Would you/should I use my flexi time?

[MixingPopAndPolitics]

I started with a new (big) company three months ago. Policy is to 'bank' any hours you do over your contracted ones and you can take up to two days per month off using these hours.

When interviewing, my boss told me all about this but followed it with a 'not that I do, I'm usually too busy to take all my holiday'.

This month alone due to some tight deadlines and travel, I've accumulated 12 hours. This is automatically calculated as we fill in an online timesheet.

I'd love to take a day off either next week or the week after. I've a school age child so all my AL is used in him. I'm fantasising about a long lie in (DH would do the school run and pick up) a walk into town, lunch and then maybe the cinema.

But I'm worried it will be frowned on by my boss. DH has pointed out its not a perk if you don't actually use it.

So should I use my flexi time? And to those who work flexi too, do you use it??

Definitely use it!
I don’t have flexi but DH does and he almost always uses it, it makes a huge difference to how he uses his annual leave.

For clarity, I work two long days where FS is in wrap around care, then three normal days - I only do early pick up one day a week and do my full 37 hours (often more...)

Definitely use it. I guess the only thing that’s worth checking is how much notice do you need to give before using it.

Yes you should use it and yes I do use it. Otherwise you are working extra hours for nothing, unless you can exchange the hours worked for overtime payments

I try to take the days off when we are less busy though.

Use it before you lose it is the mantra where I work. Ours has an expiry limit. So basically any flexi earned in.one month has to be used by the end of the following month.

I used to ignore 5 mins here, 15 mins there, but if I'd done a big chunk, like a 6am-10pm travel day, I'd take it back.

Yes definitely use it, my boss is the same and thinks she is a martyr for not using all her TOIL/AL but I've earned it so I'm taking it!

Use it. I use it to take an extra day off a month, which really adds into annual leave. Our place has a policy that you can have one and a half flexi days per four weeks, and the most the flexiclock will save up is fifteen hours. If you've earned it and don't take it, its a waste.

Use it, but I would suggest not a Friday off if possible.

Can you ask around your colleagues how they do it?
But start as you mean to go on - take it.

Use it! I email my team leader to request flexi leave and add it to my outlook calendar so it's recorded.