to think I can get by without childcare in August because work is quiet?

[isitPeri1]

Every August, work slows down massively. It has always been this way. There is barely anything coming in, hardly any meetings or deadlines, and most of my team is off. My manager and her manager are both away for the whole of August, so it is very unlikely anything urgent will come up.

I have primary school-aged kids and I am thinking I might skip childcare this year. I usually only have about one to two hours of work a day in August, and some days there is literally nothing to do at all. Anything that does come up, I can usually fit around the kids early in the morning or after they have gone to bed. I have proper annual leave booked for September when they are back at school, so I will get a proper break then.

Has anyone else done this? Just managed without childcare when work was super quiet?

But has made herself highly disposable for future restructures

One would have assumed so, but OP has assured us that she is indispensable.

Why? Do you know how my industry works? My manager and her manager are grateful I will hold the fort while they are both away,

Because you have exposed a big potential saving for the business

Apparently that poster knows more about your work performance than you or your manager!

They will have to get rid of everyone then - it is quiet month across the board. It is nothing new that has been exposed.

Some of the replies here are ridiculous! People acting like they are my manager, coming under fire because I want a week off to myself even though I will have spent all of August with my DC, saying it is immoral. The list goes on.

Jealousy?

I’d be interested in exactly how you asked your manager - what did you actually ask? As a ‘I might be out on occasion and will work from my phone on those occasions’ is different to ‘I’m planning on being out most days and doing activities with my kids whilst out each time’. Phrasing and transparency could elicit entirely different responses from your manager…..

How so? Fire her for August then re-hire her in September?

I went into town with my son this afternoon. Did some of my life admin and had coffee and cake with him. Then came back, did another couple of hours work while he mowed the lawn. I got a message from my manager's manager telling me to stop working and enjoy the weekend.

You’d be sacked at my place of work for doing this regardless of how quiet work is. You are paid to work not look after your kids. If it’s quite at work you should be asking your manager if there is anything. Else that needs doing or covering whilst folk are on leave, or if there is any learning and development you should do. if there’s an accident and you or your kids are hurt and it comes out it was in work time then your work may also have to investigate that as per health and safety regulations.

Would you not feel guilty about looking after your kids on work time when colleagues book time off to look after their kids or to do personal errands etc? Or if your colleagues are paying loads for childcare whilst you’re at home looking after your kids and getting paid for it?

Yeah, jealousy.

And people who don't understand genuine productivity. Mumsnet has this protestant make-work ideology sometimes.

It absolutely is jealousy. Lots of people on here have this weird idea that everyone should be chained to their jobs for nine hours a day with zero room for any kind of downtime, flexibility or freedom.

I’m not at your workplace. I’m at mine, and my manager has said it’s fine. I’ve been honest about my setup, and nothing is being hidden or done behind anyone’s back. I’m working less because hardly anything coming in, and when there is work, I do it.

I don’t need to feel guilty when I can manage a couple of hours of light work around my kids during a quiet period.

As for health and safety. Let's be serious. I’m not doing surgery while juggling school runs. I’m answering the odd email and tying up a few loose ends. No one’s in danger, and nothing is being compromised.

If my colleagues are taking leave or using childcare, that’s their choice based on their role, workload and personal setup. Mine is different. I’m not offloading work onto anyone else and nothing is being dropped. I am doing my job.

Totally agree. So much of the reaction is just plain jealousy. Some people cannot stand the idea that someone else has a bit of freedom or flexibility while they feel stuck.

Instead of asking why their own workplace is so rigid, they lash out at people who’ve found a setup that actually works. If they had the same option, they would take it in a heartbeat.

Exactly. So much of the outrage is rooted in this weird obsession with looking busy rather than actually being productive. If you’re not chained to a desk pretending to be overwhelmed, people think you’re not working hard enough.
The truth is, not every day needs to be full throttle.

People really don’t get how quiet my work is in August. It’s not just a slight dip. it’s genuinely a big slowdown across the board. Senior staff are on leave, meetings stop, projects are paused, and there’s very little coming in that actually needs doing. It’s the same every year, and everyone in the team knows it.

It’s not me slacking off or doing less than I should. It’s that there simply isn’t much to do. When something does come in, I deal with it. But I’m not going to pretend to be flat-out busy just to keep up appearances. That’s pointless and exhausting.

The people making noise about it clearly don’t work in a role or industry where seasonal downtime is normal. Rather than trying to understand it, they jump straight to judgment.

Do you not take any days off for yourself? Just to exist without being at work or parenting? Obviously I love being with my child, but I need time to myself occasionally too. Not much because childcare is bloody expensive, but I've managed a couple of days a year since my child started school.

The minute a mother does something for herself, people act outraged — like you’re not allowed to be anything other than full-time mum 24/7.

Let’s be honest, if a dad took a solo trip or booked leave when the kids were back at school, hardly anyone would blink. But when a mum does it, suddenly it’s selfish or shameful.

Of course people are jealous. I am and I am not afraid to admit it. I have an incredibly flexible employer but I don’t think they would allow me to do this for a full month. I would also be jealous/disappointed if I booked leave to have days out with my kids and then found out I could have saved my leave for another time because a colleague was told it’s ok to just use flexible working for this instead as it’s quiet. But op says it suits her industry and that her company/manager is ok with it so there is nothing left to argue. That is the only thing that matters. So all that can be left is jealousy.

YABVU. It’s unprofessional and unfair on your colleagues. And what will your DC do all day? How boring for them to be stuck at home while you have to be near your laptop.

You should have explained from the start that it was such a low-level position. People who were concerned that it would be impossible to manage childcare and work simultaneously most likely assumed it involved more than very basic admin.

What an unpleasant comment.

It is a risk - only you know how much of a risk.

Are you likely to have to attend an in person meeting at short notice? A conference call?

I have heard of people being g disciplined for not being contactable and present during their core hours. Contactable doesn’t mean checking emails occasionally, it means being available to jump into meetings, take long calls etc.

but no one here knows what your employer’s tolerances are and how they would react if they found out you were on a day trip to the zoo when you should have been working.

I assume you are in the private sector?

Don’t be so catty. You sound bitter.

But accurate. The OP requested perspectives having provided minimal information and then became highly defensive when people explained their legitimate concerns based on their own experiences.

But am I incorrect? Read the OP’s own description of what her work entails. If you feel my reply is catty, it is you that is making value judgements.