to think I can get by without childcare in August because work is quiet?

Why would you take leave when they are back at school and not when they are off? No, just on principle. You’re at work. Paid to work, not go to the park.

If asked by work, would you be lying about it? If so, then it isn't worth it.

Wonder what the problem is then? Apparently the OP has been allowed to take their children out all day, her colleagues have different jobs so don't mind that they would have to book leave to do the same, the children are old enough to entertain themselves during an email or phone-call. What's the issue then? Clearly the boss does not know, it isn't typical practice, and we are all arguing amongst ourselves.😆

RTFT. The boss has said it's absolutely fine.

But not everyone in the company will do the same thing. Some departments may well carry on as normal, others may be down to skeleton staff - others may even close completely. Not every single member of staff has to have the ability to do the same thing at the same time. Very few businesses work like that.

Nothing further to add, other than - it is completely irrelevant.

1. it isn't the OP's problem. It works like that now and she is in a position to use it. Not using it now wouldn't have much influence on the company's health in a few years and there is no guarantee that the OP will be still there no matter what she does now.

2. actually, this might be close to optimal solution - majority is taking the annual leave, but someone still needs to be around.
   The one person who doesn't have any annual leave is actually happy with the setup.

3. senior people should have experience with dealing with reality. Reality is never optimal and you can change only so many things in the same time.

This is why Id like to know what op does. She still hasnt told us. Pretty sure the boss wouldn’t actually be happy.

Being a child of the 70s we were not entertained all summer holidays either. Just out with friends etc or entertained yourselves.

You don’t have to have a month long constructed Disney land for whole of August. It’s not a shame for the kids it’s totally ok.

People Have lost the plot.

This is quite sad for your kids - take a week or long weekend off & take them away!

Yup! It's deliberately lazy. There's no way on earth I would give 100% to my employer who's investors live on yachts on Palm Beach.

I save on childcare, spend time with the kids and save my annual leave for when I have date days with DH or go out with friends. The Europeans also have quite a lot of holiday days,so it's not an apples to apples comparison - my colleagues in France get 6 weeks of leave. If that were me, then I'm sure I would take off some of Aug, but as such, I don't.

Correct, the work is building up.

My stance on that: If I have to wait for one month for the projects to move whilst everyone else swans off on holiday, they can wait for one week in Sept whilst I'm on my own break, at least it's not a month! (My manager actually said this the other day.)

Not necessarily everyone in the company, but everyone in particular roles within the company, yes.
I can't answer for OP, but I do recall having similar dilemmas about the absolute necessity of keeping booking holiday clubs which cost me upwards of £50 a day to cover 8-6, for the 'just in case' I am needed moments when my kids were similar age.
I work for a company with a global presence, in a global role. My hours are fully flexible all year round, according to business need.
No one blinks at me taking time out during the day, because sometimes I am on calls well into the night or very early, depending on what geography I am working with. Or like last week, when I was on leave, but had to take my laptop with me so I could sign off on something for one of my team, which was meant to be done the week before, but didn't happen and the business was not going to accept it being delayed until this week.

If your employer has a policy about it, then no, I wouldn’t do it.

@isitPeri1 Well if our understanding of your organisation is so misguided, you could help us out by telling us something about what it is and how it is run. But in the absence of that info, it is really hard not to draw the conclusion that a company/organisation that is paying not just one but several employees for a whole month to have outings with their kids... could improve its workflow and efficiencies.

When I want but most of our trips tend to be long weekends with only one actual week long trip, we just never have the whole team on actual holidays at the same time and I use the word team loosely we just do the same job but we don’t work together. I’ll have my assignments and they have theirs we don’t share or jointly do a job. If you cannot do the task the other person gets the whole task.

A family member has an even better job, they might only work 2 days a month but they are basically on call 24/7. If it needs fixing 2pm Christmas Day they are in. If nothings broken they are not needed just sat on a hefty retainer. They still get to go on leave as well just not Christmas Day or new years.

If everyone in the company was able to skeleton staff in the way the OP wants to they wouldn't be posting here. That is what people are querying. Is everyone else able to have days out through August so long as they have their phone? If so there would be no issue.

Exactly - the total lack of thought and imagination is quite impressive 🫣

Newsflash: not all industries are the same and many practically shut down in the quieter months with just a few skeleton staff to answer emails. It’s very, very normal.

Why are you posting then? If your manager has agreed they are happy for you to take days out in August with your children so long as you take your phone, and that is what everyone else does, what is the issue? Your children are old enough to do an activity while you are on the phone.

If that's the case when do you take your leave then?

Don't you think it's quite a lazy attitude to deliberately plan to be at work when you know it's quiet because no-one's in to reply to you and you'll have an easy time of it? The European way seems sensible in lots of ways to me, it means that organisations can be more efficient; when people are all back at work together they can actually get stuff done as they are not sitting round having to wait for people to come back from leave to respond to their emails/have a meeting with them.

You've currently got work building up, projects not moving forwards, presumably, because of all your out of office replies to the emails that you've sent. So I assume some of your work is stuck until you've heard back from some of them. But you also say that when you will take leave in September your work will also build up then and it's just there to come back to. That's a lot of time with stuff just building up and not moving forwards, isnt' it? Hardly the best way for an organisation to work. No wonder the UK is less productive than many other European countries.

I’ve had zero work for 2 weeks already. The clients are not sending through work so there is no work to send to me.

Give it four weeks or so and I won’t have time to fart let alone anything else. I’ll be sat at 2am making sure the deadline is reached but until there is work I can’t get ahead and there is nothing to catch up on as once the jobs done it’s done.

Actually, often the bosses want August off, so want someone like OP around to just keep an eye on things.

Yep.

Many people don't understand being paid for quality, not quantity.

For projects delivered, not hours chained to the desk.