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?

Are you going to answer any questions that people trying to help have asked? Or just get abusive because someone questioned your "expat" description?

They're a CF. And stupid too if they think this won't impact your relationship. If there was some large personal tragedy there's nothing stopping them dropping you a note. There's no way they've forgotten this will impact you.

I think there's probably not much you can do now. BUT I'd be sure to get my holidays booked first next year and not to worry about dividing the time equally or being courteous about it. And make sure your summer holiday starts first. If there's any problem from above then just point out that the precedent was set this year.

You’re an economic immigrant.

An ‘expat’ is someone temporarily overseas who intends to return to their home country after their posting is over. It’s not just Spain. My family were expats’ in the US and in Europe- 3 year fixed term contract, different visa, no intention to stay.

Diplomats posted overseas are expats - their loyalties remain with their j
home countries.

There are often very good deals. My family got paid for visits home once a year, when in Europe, we got paid for schools in the private English language school etc.

I would advise HR, as your leave had already been approved and other costs have been spent to accommodate your trip, etc. Let them know that thanks to your colleague’s lack of organization and consideration, you are unable to cancel your trip and will be out £££ unless you go.

Expat = there temporarily for work.

Immigrant = intending to stay permanently.

The only racism comes from assuming non-white people must be immigrants rather than being highly educated overseas workers who want to return home in due course

If you've already told work you'll be off then your colleague can't just change your pre authorised holiday. Just tell your manager you can't change your holiday to accommodate someone else's. A failure in management to even entertain it.

Expatriate is supposed to be temporary, emigrate is planned to be permanent. Doesn't always work like that I'm supposedly an expat but currently don't see any hope of getting things to a position that I can go home.

Just talk to hr, if you already have leave dates agreed then its their issue not yours

Definitely see HR. Also 2 months is an absurdly long holiday. Your colleague has made whatever choices they made about where to work and where their family is, but outside of major emergencies, most workplaces don't enable workers to take this kind of time off.

Why can't the colleague extend their break at the other end? Ie go two weeks earlier rather than return two weeks later? That way they get the extra time with family without affecting handover.

But this is why the expat thing is actually important/ relevant. I don't know where the OP is but this may be a "hardship posting" in which case skilled foreign workers (hired because those skills aren't available locally) do get perks that local workers don't because otherwise they would do it. For example, this guy (assume he's guy as family back in home country where the main caregiver is a man would be unusual) may have said "ok I'll go and do that job but I need to spend the summer holidays in UK so I need 6 weeks in one block", and the employer said ok.

*they wouldn't do it

Arrggh- changes entire meaning of post. Sorry

To be fair there are people on temporary contracts etc, or those who want to work abroad for a bit.

I always thought that 'expats' referred to a very specific class of people send abroad by their employer with generous benefits as PP said, who will return home to continue their job with said employer. Generous salary, trips home, private school and relocation costs all paid for.

Everyone else is an immigrant. Whether it's a transfer to a different country, secondment, temp contract or fruit picking in Australia if it's not an expat package you're not an expat.

Lol no.
I am white and still an immigrant.
People keep forgetting about hierarchy of witness

Fuck sake every time expat is mentioned we get the same derail. Expat = temporary, immigrant = permanent or at least long term. I'm on my third expat posting and know hundred of other expats, multiple nationalities, ethnicities and skin colours they all use the term expat if speaking English or whatever their local translation is. Just because some people use the term incorrectly in Costa Del Sol doesn't change the fact it's a real word with real meaning.

Anyway on the actual issue, it's a piss take. Yes of course extended summers or working abroad to extend family time are normal but only with consideration to other colleagues and work processes. And presumably you've booked your holiday in advance of their decision? In which case lay out the dates and ask them how they will manage the period remotely as you'll be on holiday and they are on 'working abroad'. I'd make it very clear it was unprofessional and suggest for new processes in place for future summers or extended leave. This will potentially impact them more than you so hopefully they'll be willing to find a solution rather than risk their future summers.

I am sat at work next to a Senegalese expat (here on a fixed contract, having previously done secondments in France and the USA). I'll inform him that he can't possibly be an expat because...

We're not in Spain
He's not white
He's not a native English speaker

He'll be quite irritated to hear that he's an immigrant, as he near-daily complains that he does not really like it here.

What gives you the ability to determine whether someone else intends to go home at some point? Yet almost everyone talks about migration from here or there.

Even lots of people who move intending to only stay for a period of some years end up stuck staying for longer, even permanently.

It's the package their employer provides not their own intention.
Of course you can start out as an expat and become an immigrant

The reason I asked about expat as a term is not to derail, but to understand OPs employment situation and whether proper terms of reference were in place to permit them all a time to go home for an extended period of time.

However OP doesn't seem to like the question and apparently "the locals" are too inexperienced to survive without the two expats, which again is a business continuity issue rather than anything else.

Immigrant implies permanence as many have stated.

If you're in a country where you can never have citizenship or permanent nationality, you are usually called an expat.

Just stick to your leave and maybe point out to whomever authorised to your colleague's extra leave that there is an overlap and they will have to sort something out to cover it.

No it doesn’t, immigration visas to the UK only
last for 5 years.

Coolhwip i can't speak for the uk as i left almost 20 years ago, but the country i live in will never allow us to have permanent residence, and all non local residents are called expats - across the country, for all nationalities.

@soberfabulous does the embassy call them expat visas? An you post a link?

There's no such thing as an 'immigration' or 'expat' visa.
There are only work visas.
After 5 years you can get indefinite leave to remain under most of them (exceptions are, for example the graduate route visa).