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?

The OP does not work in an essential service that is usually open on a bank holiday, or Christmas. She doesn't even work in something like retail or hospitality, where it's expected that you work on bank holidays. The OP works in a University, where everyone will have the day off. The OP wants to ask her team to work on a day when they don't have to because it would make her life easier. Just come up with another plan for pity's sake, work with the affected individuals to come up with a solution. One that doesn't include suggesting everyone work on the 19th.

I think it would be really poor form to suggest that the student ambassadors attend a meeting that day - at the university I work at the rest of it would have people rolling their eyes at you, but that bit might actually get you reprimanded.

I work for a university and we are closed on Monday so I’m not sure how you’ll have colleagues or ambassadors to speak to

I agree with Ed, as I said earlier, if you tried this at my uni you'd be in trouble.

I feel the same, I am recently back from 12 days leave and I don't want to cancel my patients, its really disruptive and I have an important final session (NHS, therapy role).

You really can't ask student ambassadors to attend a meeting and I also think you won't be very popular if you ask staff either.

You have my sympathies though. I work at a university and I had a huge, high profile event taking place which we'll have to cancel as there's no way it can be rearranged.

Happy to give patients a choice though as some will want to change plans.

Depends what your contract says. If it says you get x days plus the 8 usual bank holidays then you wouldn’t get this too automatically

My employer only closes for some of the bank holidays, so I’m expecting to work on the 19th too. I’m already off on the 15th and 16th, so I’m not overly bothered either way.

I think you’d be mean to schedule meetings on a bank holiday though. Just because you’re ok with it, doesn’t mean those you’re meeting are.

I'm on holiday.

Ah, I didn’t think it was going to be but you’re right. It all comes down to the wording ‘plus bank holidays’ it’ll be automatic, ‘8 days bank holiday’ and it’s down to discretion.

It's not my team. It's not everyone. It's outside employers and student ambassadors who have been happy to do things over the summer. There's a colleague or two I could do with a chat with. That's all. Something so simple that would make these few people's work life easier not just mine.

But I don't think I'll bother.

@celan It's not a luxury, it's a choice. My income is still well down on pre covid times but somethings are important, and the funeral is one of them.

Yes they are my meetings.

No I wouldn't ask people to work on a Bank Holiday normally. I'm not asking them to work now. All other bank holidays are known in advance. This is different.

Also I'm not the boss of any of these individuals.

I will take the day. I won't work 7 hours. I simply wanted a few bloody chats!

Again, why don't you just do the meetings on a day that you've currently got booked off? After all, they're just a few quick meetings, how could you possibly begrudge doing them on a non-working day?!

"Hey John/Sam/Cathy/whoever, just wondering if you're still happy to have the short meeting we'd arranged for Monday to discuss XYZ with regard to freshers week? I understand if not, and in that case please suggest another suitable time for you later in the week."

How is that toxic?

You could suggest that you do a few quick Zooms on Friday the 16th, when you're on holiday, as presumably the employers invited aren't. After all that's what you're proposing, for people to work on a day off. If you're happy to ask them work on the 19th, presumably you're happy to work on the 16th too. But it's quite right that you've chosen not too, as no-one should be asking anyone to work on their days off, even if they are unexpected.

Don’t be that colleague OP.

But it’s only a few quick zoom meetings?

Can't you have the meetings earlier, like this Thursday? That's what we're doing as we're closed on the 19th and I'd get short-shrift for trying to have a meeting with anyone then! Although our freshers doesn't start until the 26th so you have my sympathy!

It’s even worse when you won’t move it to Friday because YOU are on holiday.

You can interrupt their bank holiday, because it’s not a big deal. But not interrupt your own holiday?

Why? Are you one of the Queen's immediate family?

If not, it's a luxury.

So you don't want to work during your holiday, bit expect others to work on a bank holiday, a day when things like universities are actually closed?

If you worked in an industry that was normally open on a bank holiday, I think it's be ok, but you don't.

Prlerhaos the answer is to be better prepared so that if a meeting can't take place on a Monday, it doesn't affect what happens on a Tuesday!

I’m a HoD and had arranged our Away Day for Mon 19th. I rearranged on Fri in case colleagues wanted to watch thefuneral. I’ll def end up going in and working though.

I have no access to Zoom on holiday. I need my own laptop and VPN that is unavailable to me until I return home on the Saturday.