How do you use your annual leave?

[KM38]

Do you take a couple of 2 week holidays a year? Single days/long weekends here and there? Individual weeks?

Had a conversation with SIL earlier and to me, her use of annual leave is crazy 🤣🙈

I go out of my way to maximise mine. I get 5 weeks and three days so usually take a 2 week, 2 x 1weeks and use the rest as and when needed for occasions etc 🤷🏻‍♀️
She gets the same, but takes 2x 1 weeks and the rest she uses for single days here and there to do...NOTHING 🤔😳 maybe it’s just me that can’t think of anything worse 🙈 like she’ll book a random Wednesday off to “break up her week and just sleep all day” 🤔

Just got me thinking 🤔

I get lots of leave but also use my flexi time. I take all the school holidays off other than the 6 week holiday when I take 3 out of the 6 weeks.

This might change in a year or so once DS isn't at school.

About an hour every other day

not exactly, but most of it is in very little bits. We work flexibly. I wouldn't know where to go right now or what to do if I did have a big chunk. I need lots of part days off to help the kids do something or get an errand done, etc.

Used to take it all for childcare.
Now I probably use about half for appointments, random days off/ days out, and about half to catch up on jobs at home.
Only holiday about every 5 years.

Pre-DC we used to take a 2-week summer holiday, maybe late June-July to avoid the school holidays, then a week late Sept/early Oct - went away both times, plus a few long weekends away. Then we bought a house and were doing it up, so cut back on holidays away, eg a fortnight in the summer was one week of decorating then a week away.

We prefer full weeks in the summer (either 2x1.5 weeks or 3 separate weeks) and part weeks or odd days the rest of the year. Sometimes away, sometimes holiday at home with day trips out and/or decorating but always doing something when the weather is favourable and it is light outside. More likely to have a day not doing much in winter, when I'm so much more tired and find it harder to work 5 days a week!

@Iliketeaagain I never said to was general NHS. I was saying what my experience in my department is like.

Back to back with dh to maximize school holiday coverage. I think we’ve managed 2 lots of 4 days (long weekends) together in the last 10 years

@Ilovedthe70s

Get 20 days after bank holidays taken out of allowance, can only be taken as whole weeks, odd days are never allowed. Have to give at least two months notice or request will refused by assistant manager who controls rotas so not much choice how to take it.

That’s harsh....do you work for a private company? I work in nhs.....I can request leave the next day if there’s capacity to take it.....we can take 2 hours leave ..eg leave at 3pm on a Friday.....We can take up to 3 weeks at a time.....any longer then we have to get authority from higher management......I’ve twice gone to visit family in Australia and taken 6 weeks each time......we can also buy up to 2 weeks extra per year.....on top of the 33 days we get plus 8 bank holidays.....hearing stories like yours makes me very grateful.....I hope you get better holidays in your next job

@user145678945648945645789456

Like a pp most of mine get wasted on medical appointments. Being disabled is shit.

So so harsh for you......we get paid time off for all hospital appointments / ongoing treatment....dentist or gp appointments we just take then work later or start earlier to make up the time.....I’m NHS

What a penis using annual leave in a way that suits her, she should defiantly use it in a way that you approve. Did you not sign her approval slip?

6 weeks leave. Two during the Summer May-Oct, four in the Winter November-April.

I can bring some winter leave into summer if there is availability.

Each 7 day block of leave is protected by an additional day either side. So 7 days leave is 9 days.

It is brilliant but has to be booked far in advance through a bidding system. For example, Christmas period leave is all divied out now. It can be frustrating as I always need to plan far in advance for special occasions etc and if those days are in the height of the summer there's a slim chance of getting it off.

I take one week for May half term, one week in late July / early August and one week for August bank holiday. So 13 days leave to get 3 weeks. The rest is spread over the rest of the school holidays, so 4 days over Easter (but not all together), 2 or 3 days each for Feb and October half terms and about 5 days at Christmas. Also my birthday, min 2 days off with DP on a school day and recently a spa day with my mum. I also take odd days off in the summer so the dc never have 5 days in a row at holiday club. I get about 30 days and also buy some additional leave.
I'd rather have shorter leave at regular intervals than ages between and then 2 weeks off.

I'm a teacher so I get the obvious school holidays. DH normally takes 1 week Feb, 1 week Easter, 2 weeks summer, and normally a week over Xmas.

I get 5 weeks. I never take a week off as I find it too stressful. I like lots of odd days.

I'm very lucky I work for the nhs part time and I get 6 weeks off a year but the way the Rota is done I get two weeks for every one week. so I have 12 weeks of annual leave a year if I take a full weeks leave. if I take a day the rota can be done so I get 8 days off. i try and space it out and have two weeks off every six weeks.

I still fit mine around the school holiday calendar so usually:

3 days at Easter
1 week + 2 or 3 days at beginning of Summer holidays,
1 week + 2 or 3 days at end of Summer holidays
3 days in October
1 week + 1 or 2 days over Christmas/New year
1 day off at a half term if ds's birthday falls on weekday

Leaves 5-ish days for anything else that crops up, any left at end of year I'll add onto Christmas/New years break (we are allowed to carry into following year if taken in January/February).

I don't find 2 weeks off any more of a break than 1-1.5 weeks so take more single weeks off (plus, for me it avoids using full days holidays on Fridays where I WFH and finish at 12, but still need to take a full day if I want it off).

I try to plan dentist, hairdressers etc around my Friday afternoons off, and can also work Friday afternoons and take TOIL mid week, so don't need many random days.

I work Tues-Fri, my leave is in hours but it’s equivalent to 41 days inc bank hols. Because I don’t work Monday’s when most bank hols are I get extra bookable time to take when I choose.

I take 1x2 weeks, 3x1 week and the rest as odd half days and days as needed. In the future it will all go on covering school holidays.

I only work 3 days over 4 but I normally take 2 x1 weeks over the summer and a week at Christmas, I use the rest in hours to reduce my time at work depending on how I am feeling as have chronic health problems so need to do that to manage.

Nhs, i get 33 days plus 8 Phs. Tend to take 2 weeks in summer, a week in October, 2 weeksish at Christmas and the rest for long weekends or unexpected time needed off.

NHS here , so usually two weeks September, a week November , February and May. The rest are usually kept for last minute/emergency/parties/wedding type stuff.

This year, l’ve booked Christmas week for the first time ever! So excited, even if we’re in lockdown again.

Been working in NHS for long time so have a good A/L allowance. I mainly take it in 1 week blocks, with one 2 week block a year and a few random (birthday/ anniversary) days.

I tend to book a long way in advance so I know I am never too far from a holiday. Really helps me cope with a demanding (at time distressing) job.

@Loubiemoo

This year, l’ve booked Christmas week for the first time ever! So excited, even if we’re in lockdown again.

@Loubiemoo What a luxury 😍😍 i had Christmas week off for the first time in 11 years last year 👏🏼 We were in lockdown and I was on Mat leave so not holidays but it was lovely just to know I could relax! Usually I have 3rd Dec off then my next day off is Christmas Day. Then back at work until my day off on New Year’s Day 😅 so it was nice to be able to just sit and watch rubbish Christmas movies etc 😁