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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:
OnlyFoolsnMothers · 22/12/2023 17:21

Never want to use annual leave during a cold exhausted skint time of year. If there’s work I’ll do it and if there isn’t then I won’t- not sure what else you’d expect me to do.

PandaCory · 22/12/2023 17:22

I've had to work those days in the past because someone had to be checking emails, etc. International businesses don't shut down over Christmas, some countries don't have it as a holiday. My boss usually gave me a design project or something to work on as they knew it would be quiet.

MissBuffyAnneSummers · 22/12/2023 17:23

Abitboring · 22/12/2023 17:21

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

Nonetheless they are still occupied with work.

You have no idea what's going in their lives.

CrapBucket · 22/12/2023 17:23

“It’s the week before Christmas
And all through the house
Everyone working from home
Is only moving the mouse”

Poetry aside it’s not fair on a team for one person to be a lazy slacker and get away with it.

Meanoldlady · 22/12/2023 17:24

I work nightshifts. Some nights nothing much happens, some nights everything happens. Some nights I decide to do more or less depending on my mood/energy level. As long as I'm available and my work is complete there's no issue.
I dont really get the problem. You arent 'off work' if you're 'in work' and available.

Hobbesmanc · 22/12/2023 17:24

Public sector. We close from today till the 2nd and have to use annual leave for the weds to fri next week. Most people use accrued flexi for some of it. It a new role for me and I've never had this much time over Christmas. Honestly I'd rather not use the three days and work a couple but there's no option.

Grumpystripes · 22/12/2023 17:25

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 necessarily. My office is closed from the 21st to 2nd but I don't have to reserve any AL for the closure - it is a contractual benefit to have extra days off without affecting annual leave.

When I did have to take AL, I preferred not to take the time between Christmas and New Year. There wasn't much to do so I could catch up with admin and it saved leave for spring and summer.

ManateeFair · 22/12/2023 17:25

'Deceitful'? What on earth are you on about?

Of course it isn't deceitful. First of all, not everyone has nothing to between Christmas and New Year. Secondly, in a lot of teams, someone HAS to be working even if there's not a lot to do. If the office is open, at least one person in my team and at least two in DP's team have to be there to provide cover. Sometimes stuff happens, sometimes it doesn't, but someone has to be there during working hours regardless. It's not remotely akin to 'being off' because it's boring as fuck - it's not like you can just trot off on a day out. Even if we're working from home, we have to be logged in and working, and they can tell if we're not.

Even if we didn't have to be in, it isn't remotely deceitful or out of order in any way to just go to work on a working day ffs.

I'm not working between Christmas and New Year this year, but I have done many times in the past.

If the office is open, it's perfectly reasonable to work. If the office is closed, then your employer will either grant everyone those days off as a perk on top of their annual leave, or they will enforce it that all colleagues either use some of their annual leave or work unpaid. In my first job those days off were basically our Christmas bonus and everyone had them on top of annual leave. In other jobs I've had where the office has closed, I've had to take it from my annual leave.

Nottodaty · 22/12/2023 17:25

I alternate each year between the team. The only person not working doesn’t haven’t children, I’m on call and my other team member is divorced so had this week off with the kids and would rather be working than just sitting around. Not much will happen but we both need to keep an eye on the phone, it will be light duties & no doubt clearing mailboxes and catching up!

GenXisthebest · 22/12/2023 17:26

Each workplace handles this differently.

In my current job, my workplace is completely closed and we have to take annual leave (although this is given to us as extra annual leave above the statutory minimum, so we don't have to take it out of the normal 28 days).

In my previous job it was your choice - you could take annual leave if you liked or come into the office if you liked. But you still had to complete a timesheet so you couldn't really do absolutely nothing (although it was obviously much less busy than usual).

Precipice · 22/12/2023 17:26

Abitboring · 22/12/2023 16:57

Got triggered much?

Show quote history

No, I merely disagree with you. What an unnecessary and rude response. Have you interacted with people much?

amiyoung · 22/12/2023 17:27

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

ALL is correct.
Holiday policy is up to the company. If the company decided there was 'nothing to do' and it wanted people off. It would close offices and force everyone to take leave.
If the company did not do so. It's not up to any individual to decide they have 'nothing to do', so take their A/L if they don't want to.
HTH. But it probably doesn't, as PP pointed out you seem strangely combative, Who knows maybe you are the problem worker not your supposed slacker colleague.

caringcarer · 22/12/2023 17:27

Not everyone celebrates Xmas and so may not want time off in what is often a cold and wet month.

Teder · 22/12/2023 17:28

Abitboring · 22/12/2023 17:21

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

Ok that’s still working though? They can’t just disappear off and take their kids for a whole day out.

I don’t mind working in between Christmas and New Year. We need minimum staffing anyway and it’s quiet, so I catch up on my admin in peace. I have no axe to grind. You clearly do though! Just book it off.

FiveGoMadInDorset · 22/12/2023 17:30

I am working, not sure about other teams who feed into my job but I see it as an opportunity to catch up on all the bits that seem to go by the wayside

MissBuffyAnneSummers · 22/12/2023 17:32

All workplaces are different

We all wfh. My work is 'closed' between Xmas and New Year.

To cover these days, extra leave is gifted by the employer so there's no requirement to use annual leave.

If you don't celebrate Xmas, would prefer to use this for another significant celebration eg EID, or you just don't want to be off, you can apply to work and use these extra gift days then.

It's an inclusive and fair workplace and all my colleagues are respectful of each other.

DrinkFeckArseBrick · 22/12/2023 17:35

I'm working. No it's not as busy as normal but gives everyone a chance to catch up, given how under resourced everyone is (and I'm sure my company isn't alone in that), it gives some time to catch up on things that don't get done in the busy period leading up to Xmas. There is never 'nothing to do'

Ariela · 22/12/2023 17:35

I always found that (pre-kids) those with kids at school wanted the holidays off, so was quite happy to work during a quiet time at work.

MrsDanversGlidesAgain · 22/12/2023 17:36

I'll be working and it will be very quiet (if I see a client over the 3 days I'll die of shock) but I actually have loads of stuff I can get on with. I could sit there and twirl in my chair for 3 days but I would die of boredom

When working I always used to do between Xmas and New Year (finance, so plenty to do for year end). Trains are quiet, the office is quiet, the irritating colleagues are on holiday and I can get stuff done. And push off at 3.30-4ish.

TheHolyGrailSpeaks · 22/12/2023 17:39

Not the staff’s lookout if there isn’t enough to keep everyone busy but they keep the office open anyway.

As annual leave is so limited compared to school holidays (unless you’re a teacher), parents need to conserve their leave and not throw it away just because they expect to be less productive. The risk is on the employer.

Alphabet1spaghetti2 · 22/12/2023 17:40

If you haven’t got any AL left, then time off when the office was closed was treated as unpaid time off. No option to work as way before wfh and the offices were locked (council). So it was up to the individual have time of paid using AL or have time off unpaid and use their AL accordingly.

Shallana · 22/12/2023 17:40

We have a skeleton staff on between 27th and 30th, every team member works one day and it's like a normal work day as there's only two of us answering calls and emails instead of eight. We all get the other days off.

I much prefer to have one proper day of work and to be able to switch off completely during the rest of the period.

rwalker · 22/12/2023 17:41

Good luck to them if there employers are stupid enough to not force them to take leave

so on there allowance is issued it should be pre booked Christmas leave then employee can use the balance when ever

and yes your company can dictate when you take your holidays

aSwarmOfMidgies · 22/12/2023 17:42

I nearly didn't take leave because it's the one time of year when you can get things done - your core work - rather than supporting everyone else

PowerhouseOfTheCell · 22/12/2023 17:44

in my current role I had to work between Xmas and new year because of lack of annual leave. Put my laptop on at 8am, closed it at 4pm. Whatever went on between those hours were my business and no one ever asked
All major work is stopped between Xmas and New year so managers accept some level of slacking

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