Job Share response to hol request

[Stargazer75]

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?

I am on a project with another person although we have our own calendars appointments we are not allowed to take holidays at the same time our manager came to us when we returned from Christmas break and mentioned we both have holidays to take before the end of March I spoke to my Dh and we worked out a week we can both take together (rare occurrence) so I submitted my request and it was authorised my project partner approached me last week and mentioned that I’m off on week commencing X I said yes I am “oooh but I wanted to take that week” my response was you could speak to our manager about taking that week but I won’t be available as I’m going away.
Me and my project partner both have teenage children she is single and as said above I have a DH but I find that irrelevant if you want to take a certain day/week off then why not I never discuss with her if she would mind me taking a certain week off I only need approval from my manager.

If I understand the OP correctly, it's not an issue of the colleague wanting to book leave the same days as the OP. They don't work the same days so she wouldn't need to book those days as leave to have them off. The issue is that the OP only seems to be allowed leave at all if her one colleague is willing to do overtime on days she doesn't usually work, which seems ridiculous.

It’s clearly escaped your notice that OP has accommodated the jobshare colleague and expects the same courtesy from her - especially since she has given seven months notice of her plans. I can’t see how that’s unreasonable.

It's clearly escaped your notice, that "covering" is additional overtime on non-working days.

It is absurd to frame it as each of them doing a favour to the other one, they are doing a massive favour to their employer working like that.

It shouldn't be up to the job share to work extra days so OP can go on annual leave.

That's not OP's fault, of course, but the entire system sounds fucked to me.

It's unreasonable because neither of them should have to accommodate the other.

OP should be able to take annual leave without her colleague working extra shifts to cover her, and vice versa when the colleague wants time off.

Personally I would put my foot down.
Say I am booking this off and I won't be told by you when I'm allowed to. Say she will have to book her time off different since she has Seven months notice of this. Also let your manager know.
Neither of you trump each other but first come first serve. You've planned this and told her and that's it. She doesnt get to dictate to you when you can have time off.
Personally I'd ask to have a phone or in person meeting with your manager so that holidays can be discussed and a proper plan in place. My husband his work have it online and in January you can book all your holidays and the planber shows it so no one books the same time off. That way it's fair and on record.

I don't have DC
I'm just a woman who wants to book 2 days annual leave mid September.
I have my DH to factor in obviously as he'll need to tie in his leave too. We want to visit friends in London.
I have no DC for clarity.
I have 2 GC from step daughter

I’m guilty of not reading all the thread, sorry but perhaps this person is getting ratty because they don’t expect to be in the company come 7 months notice time and are contemplating handing their notice in.

I know when people talk to me about beyond April I find it hard as my contract expires end of March gladly and to be honest I’d rather be out of any organisation who quibbles over 2 days needed as surgery time but can afford to give a direct colleague 3 and a bit weeks off in the lead up to Christmas and did they worry about the workload for me then at busiest time of year with donators. Err no.

You should have said so in your OP then.

You’re creating a scenario that doesn’t exist!
put in your holiday request and let your mutual line manager approve it.
why are you making this harder than it needs to be by asking her!?! You’re giving away your right to book annual leave when you need it by asking her.

I’d speak to HR and book holiday through them going forward. And not ask her permission. But notify her as a courtesy.
next cruise she books id be temped to um and ah a bit … but wouldn’t bother falling out about it.

@Stargazer75 that is a hell of a drip feed when in your first post you clearly stated your colleague was older, single and no DC. Why is it relevant she has no DC when you also don’t have DC?

I no longer have dependent kids. But I remember how difficult it is to cover the 13 weeks off school they get when we only get four or five each. Lord knows how single parents cope.
my view is that people with school age kids should have first call on school holiday dates and the rest of us work around that. I really think all kids are the future providers for all of us. It’s no big deal to take a holiday in June, early July or September. Cheaper too.

No one is saying you should be happy with the arrangement.
People are rightly calling you out for insinuating your life is busier because you have a DH and GC when she doesn't.

Just because people are single etc doesn't mean they're not busy.

Maybe what seems spontaneous to you is her waiting for last minute deals.

There was no need to bring up her being single and not having dc.

She could be caring for friends, neighbours or relatives, or she could spend her days on the sofa doing nothing, whichever it is, has nothing ro do with the holiday arrangement.

Why should I? What relevance does it have? I never once said I required annual leave to spend with DC. I just want 2 days leave, what I choose to do during that leave is completely my business surely.

Who is expecting your job share and you to cover each other's leave? Speak to that person.

Oh ffs grow up.

She did.

You grow up. FFS.

Ignore all the complete awkward idiots on here.

Back to the issue in hand..... just request the leave, and it should be authorised as there's no clash with your colleagues. You did the decent thing and checked she didn't already have something planned.

Otherwise the company would be saying the 3 of have to sit down together and plan all of your AL, and that's ridiculous

No, she didn’t .

@KimberleyClark
From op original post
"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."

she has grandchild so she has had children that are now adults.

“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?”

Her holiday plans for her do trump yours though, maybe she was thinking of booking a cruise in September and doesn’t want to be limited with dates by your holiday. All the way through your posts you sound like you feel your holiday time is more important than hers so why can’t she feel the same? It doesn’t matter who is busy outside of work and who isn’t that’s irrelevant, you’ve both got holiday entitlement and lives outside of work, having a family etc doesn’t give you more entitlement. However I do get it must be frustrating as 7 months is plenty of notice.
I would hand in the holiday form and let them know you’ve asked about cover and X said if she is available then she will cover, HR can either accept or decline. If they accept and later down the line X wants a holiday then she’d have to see if first she can get the time off with you already having time booked off and if they do let her then someone else will have to cover

“I don't have DC
I'm just a woman who wants to book 2 days annual leave mid September.”

OP said a few times she doesn’t have DC