(Work related) for wanting to use my AL for childcare?

[OneGlamMama]

I am a single mum.

I put in my annual leave request for the summer holidays around a month ago to my new manager who had started two weeks prior.

He told me he would look into and get back to me.
I had requested for Monday to Wednesday off each week for the five week holiday. (Ten days of holiday to use as I have Mondays off anyway)
This was denied last week.

I compromised and said I would take Monday and Tuesday off each week instead. Also denied.

I then followed up with how about I use two half days on Tuesday and Wednesday. Also denied.

I asked why and was told that we are thin on the ground, my role is too important to lose me this much in a week, that childcare wasn't a good enough reason for AL, that I could take a week off but not one day each week, etc.

I've been told to put in a flexi working request for a temporary change of five weeks!

AIBU to lose my cool with this?!

I couldn't imagine any workplace agreeing to that. A week definitely but not every week for 5. Would be a right ballache for other people wanting time off over the summer.

Can you request unpaid parental leave for some of the summer? Need to ask 21 days in advance I think so you may still have time

Yeah I think it’s unreasonable as it may mean others can’t take a week off

I used to do this. At my work it's first come first served with holidays, I always put mine in early.

What about your colleagues? If we had someone take two days off a week over the summer it would mean no one else could have those days. So no one else could have a full week/two weeks for a proper holiday.

I get their point tbh. Many people will want time off in the school break so much fairer if everyone has a chunk so they can go away if they wish.

i’d be so pissed off if our bosses allowed a colleague to basically block me from having enough a/l for a holiday.

My work let's me do this, I have an official flexible working request approved to halve my working hours in school holidays and work full time in term time. So some work places do allow this. I'm senior and manage a team/ big projects, but not client facing.

What is your role / responsibilities? Does it impact clients or colleagues for you to be away a couple of days a week or can you still get what you need to get done?

I couldn't imagine many workplaces agreeing to it. It's an awful lot of time off in the Summer when presumably colleague also requested time off. Is there no what to use childcare? There are 13 weeks school holiday per annum so it isn't really sustainable in any case through the year.

Not sure what a flex request would achieve as this would constitute a permanent change to your contract and you need to wait 12 months until you could make another request.

I'm the first one to make any requests for summer holidays.

Can't take it paid or unpaid as everything has been denied, due to the fact that they 'can't afford to lose me that much'

I'm the only one with kids..
I am one of the managers so me being off doesn't affect anyone else taking time off.

This a big ask of the rest of the team. YABU.

I think it seems like a good option because you’re in the rest of the week to catch up. Better than being off for two solid weeks imo.

It depends entirely on your role and workplace.

I work in a school all year round but have to take my leave during holidays so for me, even though I’m senior and have a lot of responsibility, this would be fine.

I’ve had plenty of roles where it would be unacceptable and understandably so.

I can see why they have said no. What don’t you out in a flexible working request to be term time or do different hours during the school holidays?

Have you considered taking parental leave?

We have a no part weeks unless an emergency or special occasion with people expected to take whole weeks off especially in school holidays

I'm being denied all holiday, let alone parental leave.

When I worked (I'm now retired)I took four weeks off in May most years. It was never refused. Because what I offered was that, as a senior manager, I would be in the office from June to September, When other managers may want leave. That explains why my request wasn't refused. So what are you offering to your work place in return for your request? If it's nothing, then, it will be refused.

you never ever sell something by telling the buyer why it's good for you if they buy it. You need to find a reason why it's good for the buyer, in this case. Your employer. And you don't seem to be doing that.

Out work wouldn't allow this in the summer as it would prevent other people from taking a full weeks leave.

So if you need one day off because, for example you're having a new boiler fitted, you have to take the rest of the week off too? And if you wanted Thursday and Friday off to have a long weekend away you'd have to take Monday to Wednesday too? So you could have 5 events or appointments across the year which need one or two days' leave, and you'd have to take 5 whole weeks' off for them, leaving no leave left to have an actual one or two week holiday?

That’s not right. Especially with the amount of notice given.
are you new or with a new manager.

only asking because I’m assuming this is the first time you have requested this pattern to cover the holidays, was it agreed last year?

I’m of the mind that holiday is to be taken as you want it unless there are contractual statements in place.

surely holidays need to be taken fairly across the board.

I would prefer my staff doing this tbh - better than a fortnight off.
It sounds like you have tried to accommodate and compromise by coming up with alternatives. Is it in your AL policy that you can’t have consecutive partial weeks ? You say you have always done this - what was the negative impact (If any) on business need ?

Managers who don’t accommodate end up with staff who are mysteriously ill IME.

We wouldn’t approve this either.

I’ll be taking 2-3 weeks over the school
hols as whole weeks and not consecutive- but if I tried to effectively go more part time over the summer this wouldn’t be approved (I work 4 days now).

My work would be totally fine with this, but I’m in the US and holiday requests seem way less rigid here. Ie, I pretty much take what I need off and I don’t need to ask for approval. No one else is going to do my work while I’m gone and it’s my responsibility to make sure I leave things in a good spot 🤷‍♀️.

Your employer is legally obliged to allow parental leave as long as you meet eligibility requirements www.gov.uk/parental-leave

You'd have to take it in full weeks though which means losing pay for the full period if that's what you ended up doing

My work would be ok with this. But our team is huge. We’re not allowed time off last two weeks of the quarter which means last 2 weeks of August we all have to work… so for summer hols everyone makes do. If it’s 2/3 weeks off OR a few days off. We all work around each other because pretty much everyone has kids. Summer is a pain but my work is v flex.

This is incorrect. The employer can deny parental leave by ‘delaying’ it (by up to 6 months), as long as they have a significant reason, and that reason can be ‘disruption to business’.

You can also take it in less than week-long chunks if your employer agrees.