Three holidays booked abroad?

[GaynorGoodwin]

I’ve got 3 holidays booked with work, two separate weeks this year and one next, all are abroad. We’ve got them in as at hubby’s place of work it’s hard to book anything last minute plus it can be first come, first served. Anyway at my place I just have to check with a colleague, making sure she’s not booked the same week (all which I’ve done) and she’s confirmed she’s not. My point now is, she’s made two comments in front of the other teams ‘that I’ve got three holidays booked’ so loud others do hear. Seriously WTF is she doing? She is away herself abroad, doesn’t miss out on holidays...How should I reply as she’s pissing me off big time?? Advice welcome, what do you think?

I do find people who book many months on advance annoying as ultimately they get the first pick and then everyone have to go around these dates which always seem to be the most convenient ones

That's quite unreasonable. When you have kids you are confined to the same few weeks so of course you need to leap in and book early (or if you are married to a teacher/school staff) to make sure you can go away at all. And to get accommodation that suits a family.

Anyone can book time off early. You can always cancel it again nearer the time if that slot doesn't suit after all.

Pushy and entitled to want to book one weeks holiday for next year?

If my manager turned down my request for one weeks leave next year on the basis that she didn't know who else might want that time off, I'd be looking to move team or employer.

Some people are planners some are not. I agree that Christmas /NY should be shared unless someone needs or wants to travel, but I don't see why us planners are cheeky to do our research and get affordable holidays rather than waiting for last minute Harrys.

“I know it’s great! Where is that you have booked for yours?”

Lemon are you the colleague? She’s not done the op a big favour at all.
The op is using her annual leave in the manner it’s for.

You sound like a bitch of a manager.

@Swingofthings -

My husband has to book his annual leave in October for the following April-March (so in Oct 2018, he booked up his leave from dates between April 2019-March 2020). Madness but that's the way his workplace organise it.

So I then book the same dates off with my workplace. We generally want to holiday together with our children.

Why do you want to fly abroad so when we're in the midst of ecological collapse?

I had to do the same. I booked 3 weeks leave for December and checked with my colleague first. He was fine about it but I feel a bit guilty even though he had Christmas off last year. I needed to book so far in advance (booked it in January) to get a deal that was being offered and also I wanted to ensure I got a specific room tulips in the hotel which sells out fast. So a lot of people have to book their leave early. Don’t worry about it Op they could have done the same as you if they wanted to

Room type not tulips. Don’t know where that came fron

All of the jobs I've had, you have to put a full years worth of holidays in in April

I book mine early. Our holiday window opens for the year on Oct 1. I have my calender for the year ahead booked ten mins after it opens.
Change my plans and my life to suit others who aren't and don't have to be organised? I don't think so. I work to live. I work so we can afford holidays and at the moment I have two teenagers with state exams ahead so I know the dates well in advance. I work around them. Tough shit whoever doesn't like it quite frankly.

Need a bit more context about her comments. Was another staff member complaining about not being able to take holiday allowance? Was someone saying they were skint and couldn’t afford a holiday? Was it a water cooler conversation about where people were going on holiday?

Depending on the wider discussion it’s hard to know whether it’s something I’d get worked up about.

I can’t see the issue of you using your annual leave allocation when she is entitled to do the same.

Some trips need to be planned and booked well in advance and so obviously you also need to book time off work before you commit money to it. Can’t see anything wrong with you booking a week off next year. Presumably she still has 51 other weeks to choose from for 2020?

She just sounds jealous of your holidays. I would ignore - everyone who hears her will know she's being a tit.

LemonTT

What a load of old bunk - if you allow people to book holiday that far in advance then that’s that - everyone has the opportunity and should be held to the same standard.

You’re talking utter twaddle.

I do find people who book many months on advance annoying as ultimately they get the first pick and then everyone have to go around these dates which always seem to be the most convenient ones (ie. around BH).

For those of us who have to arrange childcare for school holidays, we have to book holidays way early. We also have a timeshare week so I have to book that time off at the beginning of a holiday year.

Tell her your looking at booking another 2 😂

Can't see the issue here. Reply "yep, great isn't it, I can't wait."

thecatsthecats it does work both ways though. In my office there is a range of different circumstances and incomes. While the 'it's alright for some' attitude is annoying the constant banging on about amazing holidays to exotic destinations can be equally annoying.

There needs to be consideration both ways.

I book annual leave months in advance because it pays to be organised - before work commitments get in the way. I can usually get reasonably priced budget flights that way too. Everything else can be booked in a more leisurely manner.

@Merryoldgoat

It might sound like twaddle but you miss a vital issue. The OP can only secure leave with her colleague’s cooperation. She is not automatically entitled to it. So she has 2 choices. Play nice or get a manager to arbitrate between two people who not getting on. It is a fairly predictable scenario

OP to manager: I want to take leave spring next year.
Manager; has colleague agreed
OP; no
Manager: ok let me talk to her

Colleague; I can’t agree as I want that time
Manager: any chance you can be flexible
Colleague; not this time I have already agreed two other periods of leave. She is really demanding about this and I get stressed by it.
Manager: let me speak to HR

HR; you need a better policy. But in this case the colleague has said no once and twice yes. OP needs to change her plans.

The policy will be a compromise that screws everyone.

So I say again acknowledge her cooperation and play nice.

Why does your colleague (or anyone else, for that matter) even need to know that you're going abroad? Surely all they need to know is that you're not going to be in the office between two dates?

If you don't want your colleague to comment on the fact that you're going away three times (shock! Horror!) Then don't tell her that you're going away.

I book annual leave off, often months in advance (booked my Christmas/NY days and days around DS starting school in September, in January) but it's no one else's business where I'm going or what I'm doing.

You can, if you want, change a timeshare week? Op might not fly, could be ferry or train? Who said bragging, just checking availability with colleague. Ppl are entitled to their leave?! Perhaps managers should approve leave or have a diary system so you look rather than ask.
Yes childcare, partners jobs etc can mean you have to book early. Even an obsession with something you want to see or attend a course about.
We have skeleton staff at peak times, esp August and Xmas. Ppl with no kids try to go other times anyway cos it's cheaper. Its accepted that if you had Xmas last year you don't get first choice this year. Work rota done about a month in advance, and swap w colleagues if you want to book last minute.

Most of the “problems” on MN at the moment could be solved by people keeping their business to themselves and not flapping their gob to all and sundry.

How does the colleague know you’ve got 3 holidays abroad booked OP? Because presumably you told people. If you don’t want people talking about it, then just don’t tell them. You can book time off without specifying what it’s for.

@Snausage, cross post and similar names 🤣

Where you're going on holiday is absolutely standard small talk chat. There's a reason it's a cliche about being what hairdressers ask you. Workplaces would be pretty miserable if everyone thought that all topics of small talk were 'nobody's business', or that by telling people any inconsequential thing, you're giving them the absolute right to loudly slag you off for it.

At my office, they had a diary system of who was off work or so people wouldn’t book the same days. If OP has the same, everyone who has access could see she had those days off. You wouldn’t have to tell people anything unless those days were absolutely needed and usually people could assume you’d be on holiday depending on how many days you had off.