Why say “I'm on annual leave”? blog discussion

benood

I'd always thought it was a hideous Americanism. It's en vacances for me from now on , pretentious, never.

nzseries1

I'm confused about what alternative Martin thinks we should use. He seems to be asking why we say we're going on annual leave.

I say I'm going on annual leave because that's exactly what I'm doing - going on annual leave. I don't say where I'm going because it's none of anybody's business, except my colleagues who I tell in person.

CrazyIndianZA

never used that phrase, wherever I've worked, people have mentioned "I'm out of the office from xxx returning on the xxx". For queries contact yyy. I'm not checking emails / am contactable via crackberry.

tanzanitelilac

I am going on holiday next week so I think I will spend the rest of the week trying out different phrases to see which one is most appropriate :rotfl:

Usually I just say I am on leave or I am out of the office - but I suppose that is stating the obvious a little

kermie101

I use the phrase "annual leave" through force of habit, having worked many years for a large corporate body where the term was the norm. Since they had a few hangovers from their civil service days I suppose, reading the responses above, it may have come from that.

And as others have said it's a useful "cover-all" for just being away from the office for a few days, not actually "on holiday"; a polite way of saying "nah, nah, nah nah-nah, don't expect a response to this email until I get back!"

beardybikeboy

'I'm not in this hellhole of an office, theoretically for 2 weeks. I may return, I may not. Perhaps I'll fake my own death and claim on the insurance. Where's my canoe...'

babyangel10

I couldn't give a flying fig what is or isn't the right term to use - I'm not going to be in so hard sh*t - just bugg3r off and leave me alone until I'm back in work!!!

How's that?!!!

Capricorn_One

Also, it doesn't say whether your house will be empty. If you're on holiday, it probably would be.

Alternatively, we've become such a population of automatons who've forgotten what being human really means that we use phrases like "I am on annual leave".

Speech over.

sdooley

Because visiting family, looking after the kids off school, doing DIY, completing one of those sponsored challenges or countless other activities may be neither taking a break nor a holiday, and I don't really want all and sundry to know precisely what I'm up to on my time off.

'Out of the office' includes working from home and being in client meetings, so annual leave is really the only expression that fits. Does seem like a horrible Americanism though.

DavyBoy_2

Thank you for your question. Unfortunately I am on annual leave right now. In the interim period please forward your question to other forum members, and I will endeavor to respond to your question when I return.

David.

For me, I go on holiday or take a break. Yet more and more people’s email auto-replies over the summer state “I’m on annual leave, will be returning on…”. I’ve never understood the use of what to me is a rather stodgy old-fashioned phrase. If you “go on annual leave”, why?