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?

What industry is this OP, is it public or private sector, and what does a 'busy' week look like in terms of hours, day length etc. I think folks would need to know this before announcing AIBU or not!

I think the OP has convinced herself it is all fine whilst not telling her employer. Quite honestly if you aren’t visble, not needed for weeks on end which just happens to be the school holidays you might find they just need someone part time or merge two roles, or a job share

My work goes v quiet in August. There’s not a chance in hell that I’d be going on days out when I’m supposed to be working. That’s gross misconduct. If you need leave to look after your children then book leave but you can’t go on outings during working hours unless it’s worth potentially losing your job over.

I also suspect looking at the voting that it’s rife which might explain why the UK is in such a mess

She knows full well it isn't fine, which is why she has no intention of telling her employer what she's planning.

Of course my role is essential to the business. The fact that August is quiet does not mean I am not needed. It just reflects the natural rhythm of the work. Like many jobs, there are peaks and troughs.

It is not just me who is quiet in August. It is like that across the board. Whole teams take leave, inboxes slow down and very little moves forward until September. Does that mean none of those jobs are essential to the running of the company? Of course not. It just means this is a seasonal lull that everyone is aware of and plans around.

When things are busy, I am flat out and often doing more than my contracted hours. The work I do makes a real impact, and that is recognised by my manager and the wider team. A quiet month does not make a role redundant. It just means I am not needed in the same capacity right now. That is very different from not being needed at all.

I'm afraid I agree with you. I see this everywhere, all of the time. This is one of the reasons we are in such a state. We used to call it skiving, taking the piss, or bone idleness, although there is also an element of fraud. It's poor management if it's happening, and it is dreadful business practice. I sincerely hope this isn't the public sector, that would make it even worse.

Surely the fact that your managers are on annual leave is the example here? They're not just taking random days out and then taking their official leave during a busy month. And you mention you have leave booked in September - is this when it gets busier? So you leave your team to deal with the extra work?

If you genuinely think it's OK and it won't be a problem then just tell your manager. I definitely wouldn't be doing it on the sly.

I think that’s a pretty simplistic way of looking at it. Just because one period of the year is quiet does not mean a role should be downgraded or merged. Most professional jobs have natural cycles, with busy and quiet periods. August is quiet across the whole organisation, not just for me, because many clients and stakeholders are on leave. That does not mean people are not needed the rest of the year.

When the work is there, I am fully used and often stretched. My role involves responsibility, planning, and delivery that spans the full year, not just week to week. The value of a job should be measured by what it contributes over time, not by whether there is a lull during the summer holidays.

I am not invisible or unnecessary. I get the job done including during the intense periods that more than justify my role and hours.

And if that's the case then just let your manager know what you are doing. You seem to be avoiding answering that particular question.

I don’t think it’s fair to suggest that taking leave in August means you’re not doing your job properly, or that others are left to pick up the pieces. The reason my managers are away for the whole of August is because this is the quietest time of year across the board. That is exactly why people take leave then — because it causes the least disruption.

Yes, I have annual leave booked in September, but it’s timed to avoid any major deadlines or projects. My workload is managed accordingly, and I’m not leaving others to deal with a mess. I plan ahead, I communicate clearly, and I make sure that anything that needs doing is covered.

Everyone in our team takes leave at different times, and we all support each other when needed.

Only you know what your work entails. I find it odd that your asking permission on an internet forum. My mum used to take me to work during the holidays I would sit in the cleaners cupboard for four hours with a colouring book and snacks. Her boss knew.

Thing is, OP, I can't quite understand the 'business' aspect of this. It might not be your fault, but a culture seems to have arisen whereby for 4-6 weeks of the year you are all underdeployed but still being paid.

This doesn't make good business practice. A good, dynamic business would be asking the question, "How can we make use of this down time that we get every year?". I am puzzled why this isn't happening.

I have asked this more than once as I think its important in order to know if you ar taking the piss or not...

If you are so sure your work will not be impacted by having your kids there and doing things with them, why are you not telling management or anyone at work this is what you plan to do??

If you are so confident it will be fine, then why not be honest?

I totally agree. Why are you avoiding this question @isitPeri1 ?

So why don't you just book your leave for August insitead of Septmber then , as it causes the least disruption?

You still haven't answered my question though - if it's OK, then why don't you just tell your manager what you're doing?

This with bells on.

I also think this sort of thing is causing a huge divide between those who can and those who can’t. I can’t quite get over there are businesses out there that do this. Flexibility, yes. Bit of wfh, yes. Look after a child in an emergency yes. Let an employee have two months of significant downtime plus 5.6 weeks annual leave and bank holidays? I’d be looking to make efficiencies.

Id be quite interested to know how Many of these jobs are public sector.

In many industries and sectors, August is a naturally quiet period. Key clients, partners, and decision-makers are away, so there is a limit to what can realistically be moved forward. It is not just internal.

That said, it is not the case that people are sitting around doing nothing. Often this time is used for lower-priority admin, clearing backlogs, training, planning, or catching breath after very intense periods. It may not always be highly visible, but that does not mean it is not useful or productive in a different way.

Also, a good business does not expect people to be operating at one hundred percent capacity every single week of the year. That is not sustainable. Peaks and troughs are normal. Most of us make up for the quiet periods many times over when the workload increases. The work still gets done. It just does not always follow a perfectly even pattern.

This is the only bit that makes me think this is a piss take.

WFH as you’ve described, from your phone whilst out for the day and is fine. I do it too. Early morning I work 7-10ish whilst kids lounge around, and then keep an eye on my phone rest of the day. But that’s AFTER I’ve used all my annual leave in school hols. Not for a whole month just to then use leave in term time!

Not all down time is avoidable - OP may work with overseas clients where it's common for entire companies to shut down in August. Maybe she works with schools or similar, so August is a quiet time as it's the holidays.

I work in a job where I have very predictable quiet and busy times every year, just because that's the nature of the business. Mostly I take my annual leave during those times as I'm self-employed, but sometimes I stay open and just enjoy some quieter days.

I think it’s really unfair on your children that you’ve not took AL over the summer, but you’ve booked “proper” annual leave for September once they’re back to school.

Looking at this another way, will you be distracted and interrupted a lot having to check your emails every hour etc when you should be relaxing having fun with DC?

That would annoy me (and my DC)

I would book them in somewhere cheap 9-3 one or two days a week personally. At worst you'll get some time to yourself.

She's replying to other posts and just avoiding this question!! Which shows us clearly she knows that her manager probably wouldn't be OK with it and she's simply taking the piss.

I will contact my manager and ask if it is ok.

When I worked in offices in the past "cyclical downtimes" were used to clear out old files and update/rewrite policies and processes. I still do this now.

I'm surprised op's employer doesn't perform their annual reviews during this expected downtime.