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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Annual Leave martyrs

268 replies

LittleMissUnreasonable · 09/02/2022 13:06

Am I being unreasonable to be really fed up of constant bragging from friends, colleagues etc about how much annual leave has got left at the end of the year! It's normally always said with a undertone of martyrdom as well;

"I've had to ask my boss for special permission to carry my leave over as I havent managed to use it all"

"Oh I've got 20 days leave left and I've got to use 10 up before the end of the year insert Mumsnet tinkly little laugh"

As an aside all of these people are in jobs where taking leave is encouraged and you're very flexible at getting time off. It's just strange when people seem to see it as a big competition about how much annual leave they can have left at the end of the year but then panic when they're expected to use it or lose it Hmm

OP posts:
Weekendssuck · 09/02/2022 13:08

YESSSSSSS

daimbarsatemydogsbone · 09/02/2022 13:08

YANBU

daimbarsatemydogsbone · 09/02/2022 13:09

See also people bragging about how poorly paid and overworked they are as if it's a virtue of some kind.

SugarBlossomFairy · 09/02/2022 13:09

These people are the worst. No one is giving out any medals for not taking holiday

LadyFanny · 09/02/2022 13:09

See also, people who come into work sick.

Stripyhoglets1 · 09/02/2022 13:10

YANBU.
I just say "oh I haven't- can always find something better than work to do with my leave!"

SuitcaseOfWhine · 09/02/2022 13:10

I've never noticed this. Where are you working?

There is no way I wouldn't take all my leave!

Ionlydomassiveones · 09/02/2022 13:12

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn at the poster's request.

Christmas21 · 09/02/2022 13:14

I used to manage one of these! It's remind her to book leave throughout the year but she'd still lose leave as she was in excess of the 12 day carryover.

LadyCleathStuart · 09/02/2022 13:14

Yes this is so annoying and I just don't get it. Lots of people in my workplace seem to be off on leave every other week and are still moaning about having to carry over so they are either lying or carrying massive balances from years back which I wouldn't see being allowed.

We work flexi time and also get the "OMG I just have so much flexi due I don't know how I will use it up"....eh by taking days off, starting late or finishing early? It's not that fucking hard.

It is just peoples way of saying 'I work harder than you' but they way I see it I can get my work done in my alloted hours and don't have to work ridiculous hours so maybe I actually work harder lol?

Iamanunsafebuilding · 09/02/2022 13:17

Or I offer you my colleague who declares they are 'jealous' and 'exhausted' whenever another member of the team goes on leave but doesn't take their own leave

00100001 · 09/02/2022 13:18

My colleague does this... I leave him to it and tell him he's an idiot to work for free for 3 weeks.

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 09/02/2022 13:21

YANBU!

A huge number of the childfree folk at my work seem to be like this! Especially not using any during the worst of the pandemic as “there’s nowhere to go”. Ok but some of us had to use their annual leave and more just for childcare!

Lipsandlashes · 09/02/2022 13:21

I used to work with someone who would 'sell' back 10 days of AL to the company. He was a right tight git and I pitied him. Disclaimer - it wasn't as if he was hard up - he was middle management and on a good salary plus commission.

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 09/02/2022 13:22

Oh but then a lot also said they were burnt out!

Annual leave isn’t just for going to Greece/ Spain/ Australia/ wherever floats your boat!

Regularsizedrudy · 09/02/2022 13:23

Yes I hate this people. They may as well go round saying “I am bad at time management”

Crimesean · 09/02/2022 13:23

Yes! There's at least one in every office. Also likely to come to work sick and infect everyone else.

OfstedOffred · 09/02/2022 13:24

Oh gosh I always pity people who've not used up their annual leave.

Like they have nothing better to do than work.
Meanwhile I'm there adding it up twenty five times and shouting in triumph I've a half day left so will be going home at noon on 31 jan rather than waste it

ButtOutBobsMum · 09/02/2022 13:25

YANBU. Plus in my business the holiday year is the calendar year which is also the financial year! So you have all these idiots who've failed to take any holiday during the year then when faced with the "use it or lose it" rule pretty much stop working at the end of November so we all have carry the extra workload Angry

I've recently been promoted and now have to manage a couple of these holiday martyrs (love that expression!). I've made it VERY clear this will not be happening this year. I've told them all to use their holiday during the year and that I'm only allowing one person to be off at any one time in December due to it being our busiest month. Suspect they're working on the voodoo doll as I speak Grin

Titsywoo · 09/02/2022 13:26

More fool them! Unless it is your own company you are just wasting your own time working when you don't need to. Companies will often take advantage of people who work loads of extra time - it becomes an expectation. You can still excel/advance at work without killing yourself.

I do have my own company so take less leave as it is hard to entirely shut up shop for long (we are still small so barely any employees) - but I get all the money I earn!

itwasntaparty · 09/02/2022 13:27

Totally. I always carry over ten that was a long service award - I 'bank' it for childcare emergencies and holiday cover at the moment but I bloody well take my full 27 days every year.

Justkeepmoving020122 · 09/02/2022 13:27

The nature of my work means I build up flexi very quickly which I have to take before annual leave. Also there are certain periods of the year where I cannot take annual leave because we are extremely busy. So that is why I usually end up carrying over. I don't mention it to anyone though as I know people genuinely struggle, especially carers and parents.

AryaStarkWolf · 09/02/2022 13:28

Literally never come across these people!

Onairjunkie · 09/02/2022 13:30

We have one of these. She’s desperately annoying. I just looked at her like she’s mental and asked her why on earth she didn’t bother to take any holiday. I also asked her what she thought would possibly go wrong if she went on leave. 😬 I was probably being bitchy but like I said, she’s very, very annoying.

gettingolderandgrumpy · 09/02/2022 13:31

I sooo agree I used to work with someone who’d never take a single day off all year except the 1 week in Spain, so she had all these holidays to squeeze in .it really annoyed me because she managed to get some carried over when it was explicitly said nobody is allowed to carry leave over . It was also I need to take my leave all gleeful and I used to say well why didn’t you just space them out through the year ?