To ask to do this or will my manager think it’s taking the piss?

Recycling and updating a post from a previous thread:

I've been doing this (alternate weeks) for over two years, alternating with dp to reduce nursery to 4 days/week.

It's a total win for us as we don't have family locally to help with childcare. At 5 days we were over the cap for tax free childcare so dropping that day made a big difference financially.

Manager discouraged it at first but agreed to trial and it's kept going. They were concerned I wouldn't get a full week off often, but I argued it on the basis that we couldn't afford to go away on holiday anyway while paying for 5 days nursery, can't inflict ourselves as guests of relatives for a full week, and a week looking after a toddler at home is not a holiday! With the 4-day arrangement we get away more often to see family for long weekends so toddler sees family more than they otherwise would.

This only works because we both have long service in the public sector so higher AL entitlement than many people, and also flexitime and good provision of other leave.

It is tough when the workload is high and I'm squeezing 5 days into 4 but I generally catch up the following week. We tend to manage one actual week's holiday (uk) plus a week at Christmas.

That AL day each week is treasured special quality time where we can go to groups or classes that don't run on weekends and can hang out with mum friends who have family time at weekends. We have done ten days off at home on delightful occasions like potty training and chicken pox and I really wouldn't wish that on anyone! Definitely worth asking OP. Hope this helps.

I see the logic but I'm pretty sure HR wouldn't like this very much. I'm also jealous that you presumably get 48 days of annual leave or so!!

Not sure. Depends on what happens in your job when you're not there. In one of the teams I manage for example, finding cover or cancelling the service for a week or two week block would be far more viable than finding cover a day a week every week.
Also, whether you wanted the same day off each week. I'd not want someone booking up every Friday for a year for instance, as that would reduce other people's options to have that popular day off.
I'd be a bit concerned too that you never got a 'proper break'. What you did with that or whether you'd rather be at work would be irrelevant really as we have policies to ensure staff take 'proper' leave as part if our duty of care.
Lastly, there's no way I'd commit to it for the long term, like 4 years, as there's no way of knowing how the business needs might change and I'd not let any leave pattern occur that could become custom and practise and an implied term.

yes, also agree with @KreedKafer
I can't see how you're being entitled, everyone is allowed the same no. of leave days, unless there is a policy in place that says otherwise, it is up to you how you allocate them. I wouldn't even go in with the attitude I'm asking for anything special, you're just putting your leave in for the days you want just like anyone else.

Unless your manager thinks its detrimental to the effective working of the organisation (and he should have to evidence this, which will be harder if you've been doing it for the last year with no issues), then there's no reason to reject it. The fact that he would prefer at least 1 week off straight is of no relevance to you - again, unless there's a policy which specifically states that, which in fairness many companies do have, but given your leave has been approved I assume yours doesn't - then his preference is just that, he can't impose it on staff who have other preferences, priorities, and commitments.

It would be OK at my work so long as it wasn't Fridays as most people want to take a Friday if they want a long weekend and the need for cover.

I am surprised that this has been allowed, or not stopped, much as I understand why you do it. Someone not having at least a week off a couple of times a year can raise suspicions that they are hiding something about the way they do their job, fraud especially.

I do something similar. I take a Wednesday off each week for 3 weeks each month. One week I don't because that's my really busy week. It suits me. I'm never doing more than 2 days without a break. I'm on my own now (daughter all grown up and separated from my husband) so a week off all in one go would be really boring for me.

I can go to the shops midweek and they are much quieter, I can take the dog out somewhere nicer than our local park walks.

I'm more than happy to accommodate other people in the team by not doing it if they want a week off but to be honest a couple of other people whose kids are all grown up tend to take odd days or a couple days at a time as well.

We shut down for Xmas so that's the one time I tend to have over a week off in one go.

With adequate notice an employer can dictate when you take the entirety of your annual leave, so it's something to bear in mind. You seem very reliant on having this one day off each week and if the requests start being declined there's not much you can do.

I wouldn't approve it for my staff. You would either need to do condensed hours or go down to 4 days a week with the commensurate pay. It's much easier for me to have other staff cover a block of one week at a time than it is to expect them to cover someone else's work 20% of every week. It also means it's harder to allow other people full weeks off.

I don’t think it’s reasinable. @FancyBiscuitsLevel summed it up best. Condense or reduce hours. Or increase childcare.

I can understand why you do this and would like to continue until start of school.

However, I don't think its healthy for you or your DD. A week away or a week of picnics and visits to the park would break the routine for you and DD, change of scenery, ability to concentrate on fun rather than chores, etc. And your own wellbeing would benefit hugely from a break from the groundhog days of work/parenting/work/parenting.

And your current work pattern is possibly creating difficulties for the team at work which won't help anyone.

If it were me, I'd be asking to do a 9 day fortnight or condense your hours in another way.

What size is your team and does your days AL have an impact on anybody else's leave requests?

This isn't about your stress levels you're screwing over the rest of the team with this pattern.

How do you cover illness?

Do you never take an extended period of time off?

Can unpaid parental leave bridge any gap? You must be on your knees?

he’s got to manage someone who is working 4 days a week in practice but on paper he’s got a 5 day a week employee so no justification for additional staff to cover that day

I think this is the problem, and yes it’s a bit entitled to assume you can manipulate annual leave to essentially work different hours that you’d prefer, on a permanent basis.

Why not put in a request to alter your working pattern?

What would you do if he started to decline some of your requests?

This is what I get repeated in my workplace. I'd never looked at it like that before people kept harping on about it. I prefer taking odd days too.

It's not taking the piss, but it does feel like you might be missing the bigger picture on how your preferred working pattern can affect resource management (including annual leave ratios for other team members).

Definitely worth asking for a meeting with your manager to outline why this way of working suits you and is optimal for your wellbeing and exploring if it's sustainable from their perspective.

Worth remembering too that businesses can cancel annual leave requests if required for business reasons (with appropriate notice) so relying on regular annual leave as a childcare option is shaky territory.

Also - to add - someone at work constantly takes long weekends - never any longer leave. Managed always approves as generally has no backbone but it is actually quite disruptive to the team who almost constantly have to provide cover.

This is valid, what if everyone wanted to do it. They’d need to permit it, as they’ve allowed you to. Very difficult situation I think

I understand your logic, and personally think it’s fine but we don’t allow this as it effectively makes you part time, and we require full time employees.

Totally depends on your workplace and the nature of your work but you are essentially using your leave to create a different working pattern.

Is there a reason you cant use childcare on the fifth day or compress your hours or go part time? Like everyone else generally has to.....

Can he force you to take a week off though? I don't think he can.

Can other staff get the leave they want to take.

As a manager I wouldn't be keen on this arrangement as essentially it's like having a part time member of the team.

People have identified the issue - you are a full time member of staff who is effectively using leave to be part time.

I would be a bit pissed off if I put in a resource need for a full time staff member and got someone who only works 4 days a week.

What industry do you work in? When I worked in banking we were required to take 1 x 2 week break so that any accounting anomalies would be picked up if we were up to no good!

I don’t think it’s entitled. But this feels more like a long term working arrangement than annual leave, can you request to have a 4 day week formalised then take a longer break with your annual leave.
Im a lone parent too, I get it. But you said you feel worn down at the start of your OP. Your manager will be worried about burn out. I would be too.

Also agree if he says no, do take a week off at some point but keep dc in nursery/childcare and give yourself a proper break.