Is this unfair at work or aibu?

[Majbluemug]

Please could anyone give me a bit of perspective on this work situation / say how they'd feel?

I'll try not to make it too long but can give more info, sorry if I leaving anything important our. I'm not particularly happy in my job, I'm looking for something else. I work part time plus freelance which is the norm in my sector.

Another thing came up this week making me think wtf. We are a small org, several staff have been offered a freelance opportunity with a project we've had links with. But the opp is not through our employer. This involves time away from work weeks to a month or so.

To be able to be away for that long it's disruptive to our team and day to day work. So does add extra to others workload. It also means there's less flexibility for leave etc for the staff remaining.

However my biggest issue is to avoid unpaid time off staff have been offered a suplimentary leave eg like training leave. In addition to using annual leave. This is a of 3 weeks. I've never heard of this in our org before, we have no policies on it and no mention in the staff handbook. Effectively it's been made up to enable this.

I'm pissed off because it's not fair and I've actively not taken freelance work before because it would not fit in my schedule with my job. But apparently it can be made to work for others.

Obviously if I was happy in my job this wouldn't annoy me. I'm working on leaving, just wondering if it is actually shit or of I'm just not happy at work?

I think this is an opportunity for you to apply for the same leave as they're getting and get some freelance work.

@Whataretheodds ive thought about this... If there's no policy on it and it's never been mentioned before though it doesn't actually feel like it's a 'thing'! But I suppose ths the point? Should I just ask, so what is the process applying for this leave then? When I know full well there's no process or policy?

Yes, ask what the policy is. If it doesn’t exist, then you you can discuss why your team is off freelancing. If is real, the use it yourself to freelance

Leave to take training is pretty normal and I guess the company thinks this project is beneficial in some way.

If you want extra leave to freelance just ask them.

Why not? Would you rather triumphantly expose some unfairness or benefit from the company's willingness to allow you to freelance a bit?

It's not training though I said like training leave. It's leave to undertake other work. I only foud out about it yesterday afternoon.

I struggle to do my job in the I have. So extra leave to freelance didn't feel feasible as I'd need others to support with my work. But as this is what we will be doing the this situation... It seem fair enough to now ask for the same.

Yeah I mean tbh it will be a bit of both! As when I ask about it and there is nothing there to support it, it will look a bit daft. But I didn't mean to come across liek I did want to triumphantly expose an unfairness.

I just want to work somewhere less shambolic and wasn't sure if it was unfair or I'm just unhappy in my job.

So are they being paid to take additional also paid freelance work???

Yes effectively. They are using this special leave. Like training or research leave plus annual leave so it's paid time off.

Freelance opportunity is partly of a development opportunity so will likely just have a stipend associated with it rather than making lots of money from it.

That’s a bit of a drip feed @Majbluemug .
I think this is an issue of poor communication rather than unfairness.

A short term freelance development opportunity with a 3rd party has arisen. There is a business benefit if employees are able to have paid time off to take the opportunity. A business case has been written utilising different policies (leave and T & D) and the cost benefit is that it is beneficial to the business.

The business has decided to support its employees by asking them to take a weeks annual leave and they will pay 3 weeks training leave.

This is a pragmatic business decision and one that the business may use again.

There may not currently be a training leave policy but this appears to have been thought through. A similar application for you setting out the business benefits may see you be granted training leave.