To think that people without children should not take leave in the school holidays

[JazzyPants]

I work in a place where we have to negotiate who has what weeks off, in order that we can still do our jobs properly. I've noticed that people who don't have children of school age are asking for 2 weeks off in the school holidays. I don't think this is really very fair and these people should take their leave outside the main school holidays, so that those of us who have children can take the time with them.

Am I Being Unreasonable about this?

I second Dexter73...holidays can be booked whenever people want them.

But I do sympathise though Jazzypants - I spent 18 years in employment before having children, and happily worked majority of Christmas/Easter/Summer etc holidays to accommodate colleagues who were parents frazzled to within an inch of their lives and probably penniless with wrap-around care costs.

My husband works away from home and January is where I compare his next 12 months rota to The Calendar That Must Be Obeyed...then I plan my beseeching strategy for kindly (but random shift-working) neighbour on the days where there is a gaping chasm of parental availability...I do return the favour with overnights for her DC when her shift pattern requires it

I don't think the OP is being unreasonable at all. In fact, back in the 1970s, my late mother fought a long battle over this in her all-female workplace. The people who had been there the longest had first dibs on choosing leave. Because they had been there a long time, they invariably had grown-up children. Yet they almost always chose holidays in July and August. This meant that the women who had school-age children were stuck with holidays in term-time, which were no use to them at all. My mother fought to have a more equitable system whereby the first choice was rotated, rather than always going to the people who'd been there longest. (She lost, incidentally.)

Why on earth people without children actually choose to go on holiday during school holiday time is completely and utterly beyond me, by the way.

I spent my working life pre-DD always working Christmas so that people with children could be at home. I'm hoping karma makes sure I always see DD on Christmas Day (it's worked this year as my boss told me I get A WEEK at Christmas).

Oh, YANBU in reverse, obviously!

Yes of course you can ask to take your annual leave whenever you want - pretty sure the employer can only say no if there's a valid business reason or if other people have already booked theirs at the same time. Get it sorted early, and you should be fine.

Don't let anyone make you feel bad, it's not as though you're doing it just to be awkward - if there are things you want to do on particular dates, that's no less a valid reason than people who want to do child-related activities.

Having time off doesn't mean you have to go away on holiday, does it? How many people go away for all of their annual leave time?

I work at a hospital, so it never closed. Child care is my responsibility so always assume I am working all holidays if I do manage to get time off then it is a bonus :) heck I even check out when ds and dd are in nursery/school and have a few days to myself

I used to be the only person in a team of mums, who all wanted to take school hols off - fair enough. But my partner at the time was a teacher and I wanted to go on holiday with her too. People have lives outside yours.

Yabu. This comment annoys me at my work as does saying people who have kids should get xmas off and those without should work it. (And there's lots of people who think this too).

yabu - if this means you can still take your holidays during holidays as well.

otherwise yanbu. we have the same issue, there are 3 of us and we cover for ourselves. 2 of us have school children so there is a certain need for us to be off during at least part of the holidys. we fight it out each summer and i ain't pretty :o

At my place, they always state its for the children. Even when they are teenagers and can jolly well look after themselves

That needs to be challenged: it's discriminatory.

Over the past few years I've never had Christmas Eve off. I don't expect that the people with children should have first dibs on it: for example I have a colleague who's childless but has a 200 mile journey to be with her family - her need is as valid. In fact my manager has said requests can go in to her by a specified time and she will allocate them fairly. Whether you have children will not be a consideration.

Yes, that always comes up. For some reason, at my place the powers that be seem to think that people without kids would prefer the new year off. Whats all that about then? I know someone who hasnt worked Christmas for the past 15 years. Now that her children are late teens, she must be running out of excuses.

That's different though hackmum. Presumably there is no rule saying the longest standing workers choose their leave first. So in the OP's case, everyone is on an equal footing to begin with.

I work with someone who takes three weeks off in the school holidays and every whit week off. She doesn't have children, it is a bit annoying but as I only work two days a week I bite my tongue and work around her, she's absolutely lovely in every other respect so its not worth saying anything, however, next week I plan to book off my 2013 hols
so I get in first for once!

if people in my work make me (childless) feel guilty about taking time off during the school holidays then i would kick up a fuss
generally i avoid the school holidays anyway so kinda negates that problem but if you dont get the holidays put in the book in January in my work then you have no hope of getting the time off during the holidays

Oh and YABU

I don't have a child ( not yet anyway, for another couple of weeks) and i've always worked xmas and new year fairly, as in take it in turns, and i'll continue to do this after he's born.

I have children and I wholeheartedly support you in sticking to your guns. Anyone who thinks that they should take priority over a childless colleague wrt holiday needs to be handed a dictionary with the words "self" & "important" highlighted.

people without children do not take time off in the school holidays for no good reason. why would they with prices as they are?

they probably have a birthday or family event, or friends they holiday with who are teachers or who have children..

I can't wait until I DON'T have to take my leave during the school holidays.

Fortunately, I've always worked with colleagues who are supportive of my wish/need to have leave during the school holidays. Work shuts up completely at Christmas.

The best weather is seldom in the school holidays. It's usually in June and early July.

However, everyone should be prepared to compromise at Christmas, as this is a time when a lot of people want to be with their family, whatever age.

YABU, why should your leave take priority over theirs?

It's good management to allow anyone with a valid reason (childcare or other) to have priority in choosing a particular time to have leave at that time.

Stick yo your guns. A few women a work are moaning a lad has 2 weeks off in august. His pregnant gf is a teacher. but they think their having kids entitles them. I told them all to shut up. It was first come, first served.

yabu
very
my db is taking time off in the school holidays to spend time with us, no law against it

It's good management to allow anyone with a valid reason (childcare or other) to have priority in choosing a particular time to have leave at that time

So that means, for example, that the childless or those without close family should go to the back of the queue all the time?

If I want to book annual leave I don't see why I should justify it to management.

I do wonder tho why in all the places I've ever worked the childless all seem to always want the October half term off. Why would you want to take time off when there are children everywhere and the weather is shit?