Take a few afternoons off for life admin

[Davidpuddyy]

I want to take 4 half days off for life admin:

buying a house so need to see solicitors and banks.
need to speak to the sons schools about stuff
general life admin that I need to sort

i took 2.5 days off during Easter a total of 5.5 days since the start of the year.

Am I being lazy - I don’t want to run about trying to fit things in and then come back to a a dozen messages on the teams chat wondering where i am.

Life admin is a pretty widely used phrase, I haven't googled but I'd think it's probably explained in online dictionary type websites

That's up to your manager to, um, manage. Ask for whatever leave you want. If they don't like it, they will tell you so. Everybody's circumstances will be different. What a strange thing to start a thread about.

Take 2 afternoons off for the biggest jobs and do the rest in lunch breaks and finish off by email.

or can work let you leave 1-2 hours early and make up the time / use TOIL?

Unavailable sometimes. If your work allows half days, then take them!

I don't know how anyone could interpret this as being lazy. Your entitled to annual leave, take it for whatever reason you like. I wouldn't even think someone lazy if the took their leave to binge watch Netflix. I'm not sure what business it is of anyone else. Unless someone is going on a holiday, me and my colleagues wouldn't really talk about what we were taking leave for.

People Take leave to do lots of stuff - there isn’t a rule book.

why do you think this is an issue. Do you set rules for yourself that you find hard to break? To you have a controlling partner whose approval you require? Are you very young and is this your first job?

Why? Why not just take the 4 half days if they want to and their work allows?

Seems reasonable to me, get things done, stop worrying about them. I have taken time off for all sorts so I don't have to rush back from appointments/try and make up time/ enjoy knowing something was done properly and not just fitted in.

And?

As long as you and your boss are fine, it doesn't matter whether it irritates anyone else. It's your leave and your life.

In all honesty @Davidpuddyy people like you who take sick leave or dont work when they're supposed to contribute to massive under production that affects each abd everyone of us as escalated costs.

Take time off properly - if it's just a couple of hours, cut your lunch break down and work longer hours - either start early or finish late - agree this with your manager. Life admin is not a good enough excuse to swing the lead pretending to be ill or just being evasive and no answering emails etc. Grow up and be an adult!

@Davidpuddyy i took 2.5 days off during Easter a total of 5.5 days since the start of the year.

Why would that be lazy? We're through about 1/3 of the year, so 5.5 days leave in 1/3 of the year should work out as 16.5 days throughout the whole year... I imagine you have more holidays than that, so if anything, you've taken less holidays than what would be expected.

If you're taking annual leave, then it is entirely up to you how you use it. It is your time and no-one has a say over it or can judge how you use it. Why would you even need an opinion on that.

However, as you hinted (and then withdrew the hint) that you might be taking it as sick leave, then I can see why you would ask questions as to the moral integrity of your plan.

I don't know why you would say "you caught me" when someone guessed that you were planning on taking sick leave-a bit odd and not witty or amusing-but if you were thinking of that, then your plan would be wrong.

It would be wrong because you are asking your employer to pay you for doing your own work, rather than them paying you to do their work-which is the usual way of things.

It would be wrong because you would be asking your colleagues to do your work, while you do your own work.

You would be stealing time and money from your employer and your team.

However, as you have now said that it will be on your own dollar, then crack on. That is your right and what you do with your own time is your business and your business alone.

I think it depends on your work policy. My work is project based. There are times when we are not busy so that would be fine but other times where 4 afternoons off in a 2 week period would be very annoying for the rest of the team and not go down well. Makes it hard to plan meetings etc

I really don’t see the issue. Sometimes I lie in bed watching terrible films on my annual leave.

Strange post OP. Surely you can take annual leave for whatever reason you want? And actually, if your work are funny about half days, why not take the whole day off? I always find I get more done if I've got the whole day, rather than only having half a day.

I always found half days difficult when taking the afternoon off - I never got out promptly.

Phew, okay, OPs problem is sorted. You can take annual leave for whatever reason you like.

Now, on to my problem. Is it okay if I make a cup of tea? 😬

It doesn’t matter if people get annoyed - you are entitled to it. If you want to take 2 weeks at once for a holiday , or have it as individual days / half days that’s up to you and no one else’s business . Yes , people are covering you for these times but you will also be covering them when they take their holidays.

YANBU at all !

Come on now, don't hijack @Davidpuddyy ' s thread, start your own for decisions that need worldwide input 😂

She was joking! It would be pretty bloody blatant to be sick 4 afternoons over the course of a few days!

Surely the point of annual leave is that it's yours to do with as you wish? I mean some employers may frown upon like every Friday afternoon 4 weeks in a row etc, you can but ask. Or are you thinking that you should be able to manage the things you're talking about within your usual working day? Because if taking leave is a way that works for you then you don't need anyone else's approval (except your employer's, obvs).

If you're thinking of going off sick that's a different matter.

what do you think annual leave should be reserved for, exactly?

surely you'd be more reasonable to take leave and do it in your own time than try to squeeze it in when you're supposed to be working?

Actually your employer has a say in when and how you can take it. You can’t just choose when you want, has to be within the policy and often approved.

But it’s no one’s business how you take your AL other than if it’s against policy. I’ve not seen a job where you can take half days easily but are not allowed to. You mentioned teams so I am guessing office job.

Even worse if the company uses the Bradford scale but more like if she actually gets sick and needs to take real time off.

If you want to condone her antics suit yourself.