Flexi days in the civil service

[Hellothereitisme]

I've been offered a job in the civil service. The maximum flexi you can build in my role is 2 days per month (but i think there is flexibility on this). How realistic is it for me to be able to take a couple of flexi days in each school holiday? Or will this be frowned upon? Thanks!

If you've built up enough flexibility credit, then it shouldn't be a problem. However, it depends on the business need, and the availabilities of other team members. I've never had a problem taking flexi leave.

In my department it wouldn’t be that it would be frowned upon but that we are only allowed a certain percentage off at any one time. If we hit that percentage the flexi leave would be turned down.

Really depends on the policy, are there set hours for you to work within and can you realistically build up 2 days a month within those? If it's a heavily operational role with core hours, they may not be happy for you work until 9pm but then be gone 2 days a month. But that said, if the policy is laid out in a way it looks permissible, you should assume it's ok unless told otherwise.

I tend to aim for about 1 day a month personally, I wouldn't want to work the hours to earn 2 days a month, though.

(But yes concur with others around availability of staff to take the time is a consideration also, if the role is not operational that may not be too much of an issue).

Thank you. It is on the coperate side so not operational.

Thanks! Do you find it's OK to take flexi in the school holidays? I guess I'm worried that that is when everyone else will want to take time off.

I generally find the corporate side to be a bit easier for these things.

I would either talk to your manager, or start off with 1 day a month and build up lol, remember 1 day a month is essentially 2.5 weeks extra of leave a year.

But if you're in a busy role, you might find you rack up the hours anyway without even needing to try, and I never feel guilty about taking time back, if it's earned, I'm spending it!

Leave is just leave, it won't matter if it's flexi vs annual leave, you should ask your manager how easy it is to take leave in the holidays generally, every office is a bit different.

Yes I book schools holidays in advance and if I have enough flexi, I cancel 2 days hol and use flex.

My DC are grown up now, but no, I never had a problem taking leave in school holidays. That being said, I switched to term working after a few years.

2 days at say Feb or October - fine. But 2 days per week in the Easter or Summer hols? Much less likely. The civil service rules are 2 days flexi per 4 week reporting period. You also cannot accrue more than 3 days. It would be hugely frowned upon to purposely work loads of excess hours in advance to take them off in school hols - this is not what flexi is for.

Yes sorry I should have been clearer. I meant could I take a couple of days flexi per holiday, not per week!

My husband is in civil service and earns a load of flexi (he travels a lot) and he takes it all in the holidays. Sometimes he will save up a couple of weeks worth.

Absolutely not in my department: two days a month, maximum and they need to be taken within a month of being earnt - otherwise you run the risk of people being...disingenuous about how much they have earnt.

I also think there is a tendency for people to try and build up flexi when they haven't got enough work to justify it. Someone I manage had to PAP someone who was trying to claim they had built up a tonne of flexi - in August ffs - when there was nowhere near enough work to justify claiming they had done those sort of hours.

If you have enough work to be able to claim it, then go ahead but don't try and claim it by dragging out mundane tasks or inventing work that isn't there, as you will be found out and in a worse case scenario you end up in the situation the person I mention above was in - I.e. precariously close to losing your job.

I don't think that anyone can tell you whether that will be achievable in your team, with those particular staff and managers. It always depends on what staff there are and who wants what.