AIBU .. to work on 19 September?

[ImJustMadAboutSaffron]

It's the first day back at work for me and the first day of freshers week. Of course the student activity planned for the day will not take place but I'd got several meetings planned with colleagues and student ambassadors as well as a couple of employers. These meetings will affect what we do in the rest of the week.

It's not about not showing respect or not caring about the queen and nothing whatsoever to do with the social side of university or drinking activities. Yes we can rearrange some things. But it's going to be rather awkward and have a knock on effect on the following week when the returners come back.

If the others are amenable - and I'm aware they might not be - I want to have the meetings, probably on Zoom.

AIBU?

YANBU. The world does not need to stop. We should not be in state mandated mourning for a woman we did not know

It’s up to you. I wouldn’t judge either way. I’m excited about a day off. Won’t be watching the funeral.

I run a food bank and Monday is a working day for me. I suspect the Queen would want me to crack on.

I'm self employed, I will be working, unless Charles wants to fund me and I'll gladly take the 'bank holiday'

As long as the others feel comfortable saying no if they want to, I have 2 bosses and if one asked me this I would feel i could say no easily and there would be issue but if the other did I would feel that it was pressured to say yes, or worry about it causing issues going forward.

There will be a fair few people who are in job roles that don't allow for a day off on a bank holiday, so you'll not be the only one.

Depends. Some of those people probably won’t want to do meetings that day but feel they can’t say no.

If it was just you working I would say that’s fine. But, it’s a bank holiday. Doesn’t matter the reason.

YANBU, but you need to be very careful about how you pitch it to the other people involved. If you're in a position of authority and you're asking people to work on a bank holiday, make sure they know than can say no. Otherwise, you could have some complaints on your hands.

YANBU to do whatever you want on that day. YANBU to 'make' anyone else work on that day when they don't legally have to.

YABU to make other people work that's meant to say!

Depends how your university works. I'm expecting mine to be shut and if I tried to arrange meetings I'd be expecting a "what have you been smoking" response from my colleagues. I'd also get turned down for an TOIL claim. You can always put the feelers out to colleagues but given potential childcare etc issues with schools and nurseries being closed you might not find the responses so positive.

I'll be working. I won't get paid otherwise.

I will be walking the dog and going on mn! May catch some of the funeral on the news .if people want to work that's fine

Pretty much this.

If it’s a workload you can get on with independently, go for it (but don’t refer later to it asa work martyr). If you’re reliant on others being involved you’re going to have to tread lightly. Would you ask on any other public holiday?

I don't think you are being unreasonable at all. I'll have to take the day off but could do with working as I am so busy and some of my colleagues are agency staff who will only get paid if they have enough leave to cover it meaning they won't be able to take that time when they might actually need it or they lose a day of pay.

I'm in the education sector and assuming we will have the day off
I do want to watch it on TV so would have been disappointed if I was asked to work but wouldn't judge those that will work

It's not unreasonable to work if you want to. But it is unreasonable to expect others to. If you ask them to attend the meetings can you be sure they won't feel obliged to attend ?

I think YABU to assume your colleagues will be working. What you do with your time is your business though.

@HaveANiceFuckingDay the Dept of Education has announced all schools and colleges will be closed.

Be aware OP that if they have children then they may want to take the back holiday to care for them .

You say you work at a university, so don't university staff usually get the day off on a bank holiday? They might be looking forward to that, so I wouldn't be surprised if they're a bit nonplussed at your suggestion.

Where I work it would be perceived as trying to make others work on a BH and would land you in hot water with the HoD.

I think it's fine to decide you're working but I might well feel pressured to go to those meetings if you were my boss and TBH I wouldn't really want to give up an extra day of leave even if I didn't want to watch the queen's funeral.

We have ofsted coming the next day so I doubt anyone will be off. I'll probably take another day off in lieu after the inspection tbh

Remember some may have young kids not in their normal childcare, so it may not be possible for all your colleagues.

It actually reminds me of the professor who ran the lab I worked in when I was a post-doc. He used to go in to work at the weekend, so he presumed that I would also be working then too. He tried to suggest I do a whole load of things in the lab at the weekend during my first Friday working with him, he was so casual about it like that was totally normal. I felt really awkward refusing, he was in such a position of authority, but I had to as I had plans. Ultimately, he was a complete cock in so many ways, and I left as soon as I could. Don't be him.

I couldn't work. Nursery is shut. Any of your colleagues with children younger than about 7 will struggle.