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Original poster

Annual leave - what are you doing

53 replies

Itwasntme1 · 07/06/2020 20:46

I have 36 days of annual to take this year - carried over lots from last year.

I usually take two solid weeks in July, but I haven’t even thought about it yet. No chance of booking a holiday or doing anything fun. But work is exhausting and stressful and I need a break.

What are you all doing about summer holidays and annual leave this year?

OP posts:
Crunchymum · 07/06/2020 21:23

I've got loads (8 weeks, some carried over)

I cancelled my week in April and my week in May. I've kept a few days in June [as much as I'm not celebrating my birthday, I'm not bloody working on it either Grin )

I have a week booked in Sept and Oct too but I'll have to see what the school situation is (and also the office situation as we've not had an official return date yet)

I'll also see what the official work advice is. They can't have a whole work force with ful holiday to use so I suspect they'll start to request we take booked leave / book leave to stagger people being off.

getdownonit · 07/06/2020 21:24

Our company has let us carry over up to 4 weeks to be used by end of 2022, but I still need to take two weeks this year. Probably one in the summer and one at Christmas?

Ghostlyglow · 07/06/2020 21:24

@whichteaareyou I'm NHS too and we haven't been told this. I was expecting it but nothing has been said yet(seems very short-sighted of them to me, but none of my business).

CupCupGoose · 07/06/2020 21:41

DH was furloughed but been back to work for 2 weeks now. Only a few have gone back and it looks like most of those still furloughed will be made redundant. Him and his colleagues are all worried that putting in for any annual leave will look bad and so they are all scared to.

WheresTheEvidence · 07/06/2020 21:41

I've been working throughout and upped my days from 4 to 5. I took 2 days last week and actually made a point of them being holiday days, so brunch and a nice walk and doing things I enjoy instead of wasting the days like I do the weekends.

SoloMummy · 07/06/2020 21:52

School summer holidays, week before ch2and half term Oct.

Do you have children?

I've only had 1 holiday day off this year and one bank holiday since Jan and I must admit with juggling home schooling it was much needed.

BlueJava · 07/06/2020 21:55

I plan a week of holiday in July- walks from my house and some daily yoga, food prep for freezer and continue learning Russian as I have a course starting then. Not fantastic but the lie ins will be!

HaveYouSeenMyBones · 07/06/2020 21:58

I'm taking annual leave proportional to this point in the years allocation.

I took a week off at the end of May and used it to repaint the hallway and office. Two jobs that have been hanging over me and I am now very glad they've been done.

EnlightenedOwl · 07/06/2020 22:02

Had no time off since the new holiday year commenced in April. There's no point you can't go anywhere or do anything August UK summer holiday has been cancelled

MedSchoolRat · 07/06/2020 22:03

I don't have a contract so I wouldn't know how many days to take anyway. I might get a contract after spending freeze is lifted in July. There is a loose system for keeping track of our leave taken, but I can probably ignore the demands for this paperwork, just as well.

CMOTDibbler · 07/06/2020 22:12

We have a compulsory week off in June, another in July, and have to take another 5 days around Christmas. So now I only have 7 days to actually choose, and the whole of the summer holidays to deal with.
I'd never normally go away in term time, but have booked a campsite in the July week on the off chance they are open. The week in June I'll be painting my bedroom and doing some other stuff as well as homeschooling

BiddyPop · 08/06/2020 12:07

I have taken 2 days around Easter but nothing else yet. Leave year starts 1st April and I had carried 2 days over.

Will probably take at least a week down the west of the country in July or Aug, and some long weekends to see family. We hadn’t booked any trips away, but had intended a sailing charter in June which is not possible now.

I will take some other time once dd has gone back to school also, some quiet space for myself at home.

We’ll probably try to get out a fair bit over the summer - visits to distant family, hiking the mountains, going to local and further beaches etc. I might take DD for a couple of nights camping.

But that’s in between work, so likely to be odd days rather than entire weeks.

And I’d like to go for a weekend in a hotel in the autumn, if they are fully open again. Just down the country here, not abroad.

There are plenty of great places here if the weather is good.

TheClitterati · 08/06/2020 17:08

I cannot wait to have a break from work.

I wanted to go to Europe and was thinking of Italy, or camping in Netherlands/France.

I have today bought a tent and we (me and 2 DC) will go camping probably in our county - keep it close. Now to get the rest of the camping kit we need.

Will probably have a week at home too, or perhaps 2 weeks of half days - work in the morning and play in the afternoons.

reluctantbrit · 08/06/2020 17:29

My holiday is normally when the schools are shut so I still take it and spend time with DD. While she is old enough, 13, do be on her own I think it is unfair for her being alone without any distraction and still not really able to spend lots of time with friends.

We do hope we can go away.

Normally my industry requires us to take two weeks in a row, nobody knows if that is the case at the moment and my employer is reluctant to force people taking time off but thoroughly encourage us at least taking odd days to take a break.

DefConOne · 08/06/2020 17:49

I’m NHS and we can’t carry leave over. I had May half term off which was much needed. I’ve got two weeks off in August. We have a Netherlands holiday booked which I don’t see happening. Will try and postpone to next year and take a UK break instead if possible. We are encouraged to take leave throughout the year. I’m tied to school hols so easily done.

Chasingsquirrels · 08/06/2020 17:56

Also got lots of holiday to take due to carry over, plus TOIL.

We had a week in the Caribbean in late Feb / early Mar which I feel very lucky about.

No idea about the rest, I was furloughed for April so had a lovely break at home with great weather - so not really needing another one at this point.

We had previously been thinking about a long weekend in France in Sep to see DP's parents who live there, but DP biking group trip to France now reorganised to early Sep from this week, so that won't really work.

Summer probably out due to travel restrictions etc, and even if things are lifted I don't think I'll want to go yet.

A colleague is taking a day a week, but I work part time anyway so that wouldn't work so well for me.

Am considering getting my TOIL paid out, or increasing my hours and using the holiday that way.

forrandomposts · 08/06/2020 17:58

Same, I've got 34 days but luckily they are letting us carry 20 days over. Still leaves me with three weeks to take this year, but I'm thinking one at Christmas, one in summer and hopefully squeeze a holiday (or at least not lockdown) week in autumn

minmooch · 08/06/2020 18:29

Work for a small business. If everyone furloughed then takes their annual leave we will be screwed. Although furlough covers 80% of salaries no profits made in those times. No profits mean no salaries when furlough stops. If staff want holidays and we have to pay others to cover their work we won't survive.

It's tough for everyone - I've worked longer hours than ever and not had any time off. Working hard to keep the business going so that there are jobs for furloughed staff to come back to. Due to go away next week but flights cancelled. Will take my days anyway so that we are not away when the industry gets busier.

Violetroselily · 08/06/2020 18:50

I am using annual leave as usual because I hate my job and would rather be sat at home doing nothing for a week

chickedeee · 08/06/2020 19:01

I have not taken any time off yet, I am on a zero hour contract so my work fluctuates a lot. However my family and I have all been working from home including the half-term where the children have been revising. Because of this,and to keep sane, me and the kids will take August off. Not the same as we had hoped but we will really relax. Feed up hearing about people along my road 'feeling bored'. We have been busy working!!!Grin

MissCalamity · 08/06/2020 20:03

I'll probably take a bit over the August holidays, I've only taken 2 days since the start of the year. 😬
I do only work 4 days though (and have been doing 2 days WFH each week since the start of April) so I don't feel too bad at the moment.

SecondaryBurnzzz · 12/06/2020 19:24

I've used quite a lot of mine just taking Friday and Monday's off. It's really nice, and I wish I could just do 3 days a week normally. Now the shops/galleries/Kew Gardens are open we can start enjoying life a bit more. Still won't venture to the coast just yet.

graysquirrel · 12/06/2020 20:26

I have 2 weeks booked over summer for planned UK based holidays. No idea if still going ahead at this point but keeping the time off even if not. Have also booked every Friday (I work half day) off and my husband every Monday off in August. No way am I making my children do school work all summer so we're going to move to doing some work Tues to Thurs and long weekends for everyone to chill and have a bit of fun.
I'm lucky can choose to do this but also I can't see us fully out of lockdown until 2021 so not like I'll be going away more than local UK breaks for a good year or so yet so don't need or want my annual leave to build up.
Besides it's nice some days to not have to turn on my laptop, does wonders for my mental health!

CherryPavlova · 12/06/2020 20:37

I have generous holidays. I’ve booked a few days to make long weekends to go away in July and August but saving most leave to book when we can do something a bit more interesting.

KaTetof19 · 12/06/2020 21:00

I've been taking my annual leave as normal. Company has confirmed they won't rollover more than 5 days as per contract so use them or lose them is very much the case.

We all had Whitsun week off and it was lovely not trying to juggle work/school work from home and to just chill together as a family.