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Original poster

Not allowed to take any holiday in June at work

180 replies

exhaustedandwholly · 27/03/2025 12:01

Due to the nature of my job, we have a lot of events happening in June which I help organise etc. I've requested a few days in June for a holiday and they've been declined and been told we cannot request any time in June due to how busy it will be. It frustrates me because this is the only time we can really go away before summer holidays start otherwise July is too expensive (we haven't got kids) and may isn't hot enough in most places.

Does anyone else have these issues?!

OP posts:
CatsWhiskerz · 27/03/2025 12:29

What's in your contract?
Most places have a clause about restricted annual leave during ... if it's expected. TBH I'd probably go in may and just go somewhere hotter on the planet

MrsSunshine2b · 27/03/2025 12:30

This is the case in a lot of jobs. Teachers don't get any wiggle room at all. In many essential jobs, it's pot luck whether you will even get Christmas Day off. There's no legal right to take holidays when you want to take them.

MoreDangerousThanAWomanScorned · 27/03/2025 12:31

I think having one month of the year where leave isn't allowed because it's a peak is really pretty reasonable, and common, for different months, across lots of sectors. There are plenty of sectors where the restricted period is a lot more than one month. You have an entitlement to holiday, but not to take it exactly when you want. Can you not go in late May, early July or September?

Tormundsbeard · 27/03/2025 12:32

There are lots of jobs where there are periods where you can’t take AL.
It is a shitty thing to pull a sicky when everyone else is going to be v busy.
End of the summer is a better time to go IMO, the seas are warm and no crowds.

Ilovelowry · 27/03/2025 12:32

Buttonknot · 27/03/2025 12:13

Couldn't you go in early July - most schools don't break up until the third week of July. Or in September.

Edited

All Scottish and Irish schools plus private schools are broken up by then.

It's quieter at the start of July but not cheaper.

Baconking · 27/03/2025 12:33

Yep, perfectly normal.
I work in finance, no leave in April, so going away during Easter hols is out of the question.
Mild annoying but expected and same rule for all.

miserablemo · 27/03/2025 12:33

its written into compnany policy where i work, no leave in the month of August and all leave has to go through a process for December!

how long have you worked there to not know about the issue with June?

MoreDangerousThanAWomanScorned · 27/03/2025 12:33

CatsWhiskerz · 27/03/2025 12:29

What's in your contract?
Most places have a clause about restricted annual leave during ... if it's expected. TBH I'd probably go in may and just go somewhere hotter on the planet

It isn't my experience that it's usually written out in the contract that certain dates won't be given, but rather that it's just that all annual leave requires approval and so won't be given if the employer can't cover/cope with the absence on that date.

OlderGlaswegianLivingInDevon · 27/03/2025 12:33

In retail, and I'm not allowed December or the week before / during / after Easter.
however ' we ' are allowed to book up to 2 years in advance - which I do. So I have my preferred week in July and in Aug, and in May :)

WellsAndThistles · 27/03/2025 12:35

I can't take any days between Jan and the end of May, no bank holidays either so unfortunately it is the sacrifice you make in certain professions.

miserablemo · 27/03/2025 12:35

all those saying 'pull a sickie'... shocking! i am fairly sure this leave embargo for the OP will have been in place for some significant amount of time, or the OP is new in post and simply hasn't read the fine print of their contract.

MumofSpud · 27/03/2025 12:37

I used to work in a language school - summers were extra hectic so no A/L allowed in July or August or first half of September!
Luckily my DC’s school holidays began in June!

Fupoffyagrasshole · 27/03/2025 12:38

End of may or early September are lovely times to go on holiday.

in fact there’s the whole world op - there’s somewhere sunny all year round just find another time

Wallywobbles · 27/03/2025 12:40

May is brilliant in almost everywhere that’s hot in summer. Everything is open from Easter onwards as a rule.

Doggymummar · 27/03/2025 12:41

I went to Rhodes in May last year and it was in the 40s

mondaytosunday · 27/03/2025 12:44

It’s a pity but there’s always some restriction. My son never gets Christmas off - he works Christmas Eve and is back day after Boxing Day. Retail. We live 70 miles away from him too.
How about September? Prices are down but hot places are still hot.

Upsetbetty · 27/03/2025 12:44

I don’t understand if you have no kids…there’s 11 other months

Bullfinch13 · 27/03/2025 12:45

This was standard where I used to work, no one was allowed holiday during busy periods (roughly six months spread throughout the year) which was often chaotic as parents needed time off they couldn’t have and everyone would try and cram in holiday during the half the year we were allowed.

Thing is, whilst it was hard, everyone was told before joining that this was the case. If you accept a job and are told this before you accept it’s frustrating but that’s how it is.

Maybe you need to look at places which will be warmer in May and September or head further afield.

TerroristToddler · 27/03/2025 12:45

It's super common.

I work in a publicly listed company and due to needing to close deals and get the quarterly figures looking good, leave is generally not allowed in our team (working with closing the deal itself) 2 weeks at the end of each quarter. So that's 2 weeks in March, June, Sept and Dec. You might manage the odd half day if deals have closed early. Actually, as March is end of financial year no one typically takes leave the whole month

JackieGoodman · 27/03/2025 12:46

@MrsSunshine2b agree, and other school staff, we are only allowed to go in school holidays so OPs "no holidays in June" doesn't seen restrictive at all. Ours is pretty much no holidays in Jan, March, May, June, September (Scotland), November Grin

raffegiraffe · 27/03/2025 12:46

Worse, I had to cancel my honeymoon for work

Bullfinch13 · 27/03/2025 12:46

Upsetbetty · 27/03/2025 12:44

I don’t understand if you have no kids…there’s 11 other months

I think what she is trying to say is that due to it being summer holidays everything goes up in price during that time. But May and September are hot enough in many places, so it’s a moot argument on OPs behalf really.

JackieGoodman · 27/03/2025 12:47

And agree with lots of others pre-kids, May was fab, Greece in May is perfect.
As is September <edited to add this

B1indEye · 27/03/2025 12:49

Pretty normal I'd say, when I worked in retail there were no holidays allowed from about October to Christmas as it was so busy

In other jobs different departments had different busy months where holidays were restricted

It does sound a bit like you aren't putting in any effort, unless cost is a big issue for further afield in another month to somewhere where it is hot. Sounds like a non problem tbh

YourIcyReader · 27/03/2025 12:50

It is very annoying but that is just the nature of some jobs - my work is busy in December, January, most of February, March and part of April so typically we aren’t allowed long holidays, unless you’re prepared to do even more overtime than usual. At my old firm, we were not allowed to take holidays in September due to the year end which made life even more difficult!!