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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

No Annual Leave during school holidays

329 replies

Dodoluded · 30/09/2019 11:49

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.

OP posts:
Sashkin · 30/09/2019 21:24

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

OP, with this and the refusing to let you take medical leave, get job hunting.

There's a phrase Alison Green on AskAManager uses: "Your boss sucks and isn't going to change" - it is 100% true of your boss, and unless you come in on Wednesday and find she's been sacked, both your mental health and your CV would be better off if you moved somewhere else.

This time you are wasting being employed as a secretary but doing technical work could be spent racking up years of experience being employed in an actual technical job. Telling future employers that "yes your job title said secretary but no really you were totally doing technical work" is going to make you look either completely deluded or like you have some major flaw preventing you from being employed at an appropriate level for your skills. You are wasting time, not building experience.

(if you come in on Wednesday and find she's been sacked, for god's sake update us!)

InvisibleWomenMustBeRead · 30/09/2019 21:24

Well done for standing up for yourself Op. Hope it goes well tomorrow and the directors continue to support you.

PumpityPumpPump · 30/09/2019 21:25

I work on a team of all part time mums. It's so stressful as everyone wants the same time off and will try to book so far in advance to out do each other. 😑

You have my sympathy, it really affects team moral. 😣

Isleepinahedgefund · 30/09/2019 21:34

Friend of mine was the only childless person in her office for years. Firstly she very kindly volunteered not to take holiday in school holidays. Then last year she asked for leave in school holidays (to spend quality time with my dd no less - she’s her godparent) and was told no, because she doesn’t have children. I told her at the time she would regret her kindness and sure enough she’s so resentful now as it’s been taken for granted and now thrown back in her face. Luckily there are new staff with no kids/ grown up kids, but I was always so cross that she couldn’t have time off in the holidays.

Original poster
Dodoluded · 30/09/2019 21:54

All is good. Work will sort itself out and you’ve all given me a kick up the bum to start/ continue job searching. The small lump this morning from the smear test is now a size of a peach so I’m having some antibiotics IV and the gynae is figuring out what to do with it! I’m in the hospital. Definitely no work tomorrow! It’s nit cancerous!

OP posts:
OrangeCinnamon · 30/09/2019 22:00

Flowers for you @dodoluded you've had a tough couple of days and need to look after yerself

Enko · 30/09/2019 22:02

Get well soon op

Ontheboardwalk · 30/09/2019 22:03

I didn’t mind covering Christmas Eve for colleagues with young kids. Covered on my own 6 years on the trot.

Asked for Christmas off 15 months off in advance for huge family event the following year and was told no I couldn’t have the time off. I was told I always offered to work Christmas so I had to work next Christmas.

The Christmas coming up that year 3 months later, when they asked for volunteers I kept my mouth shut. Normal shift patterns then were kept in place and other people had to work

With the shift patterns the following year I ended up to two Christmas eves off on the trot. Proper sour faces from the two mummies who NEEDED Christmas Eve off for their nearly teenage children.

I won’t be volunteering ever again any time soon

Ontheboardwalk · 30/09/2019 22:04

Cross post - get well soon Dodoluded

57Varieties · 30/09/2019 22:08

just because, you have the exact same right as a parent or a non-parent

Exactly.

I do have kids but I’ve never thought that gives me more right to time off when I want than anyone else.

Gazelda · 30/09/2019 22:09

Hope,you're feeling better soon Dodo.

And it sounds as though matters have come to a head at work, hopefully in your favour. But I think you're very wise to be mob hunting.

vivariumvivariumsvivaria · 30/09/2019 22:32

size of a PEACH?!

Bloody hell.

Get well soon and be sure and point out that you were refused time to have this vag fruit salad dealt with, which could have lead to sepsis

Ohdeariedear · 30/09/2019 22:40

Oh Dodo glad you’re in the hospital and getting sorted. I had similarly-timescaled gynae crisis (“hello, come to the hospital NOW!”) earlier on in the year and the NHS was amazing, I’m all sorted now and hope you will be too ASAP.

On the job front, echoing what a PP has said - she’s never going to change. She thinks she’s entitled and will fight any attempt to change things. It sounds like you have other team members feeling the same and a change might be possible but only you know whether you can tolerate the storm it will inevitably take to get there. Another job might be the easiest solution. It just depends what you feel up to at this point.

Good luck and I hope you get the medical issue sorted quickly.

hittheroadjack1 · 30/09/2019 23:45

Hope you're feeling better op.

Like you said, work will sort itself out.

BumbleBeee69 · 30/09/2019 23:51

Cripes OP, thank goodness one of your female Directors was in that meeting.

I hope everything goes okay tomorrow with the gynae team. Flowers

EBearhug · 01/10/2019 00:10

Those advising to join a union- I’ve never worked for a company that recognises a union so not sure this advice is suitable for all. People in unions could bring a rep along to their disciplinary meetings but this was only in the context of taking a friend for support.

Bollocks is it. A good, experienced union rep will be well-versed in employment law and negotiation and know how to support you for the best outcome. Good friends may be very supportive, but that doesn't mean they have the skills and knowledge you need in a disciplinary or grievance situation. (Apart from the ones who actually have been/are union reps, that is.) It's like insurance - might seem a waste of money for years, but just one incident where you need them makes it all worthwhile. I was very glad of my union rep last year, and we don't recognise a union at work.

Hope tomorrow's appointment all goes well.

jade9390 · 01/10/2019 00:46

I never take leave in the summer holidays, due to cost and courtesy to parents who need it but Christmas is annoying, as many of us still have elderly relatives who need a Christmas.

Teddybear45 · 01/10/2019 02:27

When you hand your notice in, put the reasons why in the letter and send a copy to HR. At the very least it will merit an investigation

MulticolourMophead · 01/10/2019 03:09

Im crossing my legs at the thought of something the size of a peach up there, glad you're getting sorted.

Job hunting is probably a good idea, although things at work might come out in your favour.

SimplySteveRedux · 01/10/2019 03:28

Get well soon @Dodoluded and seems the directors are wising up to this CF taking the piss. Hopefully a promotion to a technical position is yours in the very near future, and don't let the holiday thing drop.

theretheirtheyrenotno · 01/10/2019 04:47

I think CF should be getting her CV updated......

MyOtherProfile · 01/10/2019 06:39

Scary. Hope they sort your vag out quick.

Maybe you won't need to leave, if the directors Re on the case. Sounds like you need a different position if you do stay though.

Groovee · 01/10/2019 06:43

Cripes, size of a peach. Thinking of you x

StCharlotte · 01/10/2019 08:11

I was part of a team of three where the other two had children (I don't) and I was asked to avoid school hols if possible as one worked two days during the holidays (youngest was 14 when I started there five years ago) and the other only worked term time. Even though her children were both at Uni. Wasn't a problem really and if I'd needed time during school hols either the first person would have covered or the office would have gone un(wo)manned. Then they started booking holidays during term time because their children were, like, ADULTS but still took the school holidays Confused (Yes they were paid pro-rata). Fortunately they were nice decent human beings and would always check the dates with me first.

Fortunately I've never worked anywhere that was open over Christmas.

StCharlotte · 01/10/2019 08:13

Can i just add that I was actually really impressed at how family-friendly that company was.

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