Annual Leave martyrs

[LittleMissUnreasonable]

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

@Adatwistscientist

I haven't taken official annual leave for 12 years of full time work. But I work flexibly so it never really occurs to me to log days when I'm not all-in at work.

So how does it feel to have worked for free for nearly a year or if those 12?

I work in a very small company, and we never have this.

Incidentally I've only just managed to use up my annual leave from 2020!! My MD has been shielding and is now ill with a heart condition, so I run the company - so I've been here as much as possible .

In reality I'd kill for 2 weeks in the sun.......

@CrinklyCraggy

I'm "entitled" to six months' paid sick leave. Am I a mug not to take it?!

It's attitudes like this that lead to companies not paying sick pay

Yes. If you're I'll and going into work. You're a mug.

Companies can't opt out of sick pay...

@Adatwistscientist

I haven't taken official annual leave for 12 years of full time work. But I work flexibly so it never really occurs to me to log days when I'm not all-in at work.

I’m in a similar position, if I’m not available I just don’t work and usually work the hours somewhere else because I’m flexible working and part time so I have quite a lot of time to play with.

I do earn it and take occasionally but generally just arrange my time differently. 🤷‍♀️

I've just left a ridiculous team where most of the team got 8 weeks annual leave ! It felt like I was the only one ever actually there. WFH seemed to mean they didn't use much leave and saved it all up meaning I literally was the only one working for december which caused huge stress for me. The final tipping point for me was when a colleague requested Christmas eve off and was given it after having most of december off either on leave or off sick. I handed my notice in.

@TheDoveFromAboveCooCoo

Alternative view - I have planned all my sign off, cut off dates and approval famdates for my payroll until December and I have about 8 days where I can take leave unless I convince the powers that be to give me another admin.

It's actually not work the free time due to the amount of stress I would come back to.

Last holiday year I had to have a full 2 weeks paid to me that I couldn't take.

And I'm not a martyr, just a very very busy person!

You are martyring yourself though. Your work should be what you do to pay for your leisure, not your leisure giving way to make your work easier. If you took that time off then maybe they would give you the extra person but they don’t need to because you’re already working extra time for free!

In 2020, there was a real divide in my workplace between the number of people who had zero annual leave (or very little) left to take around Christmas, and those who had loads.

It was largely the parents of school age children who ended the year knackered and in desperate need of a break, but with very little leave to take, as they had all taken so many random days during lockdowns to spend with their children who needed adult supervision.

I work in Financial Services and it’s a red flag for fraud and stuff like that ie people scared to be off as another person may have to cover their work and see discrepancies. Obviously usually it’s annoying martyr types!

You'd hate my DH then! He asks every year to carry 10+ days.

He has little choice. He burns as much of his TOIL etc in taking afternoons off instead of claiming the money or actual holidays. But when he works, he works. All over the UK, abroad, nighshifts etc etc. If he didn't the company wouldn't be able to fulfil their contracts.

He is one of 2 people they have to do the work he does and they both work in much the same way. From the outside they look like part timers, which causes endless arguments in the office. But the reality is that they have to be in the office 9 - 5 unless they are on site. And site work is nights, weekends etc. So whilst they take 3 or 4 afternoons off they they are just burning the hours they worked over their salaried amount the week before.

And STILL they end up with holidays left unused and having the CEO agree to an additonal 5 - 10 days to be carried.

So yes, he is that important and no, he just cannot be spared. This year he will be burning his additional days for his 60th. We have the time booked off, have had for about 6 months. And last week he was asked if he could possibly squeeze in a couple of afternoons because they are short handed and need someone with his certification on site.

Not everyone has the comfort of working a 9 - 5 Groundhog Day job!

@MajesticallyAwkward

I don't understand it at all, the not taking it bragging about not taking it. It doesn't make you a better employee or person. I never have enough, can't remember the last time my leave balance lasted until the end of a holiday year!

I used to work with a guy who hadn't taken any annual leave for 4 years, had 100s of hours in TOIL unused and hadn't claimed expenses for the 4 years (I estimated once and it was in the thousands).... he put everything into his job, worked nights and weekends too and in the end he was let go over something trivial. Walked in one day and was told to clear out his desk and jog on. I saw him a few months after and he'd totally changed, it was an awful way to learn that lesson but I'm glad he did and was finally enjoying life.

That is terrible that the firm treated him that way.

I'm a SAHM but when I did work all my leave would be gone within a few months. I then used to get signed off with stress or anxiety for a few weeks later in the year. (Bit naughty 🤣)
I then went termtime only but worked 30 hours over 3 days so I had a 4 day weekend.
I never went back after mat leave 14 years ago. I worked with people who'd always carry over the max AL or lose flexi hours worked, could never understand it, you don't get any medals for it. Martyrs is exactly the right word!

My boss is like this to the detriment of the company, yet at the same time takes every bit of additional allowance he is entitled to and then complains he can't use it

I feel.sorry for these peope. I always feel people like this have something deeply lacking in their lives. They're usually very needy and insecure. I hate Martyrs of any kind.

I find I have more left because of wfh and flexibility, so where I would have had to take an afternoon off, I can just take a longer lunch etc.

However, that said, as a company we are encouraged to ensure that people don't hit the end of the year with lots of holiday. We're prodded throughout the year to review days left, to ensure people use their holiday, don't burn out and get a proper healthy break from work.

YABU

I had a tonne of leave left last year and rolled it over. I’m too busy to take it. If I do just take it I’d end up getting phone calls and emails to deal with on holiday. Which would negate going on holiday.

I’m poorly managed and over worked and am desperate to go on holiday.

at one place I worked you had to take a two week block of holiday at some point no exceptions, out of 6 allocated plus Christmas and new year you were not allowed to carry holiday over so it was monitored so if at the end of august you had 3 weeks left you would be told to choose which time you wanted off otherwise they would chose for you and give you notice of what weeks you would be off, any odd days left must be used before Christmas or between Christmas and New year. They were also very fair with school holidays everyone could have 3 weeks in school holidays you could have more but not until everyone had chosen theirs if someone didn't want any in school time then someone else could have it, whole weeks preference over odd days especially in school summer holidays, I have no time for annual leave martyrs

[quote Monopolyiscrap]@Drinkingallthewine yes some people have chronic illnesses, take time off sick when they can barely get into the office never mind work, and come in ill the rest of the time.[/quote]
Valid point.

Anyone I worked with who had a chronic condition had an excellent work ethic so it wasn't those that I was thinking of - more our own office malingerer - who I can confirm has no chronic conditions.

My BIL is like this because he’s chronically disorganised. He never puts in leave requests with much notice so gets turned down are other people have booked it, then has 3 weeks to use up but it’s December and everyone’s already booked their Christmas leave mo the ago.

Eejit.

I used to bank my leave as I had 4 small kids and was always scared of emergencies coming up that would require me to be off for ages. But I would either use it or take the cash which was always appreciated with said 4 small kids.

There is absolutely a correlation between the "I can't possibly take holiday" brigade and the "I will struggle in when I'm ill, even though I get paid sick leave, and then I'll infect everyone else and complain (but secretly be thrilled) that I'm left to hold the fort when they're off sick" lot.

I've rolled over holiday for the last few years because Covid has meant I haven't needed to use it and I'd rather save it for when I can have an actual holiday. I also get quite a large AL allowance But I'm sure as hell not losing it!

@GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing

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!

Well, yes, but I don't see that as a reason why childfree people should take time off in a pandemic. If you're on holiday in lockdown you basically have to stay at home all day and your home is also your office. Would you like to be in the office for two weeks just sitting there?

You should be grateful they're leaving the holidays for you.

@Babyroobs

I've just left a ridiculous team where most of the team got 8 weeks annual leave ! It felt like I was the only one ever actually there. WFH seemed to mean they didn't use much leave and saved it all up meaning I literally was the only one working for december which caused huge stress for me. The final tipping point for me was when a colleague requested Christmas eve off and was given it after having most of december off either on leave or off sick. I handed my notice in.

That's the manager's fault for letting them all be off at the same time.

I used to work with a couple of people like that. They thought they were signalling that they were 'very important, irreplaceable and over worked'. To me they were only signalling that they were really bad at managing their time and priorities (at work and at home).

I booked all my leave in advance bar 3 days for emergencies.
The other men got told this and one kept bragging how much leave he had left.
For months he went on.
Now with everyone taking leave and others have left we are permanently short staffed.
There was loads of time he could've taken it last summer.

I may be one of these people 🙈

Although tbf, I don’t gloat about it or even talk about it, ever. I treat leave like MN stockpilers! I get a generous amount of leave 32.5 days plus 8 public holidays. It’s pro rata though as I work .6 of FTE. I also don’t work Fridays or Mondays so rarely have to use my hours for bank holidays so my hourly allowance is a good old amount.

And yet, I hoard it because I’m subconsciously terrified of getting 3/4 through the year and having none left so it’s like a savings account or a weeks wage or whatever, and when it comes to year end and knowing there’s a whole new allocation I take great delight in using it all up as a lovely treat.

I know, I know - what a saddo.