New job - annual leave

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Hi all looking for advice on a newish job.

i started in July picking up a monthly cyclical process. There are three parts to it and monthly meetings involved (at various parts of the month) that I run with follow up work after each meeting. The meetings are spaced throughout the month and I’m the only person who can run them (with the exception of my boss who I picked the job up from but is now working on other stuff).

my concern is that I’m a key man dependency and I cannot see how I can comfortably take annual leave from work for longer than a couple days. I asked my boss how she managed to take a good amount of AL and she basically said she didn’t 🤔

im starting to feel really under pressure and I think part of it comes from not knowing how I can take a break with my kids or relax. I feel like no one is able to help in my absence.

what can I do? I can’t just take a days AL here and there. I’d like to take a week or two off at some point to go on holiday and I feel like everyone deserves a good break from their work from time to time.

Ideally you should be able to take a. 2 week break

My dh had a job where only when he was handing in his notice did they suggest it might be possible

If there is any financial aspect then a 2 week break is often enforced as it makes it easier to detect fraud

Since your boss can cover you arrange with him

I'd say this a managers/HR issue, it's not healthy or constructive to operate like that.

Is your company closing over Xmas or just the BHs.

Ask your manager when you can book a weeks leave? If you were ill they'd cope.

Well. Can you and you boss hash out a plan that works for both of you?

You don’t say if you both need to be in attendance to all meetings, but you do say either of you can run them.

if you both don’t need to be there then surely you work it out between you?

or have I missed something obvious?

What would happen if you went under a bus? There should be some kind of succession plan in place that can be implemented for annual leave.

You're entitled to your annual leave and, within reason, take it when you need to. Your contract of employment may have any special conditions relating to AL (some employers specify max consecutive days or even that you have to take at least 2 weeks in one go - this is common in jobs where fraud is possible) so check that first. I'd suggest you book it at least a month in advance though, to allow time for cover to be arranged - you might consider developing a cover plan so it doesn't depend solely on your boss. If you get no joy, then try HR. Also, join a union.

@Singlebutmarried yea I prepare and run the meetings and then I’m required to do the follow up work. It’s a heavy going job and I’m full time with two kids.

i just feel panicked at the thought of not being able to get a proper break

You can definitely take a week or two off. It’s not your problem if the meetings are sporadic like that. As a PP said, what if you were sick? They may have to draft someone in from another team
so maybe you could suggest to your boss that someone else shadow you on a team meeting the next time. That shows you’re being proactive and helping to solve the problem. If not HR without your manager copied in, see what they say. After that, let your manager know what they say and arrange a Teams call if needed.

*contact HR

No business should have only one person that holds all the keys/info/jobs. That always results in bad situations happening.

You need to tell your boss you are having a week's/fortnight's leave on X dates and Y needs covering so someone else needs to know how to do it. Leave it with her as to who, and book in time to train them, let them do a few practices whilst you are still there and then leave them to it.

Train someone up to cover. You'll need to develop people at some point.

If there is no one to fill in for you then your manager does.

"I'm booking the February half term off, can you approve it? Would you like me to leave a list of the essential follow up works for you to cover that week, or do I get an extension on the deadline for the tasks?"

I think another thing that really stresses me out is that the team I’m in treat the job as life or death (it’s an office job working in a compliance function for a huge company) and i just can’t get on board with that. It’s added stress and I find it odd behaviour.

Some people are just like it and the job adds to an ego boost for them. Makes them feel wanted. It's not healthy imo.

I'd train someone to do the meeting and give your boss enough warning of your plan to take leave so they can cover if need be.

what can I do?

You spell out what you need. Rather than ask your boss how she managed to take a chunk of holiday, you tell her you will need to take your annual leave in longer chunks, such as a week. Then you plan together how that can be achieved.

It may mean her covering. It may mean training someone else up - even if it's to just do the basics while you are gone. Or may mean shifting the meetings slightly to create a gap.

@SantasFlaws i think, taking all the advice here, I’ll sit don this week or next and lay it out about how I feel.

the way the meetings are spaced mean I have one at the start of the month, one at the middle and one at the end. They’re all kind of interlinked and the one at the start of the month is the big one and has so much follow up work that it generally takes me up to the meeting in the middle of the month.

ideally, someone else should be running the middle of the month meeting but when I’ve hinted at this I’ve been told that my boss managed it so that’s the way it should be. Only I’m not sure she was managing it if she had no time off.

Prepare a full handover document - process, what needs doing, when, contact details, where things are saved etc - then book annual leave and ask your manager who will be covering. It's their job to make sure you're covered. You need to just take it, they'll cope.

I had this in my last job. Was the only person able to complete the 'month end' closing of accounts. I Used to arrange holiday so it didn't clash with these particular dates. More fool me!
After I left, they couldn't find a replacement ...and guess what. The accounts haven't been closed properly since.

that’s it exactly! They’re all nice enough people but they really think the job is of the utmost importance and they get really super serious about it and really come across like the whole thing is life or death.

im just sitting thinking that if any of us was run over by a bus nothing would change. The company would survive

Can you document the processes and start training back up people to run this?

It is good practice to have procedures in place to allow for staff absence and holidays. The process could involve regular oversight by your boss so that the output of your work is reviewed and the same review process is in place if the work is done by a replacement complete with automated reports, variance analysis, exceptions etc which can easily flag any issues that need urgent attention and a set of instructions about who to contact to rectify / investigate / report on each scenario.

I think you asked your boss the wrong question. I'd be more like you know how shit it was for you, how are we going to make sure I can get a decent break a couple of times a year, are you going to step in, help train up someone else or postpone the meetings. As others have said if you fell under a bus it would work and if they stress you out you won't stick so they will have bigger problems. If the boss can't help go to HR or above.