To swan off to the hairdressers during the working day?

[PersonaNonGarter]

Interested to know people’s thoughts on this.

I am employed on a 35hr 9am-5pm 5days a week contract. In reality, no-one in my industry works that - the hours are often long, go into weekends, start early and finish late. The wages generally reflect that.

I am having a very quiet period at work while key clients are on holiday. I booked a hairdressing appointment 9-11am (marked ‘personal appointment’ in my diary) checked with boss that a personal appointment was ok (it was). Appointment went to 11.30am.

Just received a bit of a pass-ag message from my boss suggesting I should book this as a half day’s holiday because ‘11.30 is closer to lunch’. I am not sure that the extra 30mins is really relevant. I don’t want to use holiday.

AIBU?

When you said you had to go somewhere for. ‘Personal appt’ did your boss actually realise you meant to the hairdressers? If someone asked me for that I would assume it was to the dentist or chiropractor. Something medical and/or important.

I think it’s mental that you think it’s fine to go to the hairdressers during the working day.

To be clear - when I say ‘quiet period’, I mean I have no work to do.

Just tell him you will work through lunch ?

Did your boss know that the personal appointment was for the hairdresser?

If you want to be paid while you have a hair cut - book a holiday!

So you were out from 9 -11.30am at the hairdresser? Could you take the morning without pay?

I have but I but I explained to hairdresser she had 45 minutes and I got a speedy wash, cut and blow dry back at work within the hour. Work through lunch even if you have nothing to do.

A blowout in advance of a tricky presentation to bolster your confidence? Sure.

A full cut and colour? No way.

Well, a nearly whole half day sounds more like a leave situation.
However as you work over hours when needed, flexibility is needed from both sides I think.
We used to have a flexi time policy at work where you could earn an extra day a month by doing hours upfront. perhaps that's what you need?

Depends on the boss and culture. I would just tell my boss I'd make the time up and it would be fine. Then again my boss wouldn't be querying it in the first place.

Our culture is that as long as the work gets done, no one cares when you are working or not (obviously unless you have a client meeting etc). There are regular well-being check ins but not in a 'checking up on' way.

Oh sorry - I offered to make up the time (of course!). Tbf that’s not much of an offer since I would be expected to work as long as the clients require anyway.

He would have known it was likely to be hair/manicure whatever as he always says ‘are you pleased with it?’ in a tolerant way but equally a ‘personal appointment’ could be the dentist.

Just “work” your lunch hour. The obsession with presenteeism in this country is bonkers.

I have always worked in environments where you are expected to do the hours required, rather than what a contract actually says and I do think a bit of flexibility needs to go both ways. But honestly, I think booking two hours out to go for a haircut is taking the mickey a bit. I would at most get a lunch time appointment and take a bit longer than normal or I would maybe leave thirty minutes “early”. But booking your whole morning out, no that needs to be annual leave.

I think if the boss is perfectly happy for you to start early, finish late and work into weekends when it's busy then they should realise flexibility should work both ways. In reality though I think they'll view a hairdressers appointment totally differently to a medical one.

‘Work through lunch even if you have nothing to do.’

Interested to know what that would look like…?

Just work through lunch? I get that it’s irritating if you have no work, and often put in unpaid overtime so morally you’re owed a bit of time back, but 2.5 hours out of the day for a non-medical appointment wouldn’t fly in many places. DP often pops to the barber in quiet moments but it’s a half-hour job.

Sitting at your desk pissing about on the internet but being seen to be present. (Assuming it’s a desk job.)

Could you have taken a laptop with you? Sounds like you just need to be available if you don't have any active work to do... presumably you could do this 'not working' on your laptop in the hairdresser?

I’m in the wrong job.

Tell him/her you'll make the time up, if you have to.

I'm on a 35 hour contract that looks more like 50 hours, frequent weekends and even when on holiday too sometimes. If I want to get my hair done I will book it. The company I work for wouldn't dream of asking me to make the time up. And I certainly wouldn't expect my team to. No business with high performing teams should. Flexible hours works both ways!

You should book it as a half day's holiday. Although your working day is longer than 9-5, you are being paid for the extra hours. If you weren't getting paid for the extra hours that would be different.

I don't know anyone who is allowed to go to the hairdresser during their working day just because it's quiet.

I do this all the time. I probably wouldn't even have blocked it out. Everyone in my industry does it. Often people take calls when just going for a walk or back from taking the kids to nursery or school. They quite happily show us their background and no one says a word about it to be honest.

In my work we are treated like adults who are required to perform. My bosses have literally never cared how we perform our job, as long as we do.

My manager once told me, he doesn't care if I go shopping during work hours, as long as my work gets done.

Maybe it's my industry ? I can never ever switch everything off either though. So even on holidays, etc, I need to be available. It's a give and take that works for me. I couldn't do a 9-5 kind of thing, where I'm treated like a child and chained to a desk. I work full time and make well over 6 figures for a while now, btw.

This would be fine in my industry also. On busy season hours are 12 hour days plus - so there’s an appreciation it should work both ways.

we are trusted to get the work done how we see fit and not micro- managed

If you weren't getting paid for the extra hours that would be different.

She’s not. Her contract is for 35 hours.

Just to clarify, when I go to the hairdresser, I take my laptop with me and do bits and bobs as required, while I'm sitting getting my hair done. If nothing is required or no one slacks me at the time I'm there, I don't do anything. Usually it's during quiet times and last minute that I tend to go and get hair done.