Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

About those who don't take annual leave between Christmas and NY

253 replies

Abitboring · 22/12/2023 16:42

Some people in office jobs have nothing to do between Christmas and NY. I don't mean all, but some as businesses are closed etc.

Is it clever have no annual leave left but be effectively off work during those days?

Or is it deceitful to use up all annual leave during the rest of the year and then have nothing left for those days but be kind of off anyway?

OP posts:
LetMeOut2021 · 22/12/2023 17:04

Some places insist on cover and don’t allow annual leave. Depending on the nature of your job I think most employers accept that staff are there “just in case” rather than to carry on at normal pace.

Londonrach1 · 22/12/2023 17:05

When I worked NHS in the comments clinics I used to volunteer to do the clinics as lovely Xmas feel and all patients were happy and tbh it was manageable work wise... obviously this pre children....

Ozgirl75 · 22/12/2023 17:06

I used to love working those days before I had kids. Used to get a later train, still in by 9 but not early, meet my husband for a long lunch and spend the time catching up on admin, getting myself organised for the coming year. Loved it! Trains were quiet, it was fun.
I worked long hours often so I figured it was fair to have these few lax days.

mottytotty · 22/12/2023 17:06

I have a hybrid WFH/OOO role. I could technically work between Xmas and NY but not actually do any work, no one will care because my output is high the rest of the year.

However, I've booked it as annual leave so I can properly switch off.

Mumof2teens79 · 22/12/2023 17:06

I don't know anyone in this situation.
If the business is closed you have to reserve some of your AL for the time it is closed.
If not closed there is always something to do....often its busier because everyone else is off so you end up doing 3 different jobs.

Mumof1andacat · 22/12/2023 17:06

Non clinical (admin) band 4 in the nhs. No day is quiet. Business as usual in between Christmas and New year.

Krampussy · 22/12/2023 17:07

Abitboring · 22/12/2023 16:51

@NearlyMonday This is about office jobs, not retail. If you keep a shop open you are working. If you move your mouse once a day you are not.

Oh do fuck off.

Original poster
Abitboring · 22/12/2023 17:07

I ask because I have a slacker on my team, I am not the boss. They have burned through all their AL quickly and are generally sketchy. If the first meeting is at 11am, they often won't begin work until 11. Clock off early as well. And so on. They are 'away' a lot and you can tell. Now they have no AL left, but will be 'working' next week. There will be nothing to do, unless you are someone self motivated and choose to tidy up your desktop a bits or pieces like that or prepare something for when business resumes in Jan. I just can't see them do it with this attitude. It looks like they are in a minority.

By all means, I did not intend to offend anyone. I am quite self motivated and passionate about what I do myself, but do love a good work life balance and a bit of flexibility without constant piss taking.

it had not occured to me that a company may not close offices to not disadvantage those who don't celebrate Christmas but celebrate other things. This is a valid point.

OP posts:
greenacrylicpaint · 22/12/2023 17:08

work on an IT project
it's madly busy 'between the years' as they can do stuff without disrupting office staff too much.

amiyoung · 22/12/2023 17:09

Abitboring · 22/12/2023 17:07

I ask because I have a slacker on my team, I am not the boss. They have burned through all their AL quickly and are generally sketchy. If the first meeting is at 11am, they often won't begin work until 11. Clock off early as well. And so on. They are 'away' a lot and you can tell. Now they have no AL left, but will be 'working' next week. There will be nothing to do, unless you are someone self motivated and choose to tidy up your desktop a bits or pieces like that or prepare something for when business resumes in Jan. I just can't see them do it with this attitude. It looks like they are in a minority.

By all means, I did not intend to offend anyone. I am quite self motivated and passionate about what I do myself, but do love a good work life balance and a bit of flexibility without constant piss taking.

it had not occured to me that a company may not close offices to not disadvantage those who don't celebrate Christmas but celebrate other things. This is a valid point.

Well it looks like your slacker slacks 365 (or however many working days there are) on the year. Yet, you have started a thread about ALL office workers?
If a company decides that there's no work they can very well enforce mandatory breaks. If they don't, it's up to workers to choose when to take A/L.

it's not 'deceitful'.

HTH.

Ozgirl75 · 22/12/2023 17:10

I run a business now and we close for 3 days (plus the bank holidays) and our staff get those as extra holiday days. We also do a £250 Christmas bonus, a hamper and they get a Christmas lunch. We let them leave at lunch time today as well as it was so quiet. This used to be the norm, feels like it isn’t so much any more.

amiyoung · 22/12/2023 17:10

Ozgirl75 · 22/12/2023 17:10

I run a business now and we close for 3 days (plus the bank holidays) and our staff get those as extra holiday days. We also do a £250 Christmas bonus, a hamper and they get a Christmas lunch. We let them leave at lunch time today as well as it was so quiet. This used to be the norm, feels like it isn’t so much any more.

I left at lunch! :) boss is nice and unofficially lets us leave early. Love the guy.

LolaSmiles · 22/12/2023 17:12

I ask because I have a slacker on my team, I am not the boss. They have burned through all their AL quickly and are generally sketchy. If the first meeting is at 11am, they often won't begin work until 11. Clock off early as well. And so on. They are 'away' a lot and you can tell. Now they have no AL left, but will be 'working' next week. There will be nothing to do, unless you are someone self motivated and choose to tidy up your desktop a bits or pieces like that or prepare something for when business resumes in Jan. I just can't see them do it with this attitude. It looks like they are in a minority

You're not the manager so have no responsibility for them.

If you wanted to work between Christmas and New Year, you could.

If the organisation wanted to have company closure between Christmas and New Year, they could.

Nothing good comes from stewing about colleagues you're not in a position to change.

Original poster
Abitboring · 22/12/2023 17:12

@amiyoung to be fair the thread is about office workers that have nothing to do during those days, so by no means ALL. You just got a read that again.

HTH

OP posts:
NearlyMonday · 22/12/2023 17:14

Abitboring · 22/12/2023 17:12

@amiyoung to be fair the thread is about office workers that have nothing to do during those days, so by no means ALL. You just got a read that again.

HTH

You seem very critical of office workers

MargotBamborough · 22/12/2023 17:15

LolaSmiles · 22/12/2023 17:12

I ask because I have a slacker on my team, I am not the boss. They have burned through all their AL quickly and are generally sketchy. If the first meeting is at 11am, they often won't begin work until 11. Clock off early as well. And so on. They are 'away' a lot and you can tell. Now they have no AL left, but will be 'working' next week. There will be nothing to do, unless you are someone self motivated and choose to tidy up your desktop a bits or pieces like that or prepare something for when business resumes in Jan. I just can't see them do it with this attitude. It looks like they are in a minority

You're not the manager so have no responsibility for them.

If you wanted to work between Christmas and New Year, you could.

If the organisation wanted to have company closure between Christmas and New Year, they could.

Nothing good comes from stewing about colleagues you're not in a position to change.

This.

Original poster
Abitboring · 22/12/2023 17:16

@LolaSmiles I don't intend to work next week, so booked time off.

Others also do not intend to work next week, but do not book time off. It's a minority though.

OP posts:
NeverDropYourMooncup · 22/12/2023 17:16

Once I didn't have children to find largely non existent childcare for, I actually like working in that period - no traffic, no herds of schoolchildren barging their way onto public transport, fewer phonecalls - and no management. Peace and quiet to get on with work, do things that would disturb others, no demand upon the servers, take breaks, a full lunch and productivity significantly greater than at any other time of year - the lack of interruption meant I could get more done in 4 hours than would ordinarily take me the best part of a week or were actually impossible under normal conditions.

ChocolateCinderToffee · 22/12/2023 17:17

In my last job we had to have three people covering the office between Christmas and new year out of a team of 25 or so. I know one person always volunteered for this because she could get lots done as there would be fewer interruptions. Other people liked the relaxed atmosphere. Really don’t see why that’s a problem.

Merryoldgoat · 22/12/2023 17:17

I think it very much depends on the type of job.

We get the time between off as a freebie but I could very easily work and be busy. Some jobs you never get to the end of your work.

BotterMon · 22/12/2023 17:17

Eh? If the office is closed then people have to use AL to be off. If it's open, it's open and whoever wants to work can do so. Always use it to catch up with all the little things I never have time to sort during the year such as clearing out files etc. and there's always work due to industry I'm in which is 365 days a year.

Merryoldgoat · 22/12/2023 17:18

Mumof2teens79 · 22/12/2023 17:06

I don't know anyone in this situation.
If the business is closed you have to reserve some of your AL for the time it is closed.
If not closed there is always something to do....often its busier because everyone else is off so you end up doing 3 different jobs.

Not everyone does - I am given this as a non-contractual freebie.

MadeOfAllWork · 22/12/2023 17:19

Ah I see. So there is one person that you don’t like and you aren’t keen on the fact that they will be in the office keeping a chair warm and getting paid when you have taken a days leave. Well copy their example next year then.

MissBuffyAnneSummers · 22/12/2023 17:20

Some people don't want to be at home at Christmas. It's not a happy time for everyone.

Original poster
Abitboring · 22/12/2023 17:21

@MadeOfAllWork @MissBuffyAnneSummers They will be 'working from home'.

OP posts: