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 to want to work but YABU to ask others to work when it’s non-essential. Regardless of the reason for it, it’s still a Bank Holiday, and asking people if they want to have work meetings with you on a Bank Holiday isn’t fair, whether it’s for a state funeral or anything else. They might feel they have to say yes even if they’d rather not, and as kids won’t be at school, some people will have other responsibilities. You wouldn’t propose a meeting on the May Bank Holiday or Easter Monday, so don’t do that for this Bank Holiday either.

I would also say that you don’t have to be a royalist (and I am certainly not one myself!) to want to witness a historic national event like the state funeral of a monarch. I don’t believe in monarchy but I still want the opportunity to watch the state funeral and the coronation because they’re historic, constitutionally significant and are both things that have never happened before in lifetime.

I will be at work. We don’t get bank holidays.

I think it's fine for you to work. But I don't think you can expect everyone else to work. So I would work on whatever you can do independently and have meetings at another time (maybe if someone else has explicitly said that they will be working without you asking about it, then you can have a meeting with that person).

Of course you do, presuming you’re in the UK, you might not be able to take them on the designated day but you’ll get the paid equivalent added to your AL.

unless you’re self employed, then that’s your lookout really.

I work in education and that's our first day of term for adults, and it will be a faff to move everything and it will mean a lot of reorganisation. But YABU - your institution will be shut and your colleagues won't be paid to work that day. Being shut is the right thing, and I know that for us, our buildings will be closed and working would be tricky. No harm in logging in and getting some individual work done if that's what you want, but you can't expect or ask others to. I would also be cautious of sending any emails - we would have comments made by our managers if we sent emails during college closures.

I would work if I could but unfortunately I'm in a sector that will grind to a halt.

I don't need a day off to watch the funeral, as I have absolutely no intention of watching it so it's totally wasted on me.

The level of hysteria about it all is just odd.

This. Expect my university to be completely shut too as normal for bank holidays so don't expect your colleagues to be amenable to working...

Nobody has children and its a university. I'm giving them the option not insisting.

Same here

Is the bank holiday likely to apply to NHS staff?

Sounds similar to when I was an undergrad and my dissertation supervisor used to regularly work in the lab until 2am and would expect me there too!

There will be plenty working that day - not only those that run our infrastructure but hospitality and hospitals etc. Go ahead with your meetings if others agree.

Are you the manager? Do you have the authority to ask people if they are happy to work? Or would you just be putting out there as an idea between colleagues?

Either way isn't ideal. If you are the manager then people may feel obliged and if you aren't the manager you'll make those who don't agree look bad (unintentionally of course!)

I have 3 primary aged children so I'm going to have to have the day off. I'm sure my company will honour it and my manager won't make me feel obligated to work.

Of course it will, why wouldn’t you think it would?

Anyone working in a role that can’t stop will get the equivalent added to their statutory holiday.

My business will be shut but I'll be there working. Xh will have the dc, I might as well crack on!

If you're getting the bank holiday off, I'd just be happy it's another day off and take it.
It is a joke that schools and nurseries are closing though, makes it difficult for parents who won't get the day off.

God knows but this is going to be a right pain reorganising clinics in the middle of a push to clear a backlog and absolutely no give in the system.

thing is - if we run them we ring the risk of high number not attending - and that’s before we get to public transport situation.

Don't even ask them OP. Your colleagues will likely think you're an arsehole, even if they don't say so to your face, and even if they reluctantly agree. The damage will have been done.

This wouldn't go down well at the University I work at. Or with me to be honest. It is a Bank Holiday, people will want to take the day off if they can.

I dobt really want a bh either. Dear Queenie would want me to continue serving the 70yr old institution I work for I’m sure.

however with schools closed Those I reply on to function so t be able to work , so we are stuffed I think

Yep @Thenightwemet16 , it's all too common, and it's one of the reasons I'm no longer in academia. I'm a teacher now, for the better work life balance!

It’s unfair of you to put this pressure on people, even if you are saying it’s optional. People will still feel obliged. People will want the funeral on their screens, not zoom.

Why is it a joke that schools and nurseries are closed? If anyone should be at home watching this on telly with their families, it’s children!

I actually have no idea if I will have it off. Usually we don't get BH but work is reduced as our stakeholders take bank holidays however this may be an exception. My daughters off schoo that weekend for September weekend break xxx

Well no, we're not monarchists and neither DP and I nor our children will be watching it. They were too young to be able to attend or even understand what was happening at their granddad's funeral, someone to whom they were actually close and who loved them very much.
I know a few parents who work in sectors (some retail, for example) and likely won't be getting the day off. Their options will be use annual leave (if there is availability), try to find alternative childcare (again, if available), or... panic, I suppose.