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Original poster

Job Share response to hol request

409 replies

Stargazer75 · 22/02/2024 12:01

I'm fairly new to my jobshare with another lady (I've been there 1 year). She's older, single and no DC.
She loves her cruises and goes on around 3 a year, I cover the days she is absent.

As yet, she hasn't booked any days off this year, but as I have a husband, grandchild, elderly Mum etc, occasionally I book things in advance as have a busy life outside of work.

The other day I asked my jobshare if she could please cover 2 days for me in September as I would like to book annual leave.

She went all red in the face and said 'I just don't know if I'll be available, I don't know when I'm going on my cruises yet'. I could tell she was very annoyed at me asking! She asked if I needed to actually book something such as travel or accommodation etc? I don't personally think its any of her business what I plan to do on annual leave and I think 7 months notice is pretty decent. In the end, in a huff, she just said 'well, you may as well go ahead and book then and I'll let you know closer to'.

My DH needs to book his annual leave to coincide - and we were hoping to visit friends in London who would also book annual leave, but obviously if she changes her mind closer to it will mess everything up 😬

I guess she's pretty much saying 'I'll cover if I don't book a cruise' in effect saying her holiday plans trump mine (unless I'm getting it wrong)

I put my holiday form in to HR, but how would you address this going forward?

I'm not just going to sit back each year, wait for her to book the days she wants, then have the crumbs that are left.

Anyone else jobshare and how do you navigate?

OP posts:
Frosty1000 · 22/02/2024 12:07

If you all can see what each other books on a team chart or similar then imo the first to book gets the time off. So tough on her if yours gets approved and at a later date she decides to go on a cruise.

Glitterbaby17 · 22/02/2024 12:08

I job shared last year. There wasn’t the expectation that we would cover each others non working days (but this was an option if we wanted extra time) but we couldn’t both book the same weeks off.

As we both had young families this meant sitting and going through school holidays and agreeing. We took a week each at Easter etc and for the main holidays ok-ed the week we each had we definitely wanted, then each chose a second week.

key thing was understanding that both of our needs should be met. I would speak to HR and let them confirm the process - if she’s expected to work extra days during your leave that does complicate it a bit but they should lead this discussion…

TheDefiant · 22/02/2024 12:11

Thing is if the post wasn't a job share then there'd be no one to cover if one person off.

If held by one person and they took leave...there'd need to be other arrangements. So do that.

SausageRollsWithMustard · 22/02/2024 12:15

Her being single with no children is completely irrelevant.

It's not only parents who deserve holidays.

pokebowls · 22/02/2024 12:17

But surely it works both ways. She would be asking you to cover her days off. How can she be huffy?

44PumpLane · 22/02/2024 12:17

It might be worthwhile having a discussion with your line manager. I assume if you were full time in your role you wouldn't have someone covering your job while you were in holiday (or is this why the role is a job share? Can they genuinely not manage without someone in the position)?

It doesn't seem fair that 7 months out you cannot book a holiday because someone else, who doesn't have a holiday booked yet, doesn't want to commit. But I imagine she would then rely on you to be able to cover before she books one of her cruises!

It also may be worth trying to tactically mention this to her, you both have to work together to make this work!

ChateauMargaux · 22/02/2024 12:18

I would discuss this with your manager. There should be a procedure in place for this because it does not make sense that you can only take time off if your job share partner agrees to cover the days they would normally not be working.

If the positions needs to be covered 100% of the time, if it was staffed by one person rather than a job share, how would it be covered when that person took annual leave?

What happens with illness? Do you get extra time off or just extra pay when you cover each other's days?

pokebowls · 22/02/2024 12:18

SausageRollsWithMustard · 22/02/2024 12:15

Her being single with no children is completely irrelevant.

It's not only parents who deserve holidays.

I read it as the OP explaining why she has to preplan whereas the other woman can. More spontaneous. Do you find something offensive and become hostile all the time?

PandaCwtch · 22/02/2024 12:19

Why does this have anything to do with your job share partner?

I assume it's a normal job-share where between you there is 100% full time equivalent coverage. If so, you are both entitled to your equivalent holiday time.
For example: Job is 37 hours per week, with 30 days annual leave. If one person did the job, they would work 37 hours in the week, except for the 30 days annual leave, when no one would cover their work. If it was a job where someone has to cover, that would be provided for from elsewhere in the team. If you are job-sharing that same job, you are covering the same 37 hours, and have the same 30 days annual leave between you when no one is covering, or cover is provided from outside the team.

If you are always covering her, and vice versa, you are working more than 1.0 full time equivalent job between you. If so, your pay needs to reflect that.

Original poster
Stargazer75 · 22/02/2024 12:19

SausageRollsWithMustard · 22/02/2024 12:15

Her being single with no children is completely irrelevant.

It's not only parents who deserve holidays.

No I agree, I was just painting a picture. She lives alone and enjoys her holidays, which I completely understand and she's entitled to. But I have quite a lot of things going on outside of work such as hospital appt with my Mum etc, that may require advance booking on annual leave for me, hence my annual leave can't revolve around her decided cruise dates.

OP posts:
Picklestop · 22/02/2024 12:20

You are putting quite a bit of emphasis on her being older, single and not having children in this. Perhaps she detects that you think it is more important that you get your leave booked than she does.

Maybe just talk to her, put your holiday forms in and then surely that is the end of it.

Pineapplewaves · 22/02/2024 12:21

In every company I have worked at holiday requests were first come first served. If you have decided what holiday dates you would like this year then apply for them. HR will either confirm or let you know if the dates are already booked.

It's not your fault your colleague hasn't thought about her holidays yet, she'll have to fit in with what's left when she does.

Picklestop · 22/02/2024 12:21

Stargazer75 · 22/02/2024 12:19

No I agree, I was just painting a picture. She lives alone and enjoys her holidays, which I completely understand and she's entitled to. But I have quite a lot of things going on outside of work such as hospital appt with my Mum etc, that may require advance booking on annual leave for me, hence my annual leave can't revolve around her decided cruise dates.

Show quote history

And there you go again! Because she lives alone she can’t have as much going on as you! Listen to yourself.

AttaThat · 22/02/2024 12:22

Picklestop · 22/02/2024 12:21

And there you go again! Because she lives alone she can’t have as much going on as you! Listen to yourself.

Show quote history

OP doesn’t say she can’t, she says she doesn’t. Presumably she knows this woman a little better than you do!

purplemunkey · 22/02/2024 12:23

I agree with others- neither of your holiday bookings should need to be dependent on the other covering the extra days. Is this definitely the case at your work? I’d challenge this. You should be able to book that time if it’s currently free.

Original poster
Stargazer75 · 22/02/2024 12:23

ChateauMargaux · 22/02/2024 12:18

I would discuss this with your manager. There should be a procedure in place for this because it does not make sense that you can only take time off if your job share partner agrees to cover the days they would normally not be working.

If the positions needs to be covered 100% of the time, if it was staffed by one person rather than a job share, how would it be covered when that person took annual leave?

What happens with illness? Do you get extra time off or just extra pay when you cover each other's days?

If one of us is ill its expected where possible the other would come in to cover. Luckily neither of us are pee takers in this respect and so hasn't cropped up. If she was ill I would try my best to get in and cover to help out.

OP posts:
Birch101 · 22/02/2024 12:23

Honestly I would flag this with line manager/ HR as please can you define the holiday process. When I first started my role only a set % of staff could be off and was told I had to get the rest of my coworkers ok to ask for the days I wanted off.... bonkers. We now have a line manager it's first come first serve except for the school holidays and over Christmas.

In essence no you shouldn't have to wait to book AL until someone has decided their AL.

AttaThat · 22/02/2024 12:24

You need to discuss with your manager.

When I have job shared, we agreed to take different weeks as much as possible. The other wasn’t expected to work extra when one was off, but it meant work didn’t build up too much. On the odd occasion that we both really needed the same week off, that was fine, we arranged cover the same way a single person working full time would have to arrange cover.

Original poster
Stargazer75 · 22/02/2024 12:24

purplemunkey · 22/02/2024 12:23

I agree with others- neither of your holiday bookings should need to be dependent on the other covering the extra days. Is this definitely the case at your work? I’d challenge this. You should be able to book that time if it’s currently free.

Edited

Unfortunately one of us needs to be in and holidays worked between us. At a push they could provide alternative cover for the odd occasion but generally speaking we are expected to cover the others annual leave.

OP posts:
AlisonDonut · 22/02/2024 12:26

I'd probably sit with the job share person and agree weeks we each want at the start of the year so that if they coincide to come to an arrangement.

BendingSpoons · 22/02/2024 12:29

If you have to cover each other's annual leave, then you basically don't get any holidays. You take 15 days a year (or whatever your entitlement is) but work an extra 15 for the other person. Fine if you want to, but otherwise not great for work life balance and wellbeing, which is the point of annual leave. She is BU to not be able to work around 1 week though.

Original poster
Stargazer75 · 22/02/2024 12:30

Picklestop · 22/02/2024 12:21

And there you go again! Because she lives alone she can’t have as much going on as you! Listen to yourself.

Show quote history

She can have as much or as little going on outside of work as she wants, thats her private business- but it still doesn't make it right that the time off she wants should take priority. It's a first come first serve basis surely. If a week is fully available mid September, what am I supposed to do, not book time off incase at a later date she decides she wants those weeks to sail off to the Caribbean for 2 weeks? Makes no sense.

OP posts:
alltoomuchrightnow · 22/02/2024 12:30

'Older single and no DC'.. that sounds like me
Also why I loathe working with entitled people like you

Picklestop · 22/02/2024 12:34

AttaThat · 22/02/2024 12:22

OP doesn’t say she can’t, she says she doesn’t. Presumably she knows this woman a little better than you do!

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OP has at no point said that she is aware for a fact that her colleague has an empty life. She has just made this assumption.

The comments about her being older, single and having no children should be completely irrelevant to the process of booking annual leave.

IKnowYouBetterThanThat · 22/02/2024 12:34

Stargazer75 · 22/02/2024 12:24

Unfortunately one of us needs to be in and holidays worked between us. At a push they could provide alternative cover for the odd occasion but generally speaking we are expected to cover the others annual leave.

Show quote history

Your employers are taking the piss here.

As others have said, if you were not job sharing, they'd have one person doing the full time job and have to organise cover when that person took annual leave or was off sick.

I hope they at least give you overtime or toil when you come in on your contracted days off to cover each other but it is up to you if you do it or not and they are being very unreasonable to expect it and taking advantage of you job sharing.