Stolen holiday?

[goldengecko]

My office closes at lunchtime on Friday (Christmas Eve) meaning that everyone here will only be working a half day.

I've had Friday (and Thursday) booked off for some time now and it dawned on me yesterday that I'm essentially losing half a day's holiday as I've taken an entire day for what is only a half day of work.

The MD's defence (even though he himself won't be in that day) is that because it's not an "official closure" and just a "goodwill gesture" anyone wanting to take it off needs to take the whole day.

It's not the extra half day that I'm working that bothers me, I'm not THAT petty, it's more the principle. The fact that I turn up on time every day (unlike my colleagues) and always get things done (and on time), I would've hoped would've counted for something.

Instead I feel like I'm being punished for wanting to spend more time with my family over Christmas...

AIBU?

YABVVU. And your MD sounds very sensible.

Happens at my work too. Office closes early, but I've booked the day off. I just put it down to experience and feel happy for my colleagues getting out early. That said, I always work nye and often we go home early then too.

a goodwill gesture that applies to people working that day and that day only

Well, that's precisely the problem. Another 'goodwill gesture' would be to let the OP claim back the holiday she does not technically need to take.

Standard practice at everywhere I have worked too - still always preferred to book the day off as hols and stay tucked up in bed or lazing around in pyjamas all morning instead of having to trudge into the office. Same for the week in between Christmas and NY. Merry Christmas OP.

Why should a goodwill gesture to those stuck working Christmas Eve be applied to those not working Christmas Eve though?

It's not really the case that people are 'stuck' working Christmas Eve (and NB we're not actually talking about Christmas Eve but Friday 23rd). I don't think the OP's work has a rota system or anything else that compels people to work certain days.

It's that the OP initially thought she'd need a whole day off, then a half-day holiday was belatedly instituted, meaning that she couldn't now go in for the afternoon even if she wanted to but she's had to use – well, lose –a half-day's holiday.

Why should a goodwill gesture to those stuck working Christmas Eve be applied to those not working Christmas Eve though?

Because it's not that it's a non-working day, (eg someone who works Mon-Weds), OP chose to sacrifice a day of her finite annual leave on what was a normal full working day. Now that it's known that the office will close at lunchtime, everyone else has effectively been given an extra half day of annual leave, whereas OP is a half day of annual leave down. It's about being fair and consistent.

In other news, I've just found out that on Friday my place is closing at 11

I don't think YABU, but it does happen everywhere. As you say, lesson learned

And to elaborate on Dulci's point, if you can buy and sell holiday, it's the equivalent of half a days extra pay!

A couple of years back my office stressed in writing that Christmas Eve was a normal working day. I wanted to finish early so arranged to come in at 08:00 and take 30 minutes for lunch, allowing me to leave at 15:30. Two of my colleagues started at 10:00 and took a full hour for lunch. At 15:00 our Chief Exec said we could all go home! I got 30 minutes off, my colleagues got two and a half hours.

Last year, we were again told it was a normal working day. Some time after 15:30 our Chief Operating Officer wandered in and asked "What are you doing here?" It turned out that an email had gone out to all head office staff around mid-day saying that they could go home at 15:00, but they forgot to send it to the 20 staff in London.

This year we've been told it's a normal working day......

DH has no leave left and is working all over Christmas. He's just been told today the office will only be open 10-2 but they will get full pay!

YABU this is how it has been anywhere I worked

Standard practice. We are told in advance that there will be an early closure but if you want the whole day off it counts as a whole days holiday.

I understand your pain my old office always got sent home early (1-2 hours) every day between xmas & ny but if you'd taken it off you used full days

It's pretty much the norm in many businesses but always a risk if you don't take it off incase they work longer.

However because of people making a fuss about it at dh's work they changed it. And now there is no early finish at all - 5pm is the earliest they can leave. And it's also very restricted in how many people can take Christmas Eve off, either full day or half day (was always but now is harder as more people want it as a holiday as there's no chance of finishing an hour or two or more earlier.) And no people complain about that.

It was never announced officially til the actual day at dh's work. And the time varied. It often depended on how busy the offices were and if there were client appointments in the book.

Quite simply, the OP should not lose out on holiday time that falls over a period when she couldn't be in the office even if she'd wanted to be.

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The get out clause for that at dh's work was that you could stay if you wanted to. It's just you we're also able to leave early if you wanted to. No one was forced to leave so they 'could' be in the office.

Where i work, 1pm everyone has gone.

I am on annual leave today as well but one of those things.

I think this is usual in a lot of places. If you definitely want Christmas Eve/last day before Christmas off then you book it off. This year our company had said it's a full working day 😬 This is my 10th Christmas - THIS is unfair as I'm used to it now!!

Hula, that's not the case in the OP's office though; the office is closing at lunchtime.