Page 6 | About those who don't take annual leave between Christmas and NY

Abitboring · 2023-12-22T16:42:40+00:00

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?

BettyBakesCakes · 22/12/2023 18:49

Any office I've so worked in that shuts over Christmas has mandated leave for that period.

Rec0veringAcademic · 22/12/2023 18:50

Whaaaat? 😂I'll be working between Christmas and New Year's, office job, wfh, and I expect it will be anything but quiet! But then I have clients all over the world and my job is hectic at the best of times, so I'm used to it.

TrashedSofa · 22/12/2023 18:50

Can't see how you'd have a problem with any of this OP?

For those businesses where there's nothing to do or probably won't be much, nothing to prevent employers from enforcing a Christmas closure and requiring staff to take annual leave. It's not a secret that they're allowed to do these things. If they haven't done that, they evidently have their reasons.

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 22/12/2023 18:52

I nearly always work between Christmas and New Year and i have an “office” job.

It's a good chance to actually get some things done without being constantly bothered by people.

enchantedsquirrelwood · 22/12/2023 18:55

It's usually much quieter in August as well. If you don't have school-age kids and therefore don't need to have time off in August, is it also unfair to work knowing you'll be much less busy that you might be in early July or late September?

Original poster

Abitboring · 22/12/2023 18:56

Allshallbewell2021 · 22/12/2023 18:05

I hear you OP, it's what people do at my work, they will be chatting and chilling and leaving early for sure. But what can you do when all the senior staff are long gone on holiday.
I hate the colleagues who are always 'ill' on Fridays when they're going away and other such lead swinging!

This is probably the real issue. There are a lot of people I work with who I would not begrudge a few quiet work days during that time or any time. They are the committed ones and you don't have to watch and make sure all the time that you get what you need from them. They will not abuse any flexibility ever and it's just a pleasure to work with them.

I do resent the slackers though and I can't help but think they deliberately planned it that way. They will absolutely not be at their desk at home. They barely manage to turn up on time during other times of the year and take long breaks. They'll one day be the reason my company calls us all back into the office.

OP posts:

CatWoman12345 · 22/12/2023 18:56

Precipice · 22/12/2023 16:54

Some of these people will be WFH.

Why do you ask only about the employees? Rather than whether it's right for employers to force employees to take annual leave at a specific time regardless of the employees' wishes? Why do you think it's your right to decide when people take holiday leave? It's not much of an annual leave if actually a lot of days within it are not at your disposal; it just makes it look like more than it actually is (the same for jobs which count bank holidays as part of the annual leave quota).

This is a a good point - not everyone celebrates Xmas, yet they are forced to use their annual leave for what ?

ACynicalDad · 22/12/2023 18:58

My dad always worked then; he said it was a great uninterrupted time, with no meetings and nobody knocking on his office door, and he could catch up, but I think not being with us kids may have been part of it; he's from a different generation. I've just closed our office and given everyone three extra days. They would be working at a maximum of 50%, and that may be optimistic, so I may as well make them feel positive about their work.

5128gap · 22/12/2023 19:00

If an employer fails to notice that staff are signing in for work, despite there being no work for them to do, then you can't blame employees for taking advantage. Any company or organisation that knows there is nothing to do over Xmas either imposes a shut down or pays its staff for nothing. It's their call. Nothing for us to worry about.

JaceLancs · 22/12/2023 19:01

All my team will be off until the 2nd but need to take from annual leave allowance if it is one of their work days (most are part time)
I check emails and voicemails 2-3 times a day and catch up on admin whilst it’s quiet
I also have a meeting 2 out of the 3 days

NearlyMonday · 22/12/2023 19:02

I’m very lucky at Christmas, my workplace closes for two weeks (we broke up for Christmas yesterday and will return on 4 January) and we don’t need to take leave, we’re just SHUT. Apparently closing the whole site saves a small fortune.

Didshejustsaythatoutloud · 22/12/2023 19:02

Thought I would just share that I'm NS Chrisrmas week in A&E. Would have loved to spend the time with family who are off for 2 weeks. Bah humbug, fuckers. But... we, as a team are going to make it a cheerful and happy environment for our sick/ lonely patients on the day😀
Feliz Navidad people 💙

easylikeasundaymorn · 22/12/2023 19:07

not all 'office jobs' are the same. I have one, there has never been a day since I started when there isn't anything, or even 'not much' to do.
I sometimes work those days despite the office being closed because it's an opportunity to get through ongoing work without being interrupted. Most job don't just action stuff that comes in that day and only that day, so I would imagine there aren't many places where there is literally nothing to do.

Your question sounds like it's more like about not trusting staff to be working without being supervised though. If people are allowed to work those days (i.e. the business doesn't mandate a full shut down) and a manager doesn't want to also work to keep an eye on them then I suppose you have to trust them to some extent. It would be reasonable enough to ask anyone planning to work those days to provide you with a list of tasks they were going to achieve/or give them a list of said tasks, then check they had been done?

But either you (as in the organisation, you rather than you alone) trust people to be working, OR you put in some sort of way of checking it (mandating at least one manager works, doing ad-hoc checks, relevant software, expecting evidence of work done). If you can't be bothered to do the later then you can't really moan if people do slack off a bit.

Plus it's, what, 3 days? Not the end of the world. And it's hardly unfair if the option is open to everyone but most people choose to take them off.

MaryQueenofKnots · 22/12/2023 19:08

I feel like you're scamming yourself to take this time off. I use it to catch up on training, do admin, tidy my desktop, delete emails. We have music on and get Starbucks. It's great!

FloweryName · 22/12/2023 19:08

Your problem is definitely with the slacker you have to put up with and not issues with Christmas annual leave.

It’s normal for people to want to take their AL when it suits them and I don’t think it’s fair when companies insist employees save their allowance for their own convenience. With or without that rule though, slackers are always a pain in the arse.

IcedupTulip · 22/12/2023 19:09

I don’t take it off as husband has to be off so he can do the childcare and I’ll save my leave for another school holiday. Plus it’s always quite slow and calm but we have to work so not cheeky at all. They would give us all time off if they didn’t want us working as it’s usually really slow.

Saschka · 22/12/2023 19:11

If this colleague of yours chooses to do no work between Christmas and New Year, I’m not sure how that is any different to them choosing not to do any work for three days any other week of the year?

It will either be obvious they haven’t done any work, or it won’t. If your boss can’t tell if they have done any work all week or not, the problem lies with your boss.

CornishGem1975 · 22/12/2023 19:15

If I worked I would have hardly anything but I do book the time off just because I would need to be contactable and really I just want to close the laptop and forget about work until new year.

PeopleAreWeird · 22/12/2023 19:15

Totally different but I worked in a private nursery and we was only closed Christmas day , Boxing day and New Years Day
We normally had about half of the children in

We caught up with paperwork, deep cleaned , sorted New displays, Folders for New starters etc
Use to love working during that period

Sure some people have other things that they could be catching up on what they normally have to cram into the normal working day
or just ‘taking a breath’
….

In the scenario you describe
I dont think its cheeky to be at work and not be doing much.
You still got up, travelled in and your there incase your ‘needed’

EmmaEmerald · 22/12/2023 19:15

Abitboring · 22/12/2023 18:56

This is probably the real issue. There are a lot of people I work with who I would not begrudge a few quiet work days during that time or any time. They are the committed ones and you don't have to watch and make sure all the time that you get what you need from them. They will not abuse any flexibility ever and it's just a pleasure to work with them.

I do resent the slackers though and I can't help but think they deliberately planned it that way. They will absolutely not be at their desk at home. They barely manage to turn up on time during other times of the year and take long breaks. They'll one day be the reason my company calls us all back into the office.

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Mgmt should be sorting this. Are they getting all their work done and on time?

I always work that time because there's nothing else to do and it's not the kind of weather I'd want for annual leave. Yes, it's quiet, but you get all your prep done and you're there if a client does need something.

I hate forced xmas closure - such a waste of holiday.

Amana · 22/12/2023 19:17

Local authority with enforced annual leave due to shut down.

It actually has to be taken as unpaid after we were asked to vote on a proposal to forego our wages for those three days, in order to save the struggling council budget money.
We voted to support the council services and save money, but in effect a pay cut.

Anonymouslyposting · 22/12/2023 19:18

It varies. I always wanted to work this time before kids as (as you say) I’d often have very little to do so it was like free holiday. But on two of the six years I did this something massive happened and we had to deal with it with a skeleton staff - one year I didn’t sleep for 2 days. The other years I answered a few emails and then went back to my leftovers and mince pies. So it’s a bit of a lottery, can be great, can be horrific. Now I have kids I want that time off for family.

Either way it’s hardly “deceitful” - everyone knows the deal.

Ginmonkeyagain · 22/12/2023 19:19

I'm working those days because I have to have a legal letter ready for my boss to review on Jan 2 and a governance paper ready to be submitted by 5 Jan. So some quiet daya with no meetings or emails to do that is much appreciated.

FizzyStream · 22/12/2023 19:19

I work between Christmas and New Year because my husband's company is shut so he's at home with the kids. This year I'll be taking the first week of Jan off to be with them when he's back. I have an office job in the NHS and it'll be quieter but it's a good time to catch up.

HunterHearstHelmsley · 22/12/2023 19:20

I'm working 2 days next week. I'll have next to no work to do. I'll be at home as I can't go out and about as I need to be there for the things that do come in. I always think it's a waste of leave to take it off as I can get things done at home.