Embarrassed to request annual leave after being on long-term sick leave

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I was on sick leave due to poor mental health for 3 months this year. I’ve got 22 days of annual leave to try and take before 31 December, but I can’t bring myself to request it. I have to send an email to all my colleagues to request the dates and I’m embarrassed to, as I’ve only been back 2 months, and on reduced hours.

Sometimes I just think about letting it go. Other times I think I need a break, but then when I go onto the rota to look at requesting dates and I see how many sick days I’ve had this year my heart sinks and I can’t bring myself to do it

I hate the idea of colleagues resenting me for this. :( So much so that when I was on sick leave I handed in my notice so they could just get rid of me and replace me with someone else, but my manager convinced me to stay

It's a positive sign that your manager said you need to book some holiday, and that he convinced you not to resign! Definitely have a chat with him and I'm sure you'll feel much better.

I would talk to your manager about your concerns.

Perhaps you could take half this year and carry the rest over to pace it. This would have the benefit of avoiding too much disruption this year and hopefully prevent burnout next year.

Your manager sounds supportive, which is great. Definitely speak to him ASAP and get this sorted out. You’ll feel much better when you have a plan in place. 💐

your manager sounds good OP, i would discuss it with him first, and then decide which dates you want.
Presumably you have to check with the others because only certain numbers can be away at one time? Is there a calender that you can look at and work out when you could fesibly be away without impacting the others?

Then when you mail round, you can add your suggested dates and check that it doesn't conflict with what others have booked.

People worked very hard and had a lot of hardships to win us the right to paid holiday. There are reasons we have it - and one of them is to reduce absences due to overwork etc. So don't feel bad about taking it.

You have to take it at some point don’t you? I work a term time job now but back when I worked in retail they just randomly allocated a week off if we’d not put all the leave in by a cut off point.
No need to feel guilty! Being on sick leave is not a holiday. Remember work is just work. You don’t owe anyone your down time, they’d replace you and forget about you in a heartbeat if you left. That goes for most jobs, no matter how valued you are as an employee. Always take what you are owed.

Take it OP. It’s yours.

I was on maternity leave for 15 months and had 21 days left to use up when I went back in the July. I only went back two days a week and I made sure I used every last minute. I didn’t work at all in December that year! 😆

Hi OP lots of sensible suggestions here re rolling some over and having a conversation with your manager about how to use the rest.

I get that you’re trying to be considerate of your colleagues and employer but here’s the thing: if they’re a decent employer and colleagues they will support you using the leave you’re entitled to. If they’re not supportive, then frankly they don’t deserve your consideration anyway and you should still take the leave.

What an appalling attitude you have to your staff. We don't know the details, but sounds like you managed someone out simply for taking the holiday to which their were entitled and because they had had time off for mental health issues. Very much like it's verging on potential disability discrimination or an automatically unfair dismissal. Poor woman. No wonder she was stressed!

Take the holiday you are entitled to. It sounds like you are valued there.

Talk to your manager about how uncomfortable this is making you and perhaps they can suggest some solutions that don't involve you losing your annual leave entitlement.

Will they pay you for it? If you explain how you feel and you only want to use a week of it, is there any chance you could get paid for it instead? Got to be worth a try?

Or carry some of it over into next year?

Or use it to go part time for a while?

Holiday leave is holiday leave. You are entitled to it, regardless of whether it is after a long spell of sick leave or not.
You should not feel bad about it, or feel guilt for your colleagues. That is something for your management to deal with, not you.

I had a very long time off sick, so had over 20 days annual leave left when I returned to work. I actually left in the end, so I came back for a week, then went on annual leave, then left altogether.

Take it. That manager that is supportive to you and encouraging you must also be supportive hopefully to the staff who are working and provide cover for your role but if its holiday leave I doubt it.

And give up the statutory holidays that shes legally entitled to?

As an employer, given your situation I'd be encouraging you to take regular annual leave and anyone who had any opinions about that could bring them to me.

I disagree from your colleague's point of view. I think people just notice that someone is or isn't there. Not what sort of leave they are on. But this isn't really the point.

I think you should take most of it at least. I had three months off for stress a few years back. I took it as a career break / unpaid leave rather than sickness (my choice) so when I came back I had the equivalent of 3/4 of my annual leave entitlement that year. I used it and I think you need to so that you can ensure you don’t get exhausted and your mental health doesn’t suffer further.

No one ever suggested I shouldn’t - our work is incredibly supportive - which in turn makes you want to work hard for them.

Your manager sounds nice.

Take the leave. Being on sick leave is nothing like being on annual leave in my experience, you still deserve to be able to take time off work. Would you feel better taking 1 or 2 days off a week until December? Whatever you choose don't feel remotely bad about it!

Not sure what reduced hours you’re on but could you take half days maybe every week until Christmas to use it up and then potentially take a week and a bit at Christmas. Then wouldn’t be such a massive hit.

You sound well-regarded there, OP. Your manager seems very good.

I would have a chat with your manager about how you are feeling. There may be solutions that do not involve you losing out on your entitlement.

1. I'm baffled that you have to email all your colleagues about leave - surely it's an issue between you and your manager, who should be coordinating everyone's leave himself rather than you all checking it out with each other.

2. Don't feel guilty about taking leave that you are contractually entitled to take. It's there to allow you rest and a break - use it!

Why do you have to email leave requests to everyone? That's an odd set up.

Take the leave, it's yours to take how you want to. 22 days is enough to do shorter weeks, have a week off then a few on and another off or whatever combination you want and suits you but don't feel guilted into loosing it. I can't imagine working without a break and loosing all that annual leave will do you any good.

Sorry I haven't RTFT (and I hate it when people say that!) but I was signed off for 2 months over the summer. I returned to work in late August and had 21 days to take before 31 December. I also felt guilty but put my request in (1 week in October) and it was authorised the same day. We have to take our holidays, just think of the people on mat leave that accrue a whole years worth of annual leave.

Please put in your request, for me, I'd rather have no annual leave left to take than have had to be signed off for 2 months with the circumstances that led to it (if that makes sense?)

That is illegal.