Do you have your birthday off work?

[Wildhairdonotcare]

Sorry a very boring AIBU but I am just curious as I have never experienced companies giving you the day off work for your birthday but my DP thinks its standard as thats what he is used to.

My DP gets a day of annual leave for his birthday every year, if it falls on a weekend he gets the following Monday off, I have never known anyone else who gets this so I am just curious as to whether its as common as he thinks or as uncommon as I think.

So do you have your birthday off work?

If voting YABU - you also get the day off
YANBU - you don't get the day off

Happy birthday!!@LittleMissLateForWorkAgain

Yes! Although we didn’t have to take it on the actual day - it was a perk.

Yes, but only in current job. Three previous ones didn't offer it. I tend to tack it onto a block of holiday around that time (it's flexible) so often end up working on the actual day.

I have never worked anywhere that gives birthdays off and don't really understand the supposed benefit. I mean it's not really an "extra" day's leave is it, not if everyone gets it and it's every year? It's not like getting additional leave after you've reached a long service milestone or a genuine extra day off given as a one off for some special occasion or achievement. It just sounds like a gimmick to make the employer look more caring or something.
Say you get 30 days AL but your employer says it is "29 plus your birthday" they're not giving you anything different are they? If that "extra" day can be taken flexibly then surely it is just an AL day, nothing to do with the birthday, and if it's enforced on your actual birthday then it in fact reduces employee choice? Not everyone is bothered about their birthday and wants the day off. Particularly when our DC were young and DH and I were using the majority of our leave to cover school holidays between us I would have been mightily pissed off if either of us had been effectively forced to waste a day of leave on a random school day. I'd much rather have flexibility. Those who want their birthday off can just book AL and those that don't, don't. I don't see automatically getting your birthday off as a perk.
Same with other fixed leave, like companies that shut down between Christmas and New Year. You might not need to book those days off but they are leave and that will almost certainly be reflected in the number of days you can take off at other times and/or your pay. It's generally something employers do if it works for them as it's often not cost effective to reopen offices or restart production lines for the few days that aren't Bank Holidays, especially given a lot of staff would want to book AL anyway - a bit like a modern version of the old Wakes Weeks in Northern towns. It isn't a bad thing and lots of people do like that time off, but I don't think many companies do it for altruistic reasons, but rather because it makes business sense.

I don't but I do get 33 days plus BHs to use more or less when I like so I often use a day for AL or sometimes I go to work and take cake into the office.

But if we are off between Christmas and NY we have to use AL for that as the office is closed. Most people could WFH if they wanted to - before covid you had to use at least 3 days AL to be off from 25 Dec to 1 Jan and it was rare anyone objected, but if they did they were told to suck it up, they weren't opening the office and putting the heating on for 1 or 2 people.

I'm often on leave on my birthday owing to the date being when we take summer hols, but no, the company won't give it.

Odd coincidence because they were saying they're consider starting to offer it at work. What I don't get - speaking with a finance angle - is how about staff on zero hours contracts - do they get a payment of an estimate for their day's work ? Can't get my head round how they will get the benefit.

Never heard of it. How childish! (Except children shouldn’t do it either - in my experience as a teacher it’s the parents who do the least good parenting who are the ones who let their children stay off school on their birthday.)

Nope never heard of this. Lucky guy!

My work doesn’t do this but I always book AL for my birthday.

I might suggest this as a benefit because there’s a review right how- a birthday day off to be used flexibly any day of your birthday week sounds great.

What do you do for birthdays on bank holidays eg Christmas day?

The collective agreement for my sector mandates a day off for certain birthdays, I think 50th and 60th, but not other ones, nor does my company offer it. Kinda glad that they don't because people bring in treats when its their birthday and its nice to get treats

I’m one of the lucky few and I get to choose a day (that’s close to my birthday) too!

Between us DH and I have worked for 12 organisations over the last 30 years. Neither of us has ever had this until the job DH started last summer.

My birthday is December 25th so yes.

I do yes.
I work in tech.

The working day before or after the bank Holliday

I get the last working day off, so I never work Christmas Eve. Although it is a bit of a swizz as everybody else gets a full day off but the place is only open for 4 hours on Christmas Eve, so I end up with a half day. Still, looking on the upside I'm still in bed at 6am Christmas Eve whilst everyone else is at work.

I know Timpsons do, I’ve never worked on my Birthday and don’t intend to.

Never got birthday off automatically ,however always used annual leave to take birthday off.
Started off only the day then I just took the whole week off .Proud to say I've never worked my birthday ever and as I've now retired never will .

I met someone on the weekend who has this, coincidentally. I’d never come across it before.

Never been given a day off for my birthday but often taken a day's annual leave to get some peace and quiet!

Obviously there are some employers who offer this as a perk, but it's certainly not a standard thing. I've never worked anywhere that's offered it.

If my birthday's a weekday I do usually book it as annual leave but it's not something we're given as an extra.

To be fair, my annual leave allowance is already pretty generous and my employer has really good policies around things like flexible working, carers' leave, compassionate leave etc so I don't think getting a day off on our birthdays is something staff have ever pushed for.

No, because I work in a school

No, and I’ve never taken a ‘sick day’ for my birthday either.

Yes the company i work for gives you the day off for your birthday