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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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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:

CirreltheSquirrel · 22/12/2023 18:14

I'm usually happy to cover. Most years it's quiet but some years it's mental because something needs to complete before year end (I'm a lawyer) and I've been on calls into the evening on NYE before now. It balances out, and if it's quiet I can get some admin or cpd done.

SchoolQuestionnaire · 22/12/2023 18:14

It depends on the circumstances.

I wfh next week. There will be very little to do but someone needs to be on call. My team all requested the time off and I didn’t see why they should lose out over me so I’ll be covering. I will get a bit of work done, but I’m pretty organised and don’t have much to do so I’ll mostly be glancing at my laptop while spending much needed time with the kids. I’d much prefer to be properly off but someone has to cover so we are where we are.

ANightmareBeforeChristmas · 22/12/2023 18:15

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.

😂

Grapefruitsquash · 22/12/2023 18:15

I'm working. It'll be very quiet but I can catch up.on the admin I haven't done during the year.

AllergicCatLover · 22/12/2023 18:16

I work in a theatre- the venue is obviously extremely busy over xmas but the 'back office' element goes dead. I'm back office (finance).

I've seriously considered not taking the leave and just skiving off as nobody would know at all. I just can't do it though- the guilt!! Simultaneously, I know that other people who are working are definitely skiving. They've as much as said so, and there is barely any activity on the system to show for their hours.

So, yeah, when you clearly should take leave because you won't be really working, it is marginally annoying I'm using my leave and someone else isn't. But I MUCH prefer this to enforced leave - I want a culture of trust in employees over authoritarianism any day!

SoxDogs · 22/12/2023 18:16

I’m working two of the days inbetween because I used all my leave earlier in the year. I’ll be busy and already have a few calls put in my diary with clients. They could probably wait until the new year but if I’m around, why wait? I certainly won’t be doing nothing.

NewFriendlyLadybird · 22/12/2023 18:16

I’m self-employed now but I used to work in offices. If they were open, a certain number of people HAD to be in to provide cover. Even if not much was going on, some people had to be there.

adriftinadenofvipers · 22/12/2023 18:17

If the person has no AL left and has no work to do to justify her being in, then she might think again if the two days gets deducted from her next year's leave entitlement.

My team manager insists on 4 people for cover. It's overkill.

WhycantIkeepthisbloodyplantalive · 22/12/2023 18:18

My husband has deliberately not taken off 2 days between Christmas and New Years because he works from home and there's approx 10 employees working (company of over 1000). He does very little on these days so didn't see the need to book the days off... the worlds a hard place, little rewards and all that.

Workway · 22/12/2023 18:20

I worked in a role where between Christmas and New Year it really was very very quiet (did this for 10yrs+). I'd be WFH too.

BUT and here's the thing - if something did kick off, then it could be a nightmare and I have had that happen to me a couple of times too.

So yeah, I could be sat at home pushing my mouse around, one eye on the Tele but I was there. If I was phoned or pinged - I was the person manning for everyone else, so it fell to me to sort it out.

Before kids - I think everyone was just grateful I always stepped up to cover those days between Christmas and New Year so my colleagues with kids didn't need to worry about it. No one was resentful that work wasn't busier for me.

Boomboom22 · 22/12/2023 18:20

Si you mean they wfh but have no work to do so don't even bother logging in? I think if they are online, available by phone and can show something for the day its OK. But if you are not their manager it's not your business. If you are then stop the coming in at 11 lark.

CirreltheSquirrel · 22/12/2023 18:23

And to add to my post above, the main reason I tend to work it is because I prefer to take holiday when I have things to do in nice weather. I don't have kids, the in laws go away between Christmas and New year, and my dad lives abroad and usually flies home on boxing day. The bank holidays are usually enough for us to spend time with everyone we need to see (we both have small families who get on well and all meet up for Christmas day anyway). The only reason I tend to work some days and take others off is that my OH has a compulsory shutdown so this year I'm working one day and taking 2 off.

YellowRoses100 · 22/12/2023 18:25

I always work in between Xmas/New Year. I stay at home and write up my reports and tidy up my case files. I don't have a "face to face" position at the moment (Social work) so I save my annual leave to take at other times.

YellowRoses100 · 22/12/2023 18:25

Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain · 22/12/2023 18:26

I’m a temp/contractor and I actually only have 3 days to take over Christmas and we are not paid for bank holidays. I’m taking the rest of the week as unpaid leave as I need a break and was told I could come in and basically “do little”. There won’t be a huge amount to do when I’m back on 3rd January as both my bosses are returning on 8th January but I do have bits and pieces to do.

Some people like to clear their workload before the end of the year. Others like to take advantage of people not being in and less work to do for them to do archiving/tidying up etc.

MrsDilligaf · 22/12/2023 18:26

I'm working between Christmas and New year (permanent WFH) because there are a few things I want to sort out, I'll check emails intermittently but unlikely I'll work a full day on any of the three days I'm in.

I am very fortunate to work for an employer that pays me for my knowledge and expertise. They don't care what hours I work, they care that the job I do, is done to the highest standard and I deliver.

My team are the same (also permanent WFH), I've employed them because they are brilliant at their jobs. I don't expect them to be sat at their desks for 7 hours just because they haven't booked leave.

It's not about having bums on seats for so many hours...I've worked in places were I've been a bum on a seat, paid hourly, to literally wait for something to happen.

So yes, I will probably do very little work over Christmas but that will compensate for the times I work 13 hours a day.

Faceplantagain · 22/12/2023 18:26

i'm currently working for an employer who closes the office between Christmas and NY, but treats this as additional to everyone's leave allocation. Which is great, but I'm working for them on a freelance basis, where I'm expected to work a specific 3 days a week. The closure period plus bank holidays basically means I'm £1200 down.

synonymed · 22/12/2023 18:29

Krampussy · 22/12/2023 17:07

Oh do fuck off.

Show quote history

Some truly triggered people here. 😂

Taytocrisps · 22/12/2023 18:32

I work in an office but our building is closed between Christmas and New Year. Apart from the Bank Holidays (Christmas Day and St. Stephen's Day), we have to use Annual Leave to cover these days. HR books the leave for everyone at the start of the year and it's deducted from your leave allowance. So nobody can use it up during the year.

ElfAndSafetyBored · 22/12/2023 18:34

I think YABU to make this generalisation.

but YANBU towards this specific person. I can see why you resent them. I’d say you just have to wait for them to move on, but since they sound lazy and are allowed to get away with it, they probably won’t. Direct your anger at their line manager if you need to.

AnonnyMouseDave · 22/12/2023 18:38

I used to ALWAYS work between xmas and NY. Absolutely bonkers to take A/L on a day when you know you can come in a bit late, have nothing to do and leave three hours early.

GenXisthebest · 22/12/2023 18:42

Agreed - before having kids I always worked and enjoyed the peace and quiet.

Ebeneser · 22/12/2023 18:42

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?

We shut down between Christmas and New Year. If you’re out of annual leave then they take it out of your salary as unpaid leave

mumsytoon · 22/12/2023 18:44

Dh chooses to work, because he can wfh and yet have loads of time to do personal stuff. He takes his leave at other times when we feel it won't be 'wasted'.

ithinkthatmaybeimdreaming · 22/12/2023 18:45

What does it have to do with you??? Some offices are open, some need to be, so someone has to work. What does it matter if all they have to do is "move their mouse once a day" - which actually is extremely boring. I can't stand people who think they need to police how much work others are doing.

Also, believe it or not OP, some offices are busy at that time - I used to work in one.

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