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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:
ZiriForGood · 22/12/2023 19:33

If the office isn't totally closed, it typically means there is an intention to have a few people around just in case something is needed. And if that is the intention, it is good to have some volunteers, so everyone who wants can take their time of.

It might be an easier work day, but it still mean they should be at home and aren't free to roam.

ememem84 · 22/12/2023 19:38

I’m in the office next week. I have 2 dc but DH is off with them as I have no leave left.

im basically done for the year but will be keeping an eye on things, prepping for 2024 and probably getting ahead on some training/reading.

Yesterdayyesterday · 22/12/2023 19:44

My company went a step further so that Christmas Day and Boxing Day are no longer mandatory to take off and you can get 2 days annual leave if you decide to work then. Nice in principal but in practice with that and the 3 days between Xmas and NY, I once had someone "work" the whole period with nothing to show for it.

LaughingCat · 22/12/2023 19:46

This would annoy me except I haven’t met one like that in nearly twenty years of working in offices. The ‘quiet’ time between Christmas and New Year is always manic in every team I’ve been in.

This might be because my bosses worked with us to organise a series of tasks that needed to be done. Detailed work planning for the following quarters, getting on top of essential admin tasks and always one, out there, ‘try something new’ for the team. Plan and execute something a little crazy. Now I do the same for those in my teams - ain’t no room for slacking if there’s no slack to be found and if you want to, then you take the leave.

Don’t blame your colleague, blame your system!

EmmaEmerald · 22/12/2023 19:50

Yesterdayyesterday · 22/12/2023 19:44

My company went a step further so that Christmas Day and Boxing Day are no longer mandatory to take off and you can get 2 days annual leave if you decide to work then. Nice in principal but in practice with that and the 3 days between Xmas and NY, I once had someone "work" the whole period with nothing to show for it.

Ooh I could get so much planning and organising done in that time, with fewer interruptions.

does no one check on their work?!

SquigglePigs · 22/12/2023 19:55

Our company leave policy includes a requirement to keep 3 days leave for use between Christmas and New Year. A very small number of junior staff are on call for a specific contract but 99+% of staff are off and all our offices are closed. You can't just "not have the leave left" - you'd have to take it unpaid I suppose.

Pluvia · 22/12/2023 20:02

I often used to choose to work between Christmas and New Year. The tube was less busy, the office was very quiet (sometimes only a couple of us there) and I could power through admin and any pre-Christmas backlog and go home early because there were no distractions. One year my company decided it was easier to close completely between Christmas and new year, so I inadvertently received an extra five days holiday — but I didn't plan or even hope for it to work out like that and didn't particularly want the time off.

IHaveNeverLivedintheCastle · 22/12/2023 20:09

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.

Well you're exactly the sort of person the OP is referring to.

Our office has swung between compulsory closing to being open. This year we're open but as almost all the fee earners are not working I hope it will be reviewed. I've got 2 support staff "working from home" who will be doing damn all.

LinneM · 22/12/2023 20:12

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?

It’s not deceitful imo, it’s smart. Why would you take annual leave when you know that you’ll be doing barely any work anyway? There’s no extra points for going above and beyond for the company that you work for.

My cousin has this type of role where she does absolutely nothing during this time of year. All the people of any importance are already off of work so she spends most days in bed typing a few words here and there on her laptop. Today, we went out for lunch and did a bit of a shop whilst she was still on the clock. I wish it was me! I’ll be working hard on Christmas Eve ffs

Ilovelblue · 22/12/2023 20:18

We always had to save three days from our holiday entitlement to cover the Christmas shutdown. A couple of our accounts required key staff to be on call and they would get overtime plus an extra day's holiday.

Morphingirl · 22/12/2023 20:28

I got told I had to take AL after I'd booked my Al for the year ( new role). I'm working the 3 days of next week along side some people but am not allowed to see service users as there's no cover . So I've got admin and a uni assignment and research to be doing .But I don't see why I should have to take it as AL when everyone around me family and friends wise is working.

mynewusername2023 · 22/12/2023 20:37

I've worked between Christmas and New Year before and had to be in the office for 2 days. I had nothing to do but they wanted the phone manned. Over the 2 days I had 1 call and it was from someone in another office and I couldn't help them unfortunately. I took some books and my tablet with me and watched Christmas films most of the day. I did also enjoy organising and clearing my email inbox and my file folders.

WoollyRosebud · 22/12/2023 20:39

The year our director announced our part of the office would be open between Christmas and New Year was fun. This would mean myself and a colleague would have to be in every day. The colleague was going home to her parents for Christmas and New Year so would have had her plans ruined completely. I said I thought it was an excellent idea but as the offices were in a rather rough area there would need to be more than two people in the office for safety reasons. I was sure all staff would agree and want to be involved so I would draw up the rota for who would be in each day. I made it very clear that even the Director was to be included in my rota and then sat back and waited for the explosion which was long and loud with many screams of 'Not fair, want to go away for Christmas'. The idea was dropped within hours, funny that.

I don't have a problem with working, and in fact am doing one day this year, but only if it's fair and enough warning is given. The Director was trying to pull the stunt with about three weeks notice

Birch101 · 22/12/2023 20:41

I get where your coming from e.g. junior staff in a technical office based role who need work signed off, commented etc and if no senior management is there to manage this then they can get paid for doing very little effective work. Which is why certain industries maybe offer 3 days extra leave with the enforcement that they are used between Christmas and New Years, employers that don't do that and pay for little work to be done ....well seems rather foolish to me.

Christmas eve a lot of people work in offices as boss tends to say go home early 😉

BeeDavis · 22/12/2023 20:46

I finished for Xmas on the 15th. I’m working the 27th/28th/29th from home, it’ll be an absolute breeze. No brainer.

Woahtherehoney · 22/12/2023 20:49

I work for a very big company and am working between Christmas and new year - very few of us around (working from home, and we work at different locations across the country anyway) but enough of us to manage if anything does happen. It’ll be quiet but is a fab time for me to finalise my 2024 plans (I work in marketing), finish any admin and just get myself up straight for next year.

Its great as I only have a couple of calls in and won’t have many teams messages so can crack on with stuff!

10HailMarys · 22/12/2023 20:52

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.

This sounds like something that, in a shit 2020s reboot of A Christmas Carol, Scrooge would say to Bob Cratchit

Rewis · 22/12/2023 21:03

If the office is open and there is nothing to do then that sounds like a problem for the management. Anyone can take advantage of that. I will be working from home next week and it will be quiet cause there will only be few people in. I don't think I'm cheating the system.

PurpleCar02 · 22/12/2023 21:06

I have worked over between christmas and new years before. Yes it can be easy days to work, but if something goes wrong there is NOBODY around to help 😂 so it’s a gamble depending on your job!

Isthiscorrect · 22/12/2023 21:15

Da is here with us. It was originally planned to be a holiday but nope. He's working and he will be working. No slacking. Loads of stuff to prepare for new contracts at the beginning of the new year. 🙄

christmaspawpaws · 22/12/2023 21:26

I'm working from home as usual but we will be absolutely manic I expect!

Starseeking · 22/12/2023 21:27

My office closes for Christmas and we have to take the 3 middle days as annual leave; first time in my 20 year career. Every other job I've had, you got those days off for free.

Luckily I'm part of the on-call team as I hold the emergency company credit card, so I don't need to take them off at all, I just need to be ready to go in at any time!

DilemmaDelilah · 22/12/2023 21:32

We have to have some staff working between Christmas and New Year, and previously we had to request leave over Christmas but if we had requested it last year then it would be refused if not enough people were going to be in the office.
This year I've been off on long term sick anyway, but also the team has more than doubled so I'm not sure what the process is now. I always prefer to have a day off before Christmas so that I have time to prepare. I'm not bothered about taking time off afterwards, so I usually work. I tend to do the boring jobs there isn't usually time to do, such as updating the business continuity plan..... There may not be much exciting work to do but sitting around twiddling your thumbs isn't exactly fun.....

SD1978 · 22/12/2023 21:44

It gives people a chance to do a lot of admin I'd assume, that maybe they were behind on. And a chance to forward plan as well? I've never set foot in a office, I genuinely have no idea what desk using people do though, it's a mystery Grin

StragglyTinsel · 22/12/2023 21:46

We have to take up to 3 days annual leave between Christmas and new year (depending on where the bank holidays fall). If you don’t have any leave left, you have to take unpaid leave.