My company prides itself on work/life balance, flexible working, working from home and making time up etc. (We all constantly exceed our contractual 35 hours per week). Last week, a colleague left an hour early to attend a speed awareness course.This week another left at lunch and finished the day working from home (non-emergency). I asked for an hour (and make time up) for a school piano recital. I was told to take a half day holiday. This is the first time I have not used a holiday to begin with (because my colleagues don't seem to need to use holidays for an hour here, an hour there for non-essential, emergency situations......so why should I?).