

What I actually need from the dentist is a document that I apparently need so someone else in this city can go on with the treatment here. I'll try to see if a relative can pick it up or something, if not...

Answer 1

Hey boss, I'll need to take a couple of hours off at date X and at date Y. It's not going to be a recurrent event. I have to leave for reason XYZ.

But I'm willing to take the hours during the remainder of the week, so I'll be able to complete the work that is expected from me.

You:

1. Bring up what you need
2. Don't lie about it
3. Show that you'll not be a chore to manage by the rest of the team in the long term
4. Show that it's not because you're not interested in the work.

But first: ask if there is a policy for days/hours off work for medical reasons. If you're the first to come up with the issue, you certainly won't be the last, and they'll eventually need to create a policy.

Answer 2

It depends on the job and your responsibilities. Some jobs allow you to "comp time" (work additional hours to compensate for missed hours) while others do not. However, we are all human and have to deal with health and medical appointments.

The best approach is to ask your boss and/or your human resources department about the policy for medical appointments as it applies to your job and role. It is important to keep the questions general such as, "If I need to go to a doctor or a dentist appointment, how do I schedule that and who do I need to notify?" Or, "I relocated but I may have to return for medical appointments. What should I do if that need arises?"

The key here is if you are unsure about how your job will be impacted or the company policy, asking can demonstrate your concern and your ability to set expectations. Asking abruptly or with impertinence can give the impression that you do not care about the impact to the company or your job, and you may be treated in that manner. It's likely, though, that you are not the first person to have a situation like this that needs to be addressed, so make it your goal to gather information about how things work at your new job.