Boss taking all annual leave over school holidays

[Sickofthissheeet]

Between me and my boss one of us has to be in to provide cover. We both have school aged children but mine are reception and pre school and hers are secondary.

she has emailed me to say that management have approved for her to take her holiday across august and Xmas and Easter and I can’t take those times off as need to cover. Explained that we would need to compromise as also need time off then and she’s said if I don’t cover it mean she won’t get to spend time with her children or see her extended family(?!)

AIBU to think this is really unfair? We both want the same times off but surely we have to divvy them up? She can’t just take them all?

What's the reason why she always needs the last two week of August off? Is it just so she can utilise the bank holiday? Honestly, if my boss was that much of a dick I'd be looking for another job.

Very unfair if she’s taking the entire weeks without consultation with you. I mean you won’t get to see much of your family if she doesn’t work - not fair to just get in there first and book it off, especially as they are secondary age and don’t need holiday clubs etc

That’s not the point through? The point is it makes more sense for both parties to be considerate and divvy up the holidays rather than make it a first to the line sprint which will leave one person screwed.

And that’s assuming her manager will approve her request given she wants thuds dates herself and one of them must be there to cover.

I wonder if the manager approving is under the impression that they agree dates between themselves?

Or perhaps they knew that the OP was off sick, and therefore there was nobody to agree the dates with anyway. Workplaces do not grind to a halt and not do things because one person is off sick.

When my XH worked in a factory, the whole business closed for two weeks every summer and every employee had to take two of their A/L weeks at that time.

It could be something like that? The manager wants family time with her DH in summer and it has to be those two weeks?

I don’t think the August holiday is a problem considering OP has the other four weeks to choose from.

@Quveas

But the manager has said that she intends to take some of these weeks every year - how is that reasonable if it means that op can never have that time off?

I never said they did.

It just seems strange that any manager would just sign off on Christmas and Easter knowing that there would be one person (whoever it was) covering the same role.

The management sound weak and shit imo.

Our dept has a policy at Christmas that if you booked time off last year ( 25th/26th are non working days for us) then you won't be considered for leave this year unless there is enough cover .

My DC are adults so apart from booking the 24th (and 25/26 as above) I'm not usually bothered and I work the week between incl NYE .

But this year I'm hoping to take a few days off before as its a bit of a rush otherwise .

OP, what happens if you are sick when your boss is on holiday? I’m not suggesting you take sickies btw, just curious.

Not quite sure what those people saying you should have booked the leave earlier are expecting would have happened. Her boss would have presumably just not approved the leave because she wanted those times off.

And she's only just done this with only 6 weeks till the first fortnight off ?

Sorry but I don't think that is unreasonable if you can do the same the year after.

I had to share school holidays for 3 years with 2 other colleagues, it's a tight thing and if we wanted a particular time we had to say it really early.

I took both Easter weeks of a couple of times over the 11 years DD is in school, same as other colleagues. Christmas is slightly more of an issue as the week between is basically a no-go unless there are extraordinare circumstances (son's wedding and graduation one year).

I get you OP. She's got all the plum weeks that work best for parents. It's not fair and I would as a pp said have a conversation about it.

Can you check with management, in case she's told them that you've agreed she can take the time off?

^^ Yes, this. Hardly a spirit of team co-operation there, I'd be out looking for another job sharpish.

I would be booking feb, May, oct half terms then some time in the summer hols. Could also have the other week at Xmas as it’s 2 weeks

In my first job many years ago, there was an annual leave list which would be circulated to the department at the beginning of the A/L year. This was circulated by seniority, but one could only put down a maximum of 2 weeks at the first circulation. And 2 people (within the dept. had to be in the office at any one time). (cant remember how many people).
I used to feel a teeny bit cheated, as I was at the bottom (or near the bottom) of the list, but then I didn't have any children at that time, so it didn't really matter to me.
If there are only 2 of you, then the other person putting their entire year of holiday in first is grossly unfair. If they get the pick of August, then you should have the pick of Easter of Christmas. If she is your boss, I am not sure who you could complain to, but I would insist on it being your turn to have August, etc, or find another job.
You definiteky need to work out any A/L hols at the beginning of the year.
In all my jobs, you were allowed to carry around 5 days over to the next year, which gave some flexibility in case you suddenly required an extra day (meaning you worked out yoru holidays leaving 5 days to carry over, but then had some extra if needed.)

How long have you been out of the office sick?

And when did the AL booking open?

I think I’d be saying

“That’s fine for this year, but those are also the best holiday dates for me, so I will want those dates next year. We can alternate each year who gets the prime dates.
OR we can compromise - so this year, you get the August dates you want [as she’s probably already booked a holiday then] but I get the days between Christmas and NY. And then next year we swap round.”

She simply cannot say that she gets all the best dates, every year.

You do that different companies holidays run from different dates yeah?

Seriously I would be looking for a new job. She isn’t the only woman in the world that works and has kids. It’s woman like her that make you hate working with woman with kids!

I used to manage someone who had similar age kids to me and one of us needed to be in. We worked out annual leave together.
We would split it so we both got time off.

Now I work for a business which supports schools and we have to take our leave in the school holidays, so much easier and I have 3 weeks off this summer.

My son is older now but I always made sure I booked time I really needed as soon as I could. I know some MNers think first come first served approaches are unfair - but if you need certain times, you get in first. I did (and do) have the advantage of an office job where I didn't, and don't have to work Christmas.

It's not only parents of school aged kids who need certain times of year off - I need time off over Christmas and Easter so I can visit my elderly mum who can't come to us very easily anymore.

But when it comes to the rest of the holidays, it should be possible to work around other people. Unless you are very lucky, you don't get six weeks off in the summer, so if someone has taken off the last two weeks of August before you get there, you've still got four weeks you can choose from.

It would also help if people without school-aged kids didn't take time off in the holidays unless they really need to, eg because they are married to teachers or have an event. I now go away in May and September because I can, and just take the odd day at other times.