Colleague keeps making remarks about me taking annual leave

[Motylog]

A colleague asked why I had come into the office today, and I explained that I wanted to tie up a few loose ends before my annual leave tomorrow and Monday.

Another colleague jokingly said, “You’re not allowed annual leave.” This is not the first time they have made comments like this. They previously said something similar during a team meeting, at which point a manager immediately stepped in and clarified that all staff are entitled to take their annual leave.

This evening, I sent a brief handover email, mainly as a precaution as there are unlikely to be many calls while I am away. The same colleague responded to the email with a sad emoji.

At the moment, I feel quite low in this role and have really been needing this break. The repeated comments and reactions make me feel as though my time off is not being respected, which I find difficult. I am not a workhorse.

Me and my colleagues always say things like this to each other.

Just the other day I asked my boss if he can cancel ‘Sarah’s’ AL and he told me he’ll try.

This was all in front of her and she knows we love her and we’ll miss her when she’s not there.
But we obviously want her to take AL and go on holiday, it’s just a joke about how much we like her.

What? I’m really surprised you have taken this so literally. Telling a colleague they aren’t allowed annual leave = you are really important and good at your job and they will struggle without you

Reacting with sad emoji means they will miss you at work - not at all in disrespectful way! You sound like a really awkward colleague.

Surely that combined with the sad emoji just means that this colleague is fond of you and will miss you when you’re not there?

This is 100% the way I would joke with a colleague I’d miss if they were off.

On the face of it, I'd agree that it's probably a compliment/light-hearted.

However I do wonder if there's something about the tone which we're not seeing on this thread but OP is, given that a manager had previously heard it and felt the need to clarify that everyone should take A/L.

Maybe they are saying the office doesn't function without you

This ⬆️. I can’t see why you think it means you are just a number, when it means exactly the opposite. I take it communication isn’t key to your job.

I am glad to read that the manager stepped in during a team meeting.

I bet those making jokes never work between Christmas and New Year, would never work any job with weekend working, yet would want shops open all hours.

If you take most of your leave in school term time it can appear that you have more leave than others do.

It may not be laugh at loud funny but jokes like this are standard office humour.

Same here!

Isn’t it just a joke? I’m currently on a planned period of sick leave and my colleagues said something similar to me before I left.

Sounds like you need and deserve a good break.

Enjoy your leave!

This is what I would think if someone said this to me

It was a joke. Jesus.

Same here. We have a fantastic colleague in our team who we always tell is not allowed any time off because we literally fall apart without her! As is often the case (in the NHS) she’s the lowest paid but works the hardest and things really do grind to a halt when she’s not there. It’s never meant in malice.

Do you have a history of conflict with this person OP?

I think it depends on the tone of voice and obviously we didn't hear how the comments were made. There's a big difference between someone saying, "Don't tell me you're taking leave again!", in an annoyed tone of voice, and someone saying in a light-hearted way, "You can't possibly take Annual Leave - the place will fall apart without you".

I regularly say things like, "All leave is cancelled", or, "Lunch is for wimps" (a throwback to the '80s film 'Wall Street' which probably sails over the heads of my younger colleagues). Nobody pays any attention to these comments.

When the colleague made the remark in the team meeting, were they referring specifically to you? Or were they referring to someone else?

I'm not sure if the colleague is needling you, or if they're just joking and you're feeling a bit sensitive. I guess if they keep it up you could say in a breezy fashion, "Yeah, I can't wait". Or turn it back on them and say, "Yeah, when are you taking your holidays?".

You are being really over sensitive. And a bit rigid. People make jokes at work.

Enjoy your holiday.

I'm autistic and even I recognise this as a standard office joke.

It's a combination of:

• Complimenting your work.
• Acknowledging in a not-hostile way the temporary increase in workload on the rest of the team, which of course every member of the team will cause during the year when they take holiday.

We say this to each other all the time. It's just a joke, along with other crap we say like 'you've got the dream team today' or ' are you actually going to do any work while your here' . It's just work banter.

They're joking, and you definitely need the break. Hopefully you can get some headspace while you're off.

That’s how I’ve always understood the comment. It’s a compliment

This seems bizarre as a post. This is how you behave when you like someone being around, respect them, and are joking about them being away. Why would you feel sad about that, or have an issue?

Oh god talking of lame office jokes - who remembers the days of “Have you broken it again?” whilst photocopying at the machine 🤦🏻‍♀️ I swear some lame colleague said this to me at least twice a day. I had a headache from all the fake laughing.

You are so over thinking this - enjoy your time off 🌹

I was going to say something but bit my tongue. I'm practicing.