I've booked the trip of a lifetime

[soundsintheair]

DH & I have been looking for ages and after a few drinks we have booked to go on a holiday of a lifetime, however I need to tell my manager next week. I will need 3 weeks off including over Christmas /NY

I work for a smallish team and we have to split the leave between us as we can't all be off at the same time, so it will mean that some of their Christmas plans will be affected if they were hoping to have time off. I know he might tell me I can't have it off in which case I would leave my job.

I feel awkward about it but also I've just got to that point where I just want to do what makes me happy. Aibu?

OP, you clearly need Mumsnetters permission before booking any time off, and if they disapprove of your plans to go at Christmas! or the New Year! or during the expensive season! then you’re going to have to come up with a good excuse 🤣.

Do you really think they'd not book a holiday in case it screwed you over?

Then they could have the decency not to leave it until mid October to book whilst in a job where cover was required. But then I guess that wouldn't have the cheap shock value of screwing their colleagues over and leaving their employer in the lurch, so there is that, I suppose.

This...

If one of my team asked me on Monday for 3 weeks off over Christmas having already booked their holiday I wouldn't be impressed. It's disrespectful to everyone.

I did exactly that almost twenty years ago shortly after moving house; I was exhausted, stressed and so sick of cleaning and being surrounded by boxes I had a couple of beers and booked a trip to the Maldives.

I'm self employed though, so nobody else was affected 😀

I expect my colleagues to request their time off whenever suits them because they’re adults though.

It's an urban myth that NHS staff can't book annual leave over Xmas, it's not actual policy more a practice to manage Xmas & new year rota. I work on a ward and three members of my team have holiday booked over Xmas & new year.

Absolutely not what anyone's saying though, is it? The problem is OP hasn't actually booked any time off but has booked a holiday. That's an issue in 95% of jobs.

OP I don't actually care what you do, but personally my notice period is more than 2 months, so if I did this I wouldn't even be giving them enough notice. It's pretty unprofessional. DH and I have been on/booked two long haul 'holidays of a lifetime' this year without having to quit our jobs, so it just seems massively overdramatic.

You can request what you like. Chances are three weeks over Christmas isn't getting approved though 🤷🏻‍♀️

Each to their own I guess

@piccolorhinoceros massively overdramatic is spot on.

But maybe her notice period isn’t two months? Your notice period isn’t relevant here.

And she can book anything anytime and give up her job whenever she wants to.

This

I don't understand all this 'leaving your employer in the lurch' nonsense.

Employers would have your job listed before you were buried if you were hit by a bus tomorrow.

People leave jobs all the time, as is their right.

My mother was a nurse, she could book time off but it was highly controlled by a rota and obviously people took turns for fairness. Might have changed a lot now though as she's retired 10 years

Not the point but don't want people believing the wrong thing.

Re: NHS, that's not true. Maybe that's what happens with your team/unit/department but it is not true for the whole NHS.
NHS staff here.

Wow that’s some serious cheek. You’ve booked without even asking for the leave ?

Not that but booking 3 weeks off at short notice and over Christmas too ?

I don't get this whole "leaving employers in the lurch" thing - they'll just advertise and find a replacement, same as they would if OP had found another job somewhere else.

Go for it OP. I have worked at my current place for 10 years and Christmas is our year end, so apart from Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day we are not allowed any other time off AT ALL at Christmas, not even the week before Christmas, no exceptions. It’s crap, can’t travel to see family, can’t go on holiday so I don’t blame you OP.

Obviously there's huge varying opinions here and I get a job is a job , but going off on what the op said about the work place being very small so ppl would lose their hols over Xmas. In my workplace particularly if I knew it was a tiny staff, I couldn't do that. Each to their own I guess but I'd feel crap for doing it.

This

I've had many a Christmas with my young family ruined by having to cover people with your attitude.

But enjoy your once in a lifetime holiday

So if you'd found your dream job elsewhere, would you not take it in case you messed your colleagues around?

She didn't find her dream job, she's going on holiday 🤣🤣 she's only quitting if it's not approved.

Mexico is lovely in December. I'm heading there myself on Dec 26th. For all the sneary fuckers Mexico is the holiday of a lifetime for many. Life can be dull,Take the holiday to Mexico. Your colleagues are free to do the same.