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?

At interview they just said if one was ill and I was able to cover, it would be helpful, but I'm not obligated. I'd feel guilty if I didn't tbh, but by the same token, if I really did have plans and it wasn't convenient, I'm confident enough so say unfortunately I'm unable to cover due to prior commitments. I suppose I'm lucky in that none of us take the mick in this respect. In a year, no sick days were covered.

Many places require booking more than 3 months in advance though
Not many places, but if that's the case, of course you adapt accordingly.

but the early bird catches the worm
I don't understand that. In that case, what if everyone books all their hols on the 2nd of January as soon as they log in. What happens then if there are clashes?

I'm not purely there to accommodate her private lifestyle

Quite nasty, there. You have precious family commitments, but she has a "private lifestyle" 🙄

Stop bringing your and her personal situations into it.

And yes, I have DC and family commitments that I choose to meet. Which are, by the way, my "private lifestyle".

There is nothing wrong or unreasonable about getting your leave applications in as early as the system allows. If your leave is approved and your colleague later decides she wants some of the same dates, that is her problem, possibly the management's problem but it is not your problem.

Wtf 😂😂

As soon as 2nd January we are all entitled to book our annual leave. So asking for 2 days in September doesn't seem unreasonable to me 😂

That’s so not the point of the thread.

If you’re taking odd days here and there through the year, you’re restricting the two week break opportunities for your colleague. She’s probably really pissed off about it.

I used to work with someone who had GC and an elderly mum, and who literally on the first day of the new holiday year, booked all her leave in, she grabbed every single bank holiday week/extra long weekend, Easter, Christmas, summer. Mind blowingly selfish, and nothing anyone could do based on first come first served policy.

It’s a clash of leave styles isn’t it. I’d check your annual leave policy and speak to manager.
Leave personal life out of it - you prefer to book months in advance. She prefers last minute.
I think as long as you aren’t booking random days here and there effectively meaning she can’t ever take a fortnight off that’s fine.
If you know you are away in September and book a few days off that’s fine. If she decides last minute she wants to go away in September she avoids those dates or asks work if you can both be off.

Then why did OP mention it?

I agree with others that this system to cover annual leave is dodgy.

You should be having those extra days you cover adding towards your holiday entitlement.

I would seek advice on that OP from your union if you are in one or acas & have your contract to hand.

I don't do this though.

I have a week I'm Juky booked. And requested 2 days in September. Hardly grabby.

This

Yes you adjust accordingly. Which means booking 9 months ahead.

Lots of places do indeed need to be booked ahead. Esp when you are restricted to school holidays.

Some holiday lets are booked a year in advance.

@jook

I used to work with someone who had GC and an elderly mum, and who literally on the first day of the new holiday year, booked all her leave in, she grabbed every single bank holiday week/extra long weekend, Easter, Christmas, summer. Mind blowingly selfish, and nothing anyone could do based on first come first served policy.

Bad policy by the company then. Many places have a first come system but for bank holiday weeks, Easter and Christmas they have a lottery or some sort of managed system it is not always the same people.

Otherwise, we do 3 months in advance, no longer.

That is very limiting and no way I’d agree if I was your colleague. I don’t think I’ve ever booked a holiday within 12 weeks of departure.

Thankfully I and my colleagues are all happy to work round each other, which tends to be a mix of holidays planned well in advance, odd days here and there fitted in, and putting requests in for popular times (Christmas, mainly) for management to decide whether we have enough cover.

I don't think you are being entitled or derogatory. I'm surprised by some of the responses.

I think the context of her lifestyle is relevant to the thread as if there were two of you vying for the same school holiday slots the dynamic would be different.

The way I read the OP is that your colleague expects you not to book ANY annual·leave dates until she's confirmed she definitely doesn't want them for herself. In other words she always expects first choice. Surely that's unreasonable!

She's shot herself in the foot really because you were trying to give her the courtesy of checking a date was convinient. That seems considerate and sensible. But after that reception you're probably more inclined to avoid her wrath and put in your request in on a first come first served basis and leave her to find out.

I wonder if she's had a bad experience in the past of other colleagues with children who do expect first dibs. This was a frequent bone of contention at our firm when we needed skeleton cover between Christmas and New year and some of those with young children thought they shouldn't have to take a turn "because kids". She might have been stung previously and is now defensive.

It’s crazy you can’t book your AL because she might have ‘something on’.

I work in the NHS, we all have to submit our holiday request forms on the same date and the AL is divided out as per request. We don’t always get out number 1 request at all.
We all have our annual leave booked until March 2025. A similar system would be a fairer solution, she should not be able to dictate when you have your leave, that is between you and your employer.

If one of you covers the other, just book it off. Whoever gets there first is the one who has time off. If its not working for you both then a job share isn't for you both.

Hold on a minute, there’s three of you, not two?

So who decides who gets the overtime?

This is even crazier than I thought.

Sounds complicated but you get used to it 😂

Perfectly obvious why OP is busier, but okay then 🙄

So if there is 3 of you do you only need to check she is available or both colleagues?

You book it off and make it clear to your manager and her that you will not be available to cover her at that time.