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?

There are two things though

1. the person may have plans and not be able to cover those two days when she wouldn’t normally work.
2. the person may be reluctant to commit because they might want that week off for a holiday themselves.

I think it’s reasonable in case 1) for the person to take a bit of time to check about commitments they might have on their non work days before letting you know (and potentially saying no if there is a clash).

case 2 is cheekier - keeping her options open for a more last minute holiday and keeping you dangling while she decides is a bit off (and she shouldn’t use withholding holiday cover for you as a way of reserving the weeks she might want off at your expense.)

7 months is neither short notice nor booking something at the beginning of the leave calendar and not giving anyone else the chance. I don’t see what you have done wrong.

If give and take has always worked before then hopefully she can give you an answer in a short time frame, but if not, you may have to speak to your manager for firmer guidance about when holiday can be booked/blocked by colleagues or look at alternative cover systems if this keeps cropping up.

Sounds like a usual job share if you’re expected to cover each other when off. I used to job share when my children were small. I worked 2 days, the other person 3. We did not cover each other’s leave - that would mean working ft in those weeks? And we certainly didn’t do each other’s work.

Anyway, her personal status has nothing to do with the time she takes off. Hers is equally valid. You just need a more equable system.

Exactly this.

I worked for a large well known corporate and job sharing has been offered since the mid 80s, there has never been an expectation that you covered for each other, that’s ridiculous, in the same way as a full timer wouldn’t usually have a full time buddy that they had to cover leave for.

you need to speak to HR and your line manager and put these questions to them.

Some people seem just determined to have a go at OP without actually addressing her problem. OP is not saying that her wishes should trump her colleague's, she's asking if it's reasonable that her colleagues should trump hers. The single/married/kids/no kids situation is totally irrelevant to the situation and should probably not have been mentioned - although no doubt then the same people would be all "oh maybe she has to plan around her children/spouse so of course she should get priority."

No OP, it's not reasonable that you can't book A/L until your job share has decided if/when she wants to take hers. YANBU for thinking you should be able to book yours for any time when she hasn't booked any. If she had previously given you a heads-up along the lines of "I'd like to go away in September but I'm not sure of the exact dates yet, but probably the first half of the month" then that would be different, but she has no concrete plans and not even any soft plans yet, so you are not doing anything wrong.

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 don’t think is what she’s saying at all. She hasn’t booked any holiday this year but you have booked a fair amount (because you have to plan ahead), she’s worried that she’s going to miss out because you’re top trumping the holiday booking.

But if it was a full timer on reception would that mean they couldn’t ever have leave as they have no job sharer to cover?

in most places you have x number of employees, at any given time only x can be off at once. Whether the individual is part time, full time or job share is irrelevant, x off at any one time.

if there’s no one else trained in the role, what happens if half the job share goes off sick, the other half has to work full time?

the Job sharers leave should be dependent upon the wider team not just each other.

I wouldn’t commit either. Just because she doesn’t have children and is single doesn’t mean she doesn’t have other people to consider. She may have friends she travels with or just quite simply she may prefer a certain time of year to cruise.

This is not your colleagues issue. It’s your employers.

Yes exactly. PPs are so keen to bash the OP for mentioning the child free status of her job sharer that they are missing the point.

OP is it actually a requirement that the three of you have to coordinate cover for hols within the job share? Or is it just a request that you do this as a courtesy where possible?

If its a requirement then your employers are taking the piss (or ignorant about job shares). If its a courtesy then you book the leave you need to book and let your cruising job sharer book hers when she is ready. You can then cover each other if its mutually convenient, otherwise employer needs to sort cover.

Its not reasonable for anyone to block their job sharer from booking leave but its a problem created by the employer if this situation is mandated.

Out of interest, OP, and apologies if it’s been said, but what is your job role? I’m really struggling to understand a role that only 2/3 people do and has to be covered at all times.

What if you both were ill/suddenly passed away? How would the organisation cope?

Get off your high horse. That's not why the OP mentioned it.

I have worked in several (thinking 5) jobshares, two of which were manager level. In the non manager ones, we just booked our time like everyone else and no cover was expected, in the manager roles, we worked between ourselves to cover anything absolutely essential and were contactable in an emergency. This was the quid pro quo for the way we ran our normal working hours as I could only work half days but was flexible over which hours I worked and my partner worked every day but school hours. My advice toyou would be to both check what your works Ts and Cs say and if needed to get a ruling from your HR or manager.

Just book your leave when you want. This is your employers issue to resolve if your work needs covering.

In what way is a week in July and 2 days in September 'a fair bit'?

Lots of places do indeed need to be booked ahead. Esp when you are restricted to school holidays
And it works in some cases and not others. My colleague's daughter is graduating from Uni this summer but doesn't yet know the day of the ceremony. Her son has proposed to his girlfriend but they are not sure yet when because they haven't had the chance to confirm a date yet but they want it this year as she has just found out she's pregnant.

This means that with that system, she would most likely miss the graduation of her daughter, her son's wedding and seeing her grandchild it's first week all because someone booked all the school holidays they could on 2nd January.

Thank God I've never worked in a team with this approach. We communicate and we try to accommodate everyone so nobody gets all they want and others nothing.

I have a chart with all the holidays for my team and before requesting holiday they look at it to see what slots are available. It is first come first served.

Of course it is relevant! If you have children you can ONLY go on holiday when they are not at school. It really is not that difficult to work out why not having children gives you greater flexibility for holidays. Even if they are looking after an elderly relative or have a dog - they can still choose WHEN they want to go on holiday.

The OP said that she has literally said to OP she doesn't know when she's planning on booking her cruise. If she had the responsibilities you're claiming, like OP she would also be needing to book in advance. As it is, this woman seemingly wants to decide when she wants to and OP can have the crumbs. Sounds legit!

I really don't know why you're getting such a hard time about this @Stargazer75 . All three of you have holiday to take and you have to work around each other, you've let her know you won't be around for 2 days in September, it's not like you've said you'll be taking the whole month! Yes, there might be a cruise that goes over those two days but there's lots of cruise lines and I'm sure she can find one that suits her. I'm afraid when you work a job share you may have a clash of interests but you need to work it out like adults, no one's entitled to first shout every time.

I don't understand the problem. You checked with her. She hasn't booked leave on the dates you wanted so you booked them. If she wants them later she has to take it up with HR

Picklestop · Today 12:21

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

I rather think the OP was only flagging that her colleague has fewer commitments so more flexibility with her holiday arrangements. Nothing wrong with that.

Wow OP you really are a bit up your own arse. You have no idea who she might want to consider. It doesn't have to be a husband or grandma. Single people have a social life too and not having family comes with it's own challenges. It doesn't make your situation more important.

Who knows why she hasn't booked a cruise yet. Maybe she actually needs to consider someone or something and therefore hasnt. I'd honestly be put out if someone wanted me to commit to something for them 7 months in advance.

Have you asked when she might decide? Perhaps it would be soon? Unbelievable that you wanted an answer from her there and then. You actually gave her no time to consider.

Follow the process and if it's first come first serve do that. Not sure why you look for reassurance on Mumsnet for something that should have a procedure.

But perhaps reconsider your views of single people who in your skewed opinion have nobody and nothing to consider but you, your husband and extended family.

But OP doesn't know that. She just assumes it because there is no husband, grandma or whoever. All it suggests that the colleagues commitments are less important which they really are not.

What a stupid comment.

This sounds like a poor management issue, not a colleague issue.

You should be able to o take your annual leave independent of whether someone else is free to do your job on those days. If someone worked a role full time then when they're on annual leave the work doesn't get done or they have to manage workflow appropriately. Same applies here.

Ok - would you care to explain? I thought the original comment was stupid and explained why ...