Got "told off"- annual leave for teachers strike

[Skyblue81]

Feeling confused. AIBU??

Got 3 kids. Teachers were on strike last Weds & Thurs. School said it would remain open, but changed their minds Weds morning.

I worked from home on Weds with all 3 kids at home. It was exhausting, so I then put in for 2 days annual leave for Thursday (teachers strike) and Friday (to recover from my exhaustion).

Got back to work today to an HR call where I basically got told off for submitting and then taking leave!!!!! Yes OK I didn't give loads of notice, but then neither did my school.

Feeling really beaten-down by my workplace. I work hard, and have earned that annual leave. I took it to take care of my children, then have a recovery day. FFS it's not like I went on a bender to Ibiza!

AIBU???

This. Perfectly put.

on reflection, I’ve had to have those conversations too after approving leave. But wouldn’t then run to HR.

this is actually a weak line management issue.

Probably because the poor line manager has been got at.

I’m not to respond in kind to your Wilkie Collins jibe as I’m sure you’ll find a reason why my comment should be removed and use that to convince yourself that you’ve been a delight to engage with.

You have such a poor understanding of the law that you implied it’s a-ok as long as you can’t be prosecuted. You’ve used the word “discrimination” incorrectly on multiple occasions. You’ve said you didn’t realise you shouldn’t call in sick unless you’re sick. The fact is, you’re giving OP factually incorrect advice and then acted like people are completely out of order for saying you’re wrong on the facts. Further to that, you’ve tried to correct people giving factually correct advice with comments that are incorrect. The only person getting irate is you.

You’re entitled to whatever opinion you like but it’s flatly not true to say this is discrimination and it’s flatly not true to say she could’ve called in sick (and not been in breach of contract to do so).

Not sure what your long ramble was intended to communicate to be honest. OP’s employer is fully entitled to expect OP follow the rules like everyone else even if you wouldn’t expect your employees too (even though you’re not an employer and don’t have employees). You have no idea how OP being off work impacted output so not sure why you’re commenting on it.

It wasn’t vitriol, it wasn’t even an insult. If your hide were so thick you wouldn’t have responded with such horror - and if you didn’t understand the reference then I’m unsure why you were so deathly offended and certain that you’d been insulted.

“She said I was like a character in a film I’ve never heard of and I was so shocked by the vitriol that I was completely unable to put together a coherent sentence”. Sound like someone with a thick skin to you?

To be fair, you could have pre-empted the strikes by booking leave in advance and being more prepared

You were warned it would probably happen

But then maybe next time you can just call in sick

Never mind the sanctinmonious twatty twats. They just sit in cyberland like vultures waiting to put someone down.

Speak to your line manager about this. You went through the correct procedures and the leave was approved. It's no business of HR to reprimand you - you don't work for them. The decision is with your line manager as that is who you report to; if it was an issue then it was for him/her to raise with you. You should have refused to discuss it with jumped up administrator ad referred them to your manager.

It's hard working with 3 young children - been there, and my managers at the time were reasonable. Dread to think if it was now with the pricks I'm forced to report to these days!!

As a one-off I don't see the problem with working from home in an emergency. We don't all have alternative childcare on tap.

It's really disheartening. No wonder employees take sick leave in situations like this when you're treated like this for being honest.

Really disappointed to have come on here looking for support, only for people to respond with sarcasm and unkind comments. Hope your comments made you feel big and clever.

Welcome to the new and improved version of Mumsnet where 30% are trolls, 50% are horrible bitches and if you're lucky 20% are helpful and supportive.

Anyway if your manager authorised your leave who is complaining after the fact? You're not wrong life is very hard at the moment for lots of us. I hope you are rested and better able to cope.

Your entire second paragraph? It’s just made up, isn’t it? Genuinely, I hope you’re okay.

You’ve responded to yourself. Are you ok? You’ve been weirdly nasty and aggressive to some posters and then completely polite and agreeable to others saying almost identical things. Passive aggressive is still aggressive.

Can you kindly explain HTAF the OP has "breached her employment contract" by taking leave approved in advance?

You're not wrong!!

Report report report! I've found MN to be very responsive, and it's oddly satisfying...😁

If her employer expects a certain notice for annual leave requests (like every employer I’ve ever come across) and OP didn’t give it then it’s absolutely their business why she’s breached her employment contract

So, like I said, if she didn’t given the notice she’s supposed to give then she’s in breach of the contract because the contract says she should give certain notice and she didn’t do that (and if the contract says nothing then it’s an implied contract term that statutory notice applies).

She hasn’t breached the contract by taking leave approved in advance. She might have breached her contract by requesting leave without the proper notice.

!00% this. It not the business of HR - it's the line manager's responsibility. That's the bit I would be really annoyed about.

Would you ever read that out loud to yourself and give your head a wobble when you've done that?!

This thread has turned a little 🦇💩

Are you joking? There’s nothing to head wobble there. Do you have much experience of contract/employment law?

Didn’t realise I’d replied to myself. Thanks. I’ve felt got at by one poster. Because they’ve been rude. I don’t feel I’ve been ‘weirdly nasty’ or ‘aggressive’ even to them. Apologies for any offence. I wanted to support the OP and then got told I was like a character in something I’ve never seen, have no idea about employment law and advocate skiving. It was a tad unexpected! But thanks for your concern.

???????????????????

It doesn’t sound like HR are annoyed it was approved - they’re annoyed that it was requested late. Not sure why people are struggling with this concept so much. Just because it was approved doesn’t mean that OP was reasonable to request it at the last minute.

Jesus wept. No one is unreasonable for requesting AL "late" as the approval process means it could easily be denied. In the category "if you don't ask..."

The AL was approved. Therefore the manager had clearly decided they could cope despite the short notice. If anything HR should be having a word with the manager for approving a holiday requested supposedly unreasonably late.

Would they prefer the OP took sick days without any notice?

You got at her, not the other way around. If you don’t know about employment law then it’s probably best to refrain from giving legal advice. And you did advocate skiving when you advised OP to call in sick. You’ve been pretty rude, whether you meant to be or not.

Can I help you?

Sick. Days. Are. For. When. You’re. Sick.

It’s the overuse of the word ‘contract’ that does it. I couldn’t read anything else. This thread has given me nightmares, frankly. And a new fear of the word ‘contract’. I still think the OP isn’t being unreasonable and actually think it’s really not nice for her to experience this. Not contractually, mind.