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?

As explained previously. This wasn't meant in a derogatory way, I was just trying to explain that she doesn't have other people to consider. For eg, If I book annual leave my DH will also need to book to coincide. We may arrange then to take the Grandchild - this all takes planning and so I need to book annual leave in advance.
But...she won't commit to covering incase she decides to go away, which has a knock on effect for me and I'm finding it hard to make plans.

That's not a job share arrangement then - your employer is confused. A job share is a FTE worked between two people. They still need to plan for holiday absence. You should both push back on your employer's expectation.

But...she won't commit to covering incase she decides to go away, which has a knock on effect for me and I'm finding it hard to make plans.

Then you need to bat the problem to your line manager. Let them sort it out. All you need to do is say 'Julie just to let you know I'm booking the week of 24 May off for a holiday - I've checked you haven't already booked that week off so Boss may ask you to cover that week'.

First person has priority. That said my job share is getting married / going on holiday in July and hasn’t booked it off. I know the dates though so will book time off in August. Three of us sort of share the same 7 day a week job.

Nobody's saying her requests should take priority.

But if your employer is expecting you both to cover each others' holidays, then you're both getting a very rough deal compared with full-time employees. Do you get paid overtime when you cover? Or get days off in lieu? How are you actually getting your correct pro rata leave entitlement?

It's your disadvantaged working arrangement that you should be challenging with your employer, rather than feeling aggrieved about your (also disadvantaged) colleague.

You really are the gift that keeps giving. “ I was just trying to explain that she doesn't have other people to consider.” You are entitled and rude. Just because she is single and doesn’t have kids doesn’t mean she doesn’t have other things to consider. Give your head a wobble.

Do you get paid for the extra days you work?

How much less than a FTE position are you being paid OP?

Because if for example you get 20 days holiday and your colleague also has 20 days holiday then you are working your contracted job share hours plus an additional 20 days. It's this reflected in your pay/contract at all so that between you you are covering more than 1 FTE?

As there is an expectation that you cover each others holidays then there's very little room for either of you to be flexible really. I think your colleague is being out of order. If she wants to be spontaneous, she needs a different job.

I’d just book it and tell her. As you say, first come, first served.

Surely it's down to HR to approve annual leave requests and then job done? Leave them to sort out any clashes...
Or do they want you to agree amicably between yourselves first?
In my opinion you are both intitled to book 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'”

I think you are very unfair to put her on the spot like this. If someone needs me to cover something at work I expect at least 24 hours to go away and check my diary-not have to give an answer there and then. You don’t think it’s any of her business what she plans to do- maybe she doesn’t think her personal life is any of your business, which is why you are convinced her life can’t possibly be a busy and important and yours.

I job share and my current partner can be a bit uncollaborative (is that a word)?

In this kind of case, I'd end up saying to our line manager "I need the certainty of booking but Jane cannot commit to definitely covering. There's a small risk other cover will be needed. "

She'd approve on that basis. Possibly a little irritated- but I need to book the leave!

You’re over complicating this.

You apply for annual leave and your manager approves it. If she subsequently requests the same dates, manager either rejects her request, or approves it and arranges cover.

Take a step back. You need to change the narrative to “informing her” rather than “requesting”.

If she won't plan out leave with you I think you need to organize your leave, book it in with HR and send an email to job share and your manager outlining your schedule and highlighting that job share will need to cover gaps.

What would happen if you talked to her? Explain you need to book holidays in advance and that you are happy to work around each other but you need to agree a reasonable level of notice. Say she seemed a bit annoyed and ask her how you can work out a solution so that your need to book in advance doesn't clash with any time that she may want to go off. For example could you each have a couple of weeks of 'provisional' that you block out as long as its finalised 6 weeks before (eg she doesn't know whether she wants to go last week of Sept or first week in Oct so books both off provisionally so you can avoid these but she has to make a final decision 6 weeks before)

Of course its not reasonable for you to book holiday and then change her mind about covering.

In the mean time I'd email her saying 'as discussed I booked these dates off, I suggest we have a handover meeting on x date'

I'd also suggest you lie if she thinks that unless you've booked a hotel / accommodation that it's all up for grabs. Just say yes you've booked travel / accommodation or be vague and say a number of activities

I was older, single and no dc for a very long time,

it may surprise some of you that such beings can have other responsibilities and there may be many reasons why such beings cannot just be spontaneous

having said that, I used to job share and there was no expectation that we would cover the whole week, I dont understand that. Surely you would be paid overtime for the additional hours so it would be a considerable cost to to the emoloyer

But if on the job share the OP works Monday -Wednesday and her sad sack single colleague with no life works Thursday Friday, but the OP needs her to come in on the Tuesday and Wednesday she can’t just book it because she needs to know the Pathetic Single is free to cover it and work different days.

I also don’t think it is just a case of OP just telling her she now needs to work those days. Pathetic Single might already have plans to be eating a tub of ice cream on the sofa crying that she’d need to arrange to move.

I disagree that its putting someone on the spot (unless the OP said 'can you cover for me on x date - I need an answer by the end of the day!). If she hasn't put a deadline against it, it's up to the job share partner to say 'let me check and I'll come back to you by the end of the week' or whatever. Not just refuse to give a straight answer and imply that unless the OP is booking something non refundable that her planned holiday can just be changed

@Stargazer75

you say its none of her business what you plan to do on your annual leave

neither is it your business what she does with hers

OP - if you cover her leave and she covers yours, is this accounted for in the full year's days that you get paid [ie if you add up the days in the year that you are both in work, does it equal one year plus about 12 weeks]?

I work in a 3 way job share. Boss doesn't care so long as someone is in. No 2 people can book leave the same week. Cover (paid) is expected to be done where possible. (And written in the contract as that)

It effectively means you get no annual leave, the days you have off have to be covered by them, the days they have off have to be covered by you. (So 5.6 weeks off, but 5.6 weeks extra cover) It stinks. But is very common in a small retail environment.
You arrange cover then ask the boss for time off. If you haven't arranged cover there will be some reason for not being able to take it.

What’s your holiday procedure? We have a calendar. If no one has already booked it off, then it’s free to book. If she hasn’t booked September yet, then it’s free for you.

i would put the holiday request in. If she kicks up a fuss, then kick up a bigger one. Alternatively (if you’re a nicer person than me), ask her to consider her holidays, and if she hasn’t decided by end of next week, then you’re going to put your request in.

To be fair, the OP has no responsibility to ask her colleague anything. She requests her leave with HR. Then notifies relevant people like colleague.

If colleague needed this days off then she should have booked them off first. People don't just wait off booking their holidays incase other people might want those dates. That's not how it works.

So, effectively, you're saying if you were in my position, you'd be happy with this arrangement.
That you can't book the annual leave you would like because your job share 'may or may not decide' she wants that particular week to go away.
You'd be happy to wait it out and pick out the crumbs she leaves behind would you?
You can't plan anything in advance such as a few days away with DH, or take the GC to a theme park, because your job share is 'unable to commit' to cover.
Hmm of course you'd be thrilled I'm sure.

Single people or people without DC can and do still have other people they may need to consider for their annual leave. I'm not sure why you would assume they don't.