No Annual Leave during school holidays

[Dodoluded]

I’ve just been told that because I don’t have a child I can’t take annual leave during school holidays as my line manager needs to take that time off for child care arrangements and one of us need to manage the team (I do this when she is not there).

Basically she’s taking a week off either side of Christmas and has worked one day per week over the summer holiday and taken the rest as unpaid leave.

There are already four months in the year when I am not allowed to take any annual leave due to my workload.

AIBU to not agree to the holidays leave thing? None of this was explained at interview or before my probationary period finished.

They have just refused a leave request for next year as it overlaps with school holidays by four days although she currently has no leave booked for this period.

I'd go to the highers and ask why such an agreement was never mentioned before you agreed to the role.

if the senior management like you and want to promote you I’d be tempted to let one of them know you are job hunting and why.

That's a good idea.

Major discrimination. Speak to HR.

your Line Manager has got a cushy little number there with this childcare set up at OP's expense huh.

I think this sounds very unfair. Yes, I know that employers can restrict annual leave during periods when the workload is likely to be particularly heavy, but it seems ridiculous to say that this one person gets all dibs on annual leave during school holidays just because she is a parent.

Does she think that having a child makes her a special case? I don't think it does.

Make sure you get answers out of HR. It sounds as though they might be pussyfooting about at the moment if they have to get back to you rather than give a straightforward answer to your simple question.

"
She does a mixture of WFH, annual leave and unpaid leave."

And if she's wfh then you shouldn't be needed to cover - if you are then she can't work effectively from home surely?
Good luck op, don't take this lying down!

@Cherrysoup how is this ‘Major Discrimination’?!

No I’m not getting paid extra. I’m a secretary but I have a degree in the technical area of the company I work for and am doing about 80% technical work in my field and 20% secretarial. I do my entire job description in that 20% of the time. I don’t get paid for any of the technical work (they usually get consultants in to the overflow work but now they give it to me) and I don’t get paid for any of the line management work I do.

I have a PA to deal with the volume of emails and they give my work to her and then give me the technical work. She’s leaving (I hope I just wrote her reference and she had her interview last week). We have seven people in our team and most of them are technical experts, one PA and one other secretary.

I have already spoken to a senior manager in confidence a couple of weeks ago.

How long since you took the job? Just say it's already booked and you weren't told the policy earlier so didn't realise you needed to mention it in the interview etc.

I would contact ACAS re this issue and start looking for another job.

I was interviewed in December and started in January just after New Years.

I agree you should raise with HR and if they come back and say it is agreed with her tell them it is not agreed with you. Unless your contract states or there is a policy that says they can dictate when you take your leave then challenge this all the way.

She shouldn't get priority there are millions of working parents out there who cant dictate everyone elses leave arrangements around their own she needs to get real.

And no this is not grounds for discrimination in the eyes of the law.

From what you’re telling us, it sounds as if she needs to be managed out, not you. Her manager has definitely taken the route of least resistance so do be careful if it’s her manager you’ve confided in.

Why would you want to take annual leave in the school holidays? Everything is three times the price.
I don't have annual leave then either as I don't have any school age children still at home and there are loads of staff who need school holidays off.
However, I do this this should have been made quite clear to you before you started. What if you had a wedding or other important family occasion?

What if your partner worked in a school?
Or you want to go away with family with children?

I was going to say this, or are looking after them for someone!

YukoandHiro, it's not a policy, it's an arrangement with one person.

I agree with this: Make sure you get answers out of HR. It sounds as though they might be pussyfooting about at the moment if they have to get back to you rather than give a straightforward answer to your simple question.
They sound scared of her/unwilling to address it and admit that it's dubious practice. I'd put pressure on them.

What’s the salary difference between you and the technical staff?

Do you need us to give your head a wobble op?

Why would you want to take annual leave in the school holidays? Everything is three times the price.
I don't have annual leave then either as I don't have any school age children still at home and there are loads of staff who need school holidays off.

People have extended families that they might want to spend time with and that might include children, or school staff. Or events could be on during the holidays.

The OP is already restricted for 4 months of the year because of the business so to add another 3 to that - including around Christmas - seriously limits when she could go away

That's ridiculous. You certainly are NOT being unreasonable. I have a child myself but would never expect people to bow down to my wants like that! And contrary to an above poster I DO think you are being discriminated against. You are being treated differently and unfairly because of your decision not to have a child at this point in your life. I'm all for common sense ie it would be harsh for parents to be told that they couldn't have any school holiday time off - but there has to be a balance. If you're in a union contact them. I don't know if ACAS deal with this sort of thing but worth googling. Definitely speak to HR and get it all in writing. Query whether or not this is an official work policy, and where the policy is written.
Some people are just ridiculous.

@madcatladyforever normally I don’t want to because of the price (have said this upthread) but it’s a group holiday and I cannot dictate the dates as some of those people have children and are going to get fined by schools for taking their kids out. It’s for a special reason but not necessarily an event.

Just been told I can’t attend my emergency gynae appointment tomorrow and need to reschedule. Bearing in mind the issue was discovered this morning and the GP phoned me ten minutes ago to say I needed to see a gynae urgently.

Dodo is about to go full throttle with a male director about the state of my vagina.

What a crock of shit!

So you've got 4 months of the year you can't use your holiday because it's too busy plus 3 months of the year you can't use it because of her, then another week over Christmas where you are definitely off so that only leaves you 20 weeks of the year to take (I assume) 4 weeks holiday.

madcatladyforever, what a daft question. I and others have given some reasons why: partners/family whose work is constrained by the school calendar; holiday arrangements with people who DO have kids at school; wanting a holiday when the weather is nice…

OP, given your update about the nature of your work, I'd say they're taking the piss more generally too. They're basically getting a technical expert and line manager for a secretary's wage.

Get out.

OP

DO go full throttle with a male director! Let him have it. What a bunch of cunts (sorry for the choice of words).

I took most of my leave in term time pre kids when possible, to take advantage of prices, and it was doable as didnt have a teacher partner etc. BUT... doesn't work when you need the time off for a specific and immovable event.