(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 can't see many employers agreeing to an employee going down from four days to two days a week for five weeks. But you can take unpaid parental leave, they legally have to give that to you unless there is "significant reason", you have to give them 21 days notice of your intended start date. https://www.gov.uk/parental-leave

My work place had agreed to me doing it. We have minimum staffing levels and providing we don’t go below those, it is authorised. There was one week over the summer holidays that I couldn’t get any time off at all and that is fine, I’ll put alternative plans in place.

Annual leave is only ever agreeed depending on the needs of the business in the first instance. Why you want it is nobody's business but your own, childcare, day at the spa, day in the pub? Your business only x

Generally, you can’t request annual leave like this (e.g few days off each week for several weeks).
You also can’t generally request 5 weeks off in a row. That’s bananas for the rest of the workforce.

You don’t get priority for having children either.

Why don’t you try requesting 2 weeks off in a row. That would be a standard request.

What about wfh on those days? If your kids are old enough not to need constant looking after, just someone in the house?

Of course you can - it depends entirely on the job and organisation.

I think that’s a perfectly reasonable request , loads do variations of that in my work for childcare

@Bananabreadandstrawberries Of course you can, it's exactly what I'm doing this summer (albeit with a full week off in the middle). Every other week of the holidays, I'm working between 2 and 4 days. No issue at all. My boss is fine with it, just asks that it's marked in my diary.

Yanbu. I do this. Having a day off every week means I don't fall too far behind with work compared to if I was gone for 2 weeks as a solid block.

I think this is fair on your works part op unfortunately. What you're talking about doing is using your annual leave to enable you to work flexibly to accommodate childcare so really yes, a flexible working request is more appropriate here. It's the length you're looking to spread it over that's going to cause an issue for your team. Do you have family or anyone who can babysit for you? Taking part of 5 weeks off will make it really hard for other staff to get time off who are also entitled to it. Not having kids doesn't mean they aren't any less entitled to a break. I know some workplaces might go along with it but I would see that as the exception rather than the rule. It also sounds like you want to use the majority of your leave over those 5 weeks- it's not even best practice to let you use the bulk of a years leave in one go, it should be spread across the year to help you avoid burnout. This would be denied in my workplace too.

Could you just request Parental Leave the 5 weeks of the Summer holidays? It would be unpaid that’s the only problem. But I don’t believe your employer can refuse this!Perhaps you could apply for Universal Credit for those 5 weeks. But I don’t know if that would be allowed.
hope you can sort something out.

I think my work would.... but I probably would have given them more notice

What does the leave policy say OP? If it’s not obvious as for a copy of it. It should be clear on how much notice and what is likely to be approved. Ours says you cant ask for more than three weeks in a block, and there is a specified notice period, and that at least one team member needs to be over the Xmas period. But otherwise no restrictions, except for business requirements. I take that into account when deciding whether to approve.

This is the kind of thing I've been doing for the last 15 years, spread over 3 workplaces, no probs. Suppose it depends on the employer but there's no hard and fast rule

For many workplaces what you want to do will work quite well. You're in some time each week so no-one has to wait ages for your input on anything. So possibly far more practical than you being off for a fortnight.

But it depends on the workplace although I find it surprising that this is the first time summer AL has come up. Normally people start booking it at the start of the leave year or even earlier.

If they won't let you take any leave in the summer, when will they let you take it?

Most workplaces would be against this. Other staff may want a week or 2 off in summer hols to spend time with grandchildren or provide childcare for their nieces/nephews or join family getaways.

I think you should request a week or chunk of time, then use holiday club or a childminder like most people?

My workplace wouldn’t agree to this kind of holiday request especially given lack of notice, work and deadlines are already planned several months ahead.

Your manager is correct this a temporary flexible working request, it’s effectively going part time for 5 weeks.

The alternative is unpaid parental leave but that has to be taken in week long chunks (unless employer agrees otherwise and doesn’t sound like they would in your case)

I think you need to ask for clear reasons for the refusals

wanting 3 or 2 days each week I show imagine would impact on other people being able to take a full week

have you asked for any full weeks off

I have just done this with my employer, just booked every Friday off over the summer hols (other odd days as well). I have effectively gone part time for the summer.
We have a calendar up in the office and it is up to each individual to put their holidays up as soon as they know they need them, it's first come first served!

If this was me I would just get a sick note for several weeks over the summer holidays. They leave you little choice and as a single parent i am sure this does cause you undue stress.

How big is your workplace? I have a team of six of which 3 have to be in daily for work to be done. There is no way we could accomodate what you want. It would be unfair on other staff and they would be up in arms if i agreed it.

I would think as a manager that your proposal would be better for business because you can keep entirely on top of your own work. HR policies can require a clear break of 2 weeks for health reasons, so this might be the sticking point. Is there any way of a sensible conversation to come to an agreement about what works best for you and the business? Can you block 2 weeks in the middle, a couple of extra days and then use summer camps for the rest?

Be aware the last week of summer holidays is poorly served by camps where they use school grounds, because schools are often preparing for return. So you might prefer the last 2 weeks for the longer break.

My employer would let me do this
surely it’s better for them to have you off for a few days at a time than a chunk of a couple of weeks I would’ve thought

Why so late requesting it if its so important?
I am amazed no-one else has got any requests at that time.
Personally if I could I would allow this....I am not sure why you are labelling it mon-wed if you don't work Mondays? Clearly they cope without you Mondays?

Don't do this
It's incredibly petty and unprofessional and potentially fraudulent.
Any GP that agreed to this is also unprofessional.
This would also trigger an absence meeting and an occupational health assessment in my workplace.