Expats' holidays - different rules or CF?

[Huromjuicemaker]

My colleague and I are expats we have been working together here for years. Their family is "back home" and mine is with me here. My colleague is a department manager and I am in overall charge of the factory but I can perform my colleague's role and they can to some extent step up to mine. We try to arrange our holidays so that they do not overlap and we can ensure continuous coverage. We both report independently to the top management of the company.

Colleague has just unilaterally decided to extend their 6 week holiday to 2 months and because I need to go home for a family event (a) there will be no overlap/handover, (b) the start date for my own holiday is pushed back while I continue to work up to the last minute.

Although I have sympathy for them wanting to see their family and know it must be hard to be separated for long periods of time AIBU for thinking this is unprofessional and CF behaviour?

There may be mitigating circumstances you aren't aware of? Don't change your dates otherwise

Did colleague realise you needed to push back your own holiday?
Are you required not to overlap or is this just something that you do?
Can you just speak to them about it - seems like the issue is it crossed over your own holiday, not the length itself.

Who authorises holiday? Does he even have 9 weeks of holiday to take?

Holidays should be planned and should be agreed with the others who are impacted. It should not be permitted when someone else already has holiday booked.

Speak to HR, there should be policies on this. He may get extra due to his family not having been relocated but there should still be rules in place.

What did your manager say when you told them you already had holiday booked?

So, why can't you both be off?

That's the actual problem here - poor business continuity.

As an aside, what makes you an expat rather than an immigrant to the country you're in?

This has just happened, so have not yet taken any action other than to vent on here.
It's a bit informal here the deal is a big holiday once a year to go home and see relatives, friends etc. Tell HR and go - we don't overlap because there needs to be a someone with experience keeping an eye on things the local team are well trained but not very experienced

Was about to ask what an 'expat' was.
I've lived overseas now for 10 years. I have citizenship and a passport.

I'm still an immigrant. Never been an 'expat' whatever that is.

Pretty sure it's Spain. Seems to be the 'de rigeur' term for UK immigrants.

This isn't an ex pat thing. It's a poor management and communication thing. Speak to your own manager and see what they suggest. Perhaps they can second someone from elsewhere while you're away.

If you don't overlap then surely you say nope sorry you are going into my booked holiday on x date you will need to be back by x date?

We had expats at my previous company. You reported to eg the UK office. They send you abroad to another office for 2 years to train up staff, pay your rent, school fees and a higher salary than the UK office. When your 2 years are up you either come back or go on to another country.

OP you'll need to take it up with your manager. You shouldn't have to change your holiday.

If it's a small company it's not that easy to find someone to substitute for senior staff, particularly if two layers of management are missing at the same time.

Is it possible to cover while on holiday? Check emails, call in once a day to make sure everything is OK? You could cover some days that way and the other person could do some days as well.

If it it this year, then unreasonable. If it is for 2024, possibly not.

Eh, it's usually expat = native English speaker. I don't know any Spanish, Italians, Portuguese, Poles, Germans etc who have emigrated and call themselves expats.

If you've already booked your leave then surely they can't book theirs if it clashes, they need to extend their holiday the other way (go earlier or later) so that one of you are at work.
Doesn't it work on a first come first served basis?
Unless they have an unexpected event like family illness, funeral etc they can't book to be off if you've already booked the time.
Have you spoken to them?
Or spoken to management or HR?

*Was about to ask what an 'expat' was.
I've lived overseas now for 10 years. I have citizenship and a passport.

I'm still an immigrant. Never been an 'expat' whatever that is.*

You are an immigrant @meatbaseddessert
An expat is not someone who emigrated to a country, takes out citizenship etc
It's usually someone sent overseas for a specific job role, usually just for 2 or 3 years and their company gives them certain "expat" conditions such as paid flights home, extended time off to go home, school fees etc.

Ignorant.

@PinkFootstool

Expats are people on temporary postings - secondments etc. Sent by the company, usually all moving expenses.

Immigrants are more permanent, but also usually jobs secured under their own steam, with their own expenses etc paid.

@meatbaseddessert you've been there 10 years with citizenship so clearly an immigrant.

@LadinLee put it better than I have!

Would your colleague take the other 2 weeks holiday at another point in the year if this one hadn’t been extended?

As far as I can tell, the fact that you are working abroad is a red herring, but perhaps it is a reason why holiday is taken in long chunks rather than max 2 weeks at a time like it would be in a domestic UK job. However this gives management the chance to arrange proper cover, not just have you two juggle it between you. Don’t factories also have very distinct peaks and troughs in their production schedules?

I’ve always thought of an expat as someone who intends to return to the uk at some point. Maybe has been sent abroad by their company on a temporary secondment.
Surely you are an immigrant only if you intend to make the new country your permanent home?

I know plenty. When you work/attend school in growing economies you'll meet tons of expats from all over the world, not just English speakers. They come for a few years to set up a new department and get it up and running, have all their expenses paid and gets paid well and usually works fort he corporation and not the local office. Once everything is up and running, time to move on.

Are they visiting their spouse and kids? Are they using that as an excuse? Wether it's unprofessional or CF depends. Has it been established that you can't be away at the same time and do they know that you'll have to push your holiday? If yes, then they're a cf if they didnt communicate with you. Talk with management and let them deal.

They are a CF and rude to just organise it without checking with you first, given that they knew you would have to cover and that you have an informal agreement that you're not both off together. But I'm not sure how you resolve it given where I think you probably are. Any advice about speaking to your union rep is likely not applicable . Would HR do anything? Honestly, I'd probably go to the colleague directly and explain that this now means you are at risk of missing an important family occasion and can they do a week extra to give you some slack