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Original poster

What time do you finish Xmas eve?

134 replies

Lochnessgiraffe · 09/12/2021 19:42

If you work in an office what time will you finish Xmas eve? I seem to have meetings all afternoon so I won't finish until 5 which seems really late . I'm hoping they get cancelled. Are you working normal time Xmas eve?

OP posts:
WeAllHaveWings · 10/12/2021 13:44

@Someaddedsugar

Can I be nosy - for those of you who finish on before Christmas and return after new year, do you have to take that as leave or are you given those days by the company?
It is part of our annual leave entitlement. We get 34 days total made up of 29 days annual leave and 5 statutory days.

I will be using 7 days of the 34 days over the Christmas break.

The only statutory days we must take are Christmas Day/New Years day, the others are flexible with the usual caveats that we don't all disappear at the same time (unless it is a stat day) or when there are known project deadlines (if we prebook before the project then preexisting holidays are worked around).

blobby10 · 10/12/2021 13:49

We finish on 22nd - factory (13 people) and offices (3 people incl me) will officially close at normal time of 4pm but usually send everyone home around 1pm or once all the work has been finished. As the 'boss' I say behind to lock up, wait for postman, finish off payroll stuff etc and leave around 5pm/ Re-open 8am 4th January. These days are statutory but the staff have 20 other days they can take at any time (plus bank holidays) between 1 Jan and 30 Nov. We don't allow holidays in December as its too disruptive.

Itsbeenalongweek · 10/12/2021 13:54

Usually about 4pm. This year it's meant to be my rostered day off but I'm the only one in my dept not on annual leave so I'm expecting to have to do a couple of hours work in the morning to answer any emails. I want to be done by midday at the latest so I can have a nice chilled afternoon.

emmathedilemma · 10/12/2021 13:56

We don't have a "rule" on it so every office does different, although this year the offices will be closed so I guess no one will be doing much work! It annoys me that if we book annual leave we have to take it as a full day but those who are working won't be working a full one! When I raised this I was told it was a normal working day Hmm

clartins · 10/12/2021 17:54

This isn’t aimed at the OP. I’m just having a moan whilst answering the question. I must say, who books meetings for Christmas Eve afternoon??? Usually 2 or 3 as long as you have flex built up.
I’ve always worked in offices and it infuriates me when there’s an expectation to finish early because it’s Christmas Eve. If you don’t want to work it book the day off or some flexi leave. The management leave making the decision whether or not to let the staff go early until the last minute. They used to say we could go at 3, then the people who finished at 3 would moan that they weren’t benefiting and those who booked the day off felt short changed because they booked if a full day and somehow they’re losing out. We get paid to do a job, get on with it.

Northernlass99 · 10/12/2021 18:27

1pm. So if you want the day off you only have to book a half day leave.

Sundancerintherain · 10/12/2021 18:36

When I worked in an office with a psycopathic difficult line manager she would single me out to cover Xmas eve alone ( not allowed to book it as A/L like the rest of the team) . Big boss usually called around 2 pm to tell me to go. On the one occasion that LM had to do Xmas eve herself ( as I was in hospital) she apparently rang him all morning asking when she could finish. He made her stay until 5
Big boss told me this at my leaving doo.Grin

SallyOMalley · 10/12/2021 22:19

@Someaddedsugar

Can I be nosy - for those of you who finish on before Christmas and return after new year, do you have to take that as leave or are you given those days by the company?
We have to take Xmas week out of our allowance. This year, we've been given 23/24 Dec as a bonus and 'strongly encouraged' to take 20-22 Dec out of our leave allowance too. I work in a university.
Babyghirl · 11/12/2021 00:13

@Lochnessgiraffe
I work in a hospital so no days off for me lol, not like I can tell the patients to look after and feed themselves lol.

Chesneyhawkes1 · 11/12/2021 00:22

I don't finish work til 9.30pm. I'll miss all the best Xmas movies 😭

OpalOwl · 11/12/2021 00:34

Probably about 7pm, Nursery Nurse so will have children in till 6.30. Theyve given the cleaners the day off so we have to cover that too.

MrsDThomas · 11/12/2021 09:12

Im working till 4:30. 1st Christmas eve work day in 20 years. Been term time/pt/day off for so long, I’ve decided to work. No big deal, kids are older and old enough to help DH vacuum, prep the veg, make a buffet tea so when i come home, we can enjoy the evening.

MrsJBaptiste · 11/12/2021 09:25

@Someaddedsugar

Can I be nosy - for those of you who finish on before Christmas and return after new year, do you have to take that as leave or are you given those days by the company?
I work in University Admin and finish on the 17th and back on the 4th and don't have to use any annual leave as the University is shut. We were meant to finish on the 23rd but have been given the extra 4 days off 😊
Vbree · 11/12/2021 09:30

Around lunchtime

Iamthewombat · 11/12/2021 22:39

I work in University Admin and finish on the 17th and back on the 4th and don't have to use any annual leave as the University is shut

Remember this, when you are wondering why tuition fees are so high.

SallyOMalley · 11/12/2021 23:09

@MrsJBaptiste - I work in uni admin too. We get Christmas week off as the uni closes, but it comes off our annual leave as compulsory days that we must take.

SpinsForGin · 11/12/2021 23:20

Remember this, when you are wondering why tuition fees are so high.

Absolute rubbish. There is no correlation at all 🙄

MrsJBaptiste · 11/12/2021 23:22

@Iamthewombat NO. Just NO .

I thought 20/21 would be a shit year but we could never have imagined how awful AY 21/22 would have been. I have worked stupid hours, one week's annual leave, very little time off and have ended up with more annual leave than I can physically take. I won't write more as I've had wine but this year at work has made me physically sick. This is not an easy job.

SpinsForGin · 11/12/2021 23:25

[quote MrsJBaptiste]@Iamthewombat NO. Just NO .

I thought 20/21 would be a shit year but we could never have imagined how awful AY 21/22 would have been. I have worked stupid hours, one week's annual leave, very little time off and have ended up with more annual leave than I can physically take. I won't write more as I've had wine but this year at work has made me physically sick. This is not an easy job.[/quote]
I'm with you and completely feel your pain.
We're all bloody exhausted.
Hope you manage to enjoy some time off over Christmas.

SallyOMalley · 11/12/2021 23:40

[quote MrsJBaptiste]@Iamthewombat NO. Just NO .

I thought 20/21 would be a shit year but we could never have imagined how awful AY 21/22 would have been. I have worked stupid hours, one week's annual leave, very little time off and have ended up with more annual leave than I can physically take. I won't write more as I've had wine but this year at work has made me physically sick. This is not an easy job.[/quote]
I hear you. Flowers

SallyOMalley · 11/12/2021 23:40

@Iamthewombat

I work in University Admin and finish on the 17th and back on the 4th and don't have to use any annual leave as the University is shut

Remember this, when you are wondering why tuition fees are so high.

Oh give over.
Mammyloveswine · 11/12/2021 23:44

Back when I worked in an office it was always a 12pm finish... then we all descended on the local pub until around 4! Happy memories!

Iamthewombat · 11/12/2021 23:44

So what? Other people have tough jobs too. Don’t even attempt to argue that your gruelling job in university admin entitles you to free days off that don’t count as annual leave.

And there absolutely is a correlation between fees and staffing costs. What else do tuition fees cover, if not infrastructure and staff? What does each day of your time cost the university that employs you, factoring in salary, NI, pension, etc?

Multiply that by the number of ‘free’ days off that you think that you should be entitled to because you are “exhausted” by your hard labour in university admin. Then multiply that by the number of university staff whose time off doesn’t count as annual leave because “the university is shut”. The multiply that by the number of institutions following the same practice. Then justify it to the students.

Which other exhausting professions do you think should get extra paid leave on top of their annual leave entitlement? How do you think that should be paid for? Extra tax? Will you be stumping up more tax to pay for extra holiday for exhausted nurses, paramedics and police officers? No?

SallyOMalley · 11/12/2021 23:56

@Iamthewombat

So what? Other people have tough jobs too. Don’t even attempt to argue that your gruelling job in university admin entitles you to free days off that don’t count as annual leave.

And there absolutely is a correlation between fees and staffing costs. What else do tuition fees cover, if not infrastructure and staff? What does each day of your time cost the university that employs you, factoring in salary, NI, pension, etc?

Multiply that by the number of ‘free’ days off that you think that you should be entitled to because you are “exhausted” by your hard labour in university admin. Then multiply that by the number of university staff whose time off doesn’t count as annual leave because “the university is shut”. The multiply that by the number of institutions following the same practice. Then justify it to the students.

Which other exhausting professions do you think should get extra paid leave on top of their annual leave entitlement? How do you think that should be paid for? Extra tax? Will you be stumping up more tax to pay for extra holiday for exhausted nurses, paramedics and police officers? No?

These aren't 'free' days. For many universities, employees have to use a week of their annual leave over Christmas and this is compulsory. Where @MrsJBaptiste works, they may simply describe it differently. But I very much doubt they are thrown 'free' days on top of their annual leave allowance. It just doesn't work that way.
SpinsForGin · 12/12/2021 00:21

@Iamthewombat

So what? Other people have tough jobs too. Don’t even attempt to argue that your gruelling job in university admin entitles you to free days off that don’t count as annual leave.

And there absolutely is a correlation between fees and staffing costs. What else do tuition fees cover, if not infrastructure and staff? What does each day of your time cost the university that employs you, factoring in salary, NI, pension, etc?

Multiply that by the number of ‘free’ days off that you think that you should be entitled to because you are “exhausted” by your hard labour in university admin. Then multiply that by the number of university staff whose time off doesn’t count as annual leave because “the university is shut”. The multiply that by the number of institutions following the same practice. Then justify it to the students.

Which other exhausting professions do you think should get extra paid leave on top of their annual leave entitlement? How do you think that should be paid for? Extra tax? Will you be stumping up more tax to pay for extra holiday for exhausted nurses, paramedics and police officers? No?

Nobody is saying that university staff have a harder life than other professions BUT it has been fucking horrendous over the last 18 months. I'm broken and need a break ( I'm academic staff but our professional services staff have worked just as hard)

However, we've always been given the week between Christmas and New year off as 'free' days. Part of the reason is actually cost reduction... most staff would book it off anyway so actually closing the university saves on security staff, heating, library etc.

Anyway, the tuition fees uk students pay doesn't even
come close to covering the cost of a degree course. And I actively avoid working out my actual hourly rate given the amount of hours I work on average per week.