Holiday woes. Inflexible employer?

WestonDave

If you are off 2 half days in every week of the holidays (14 weeks of the year) and then presumably another few days off here and there to make up your 20 days, when are the others supposed to take their holidays? They can't take them in any of the holiday weeks as that would only leave one person in work on your half days, so if that one person phones in sick there is no-one in. Its entirely reasonable for the employer to look on this arrangement as now being unworkable with only two other members of staff.

As an alternative do two full days in some weeks and get your wife to do the same in others. It has the same impact on covering your kids, but doesn't mess up so many weeks for holiday for others.

t0rt0ise

Some people without children feel discriminated against because they are the ones always left to mop up the days that the parents can't do. I used to work with someone who was always going home early for child care reasons. Seemed so unfair.

Emmzi

I agree. As employer or non-parent-employee, your work pattern would drive me nuts.

Holiday club, nanny, whatever - there will be options.

consumers_revenge

WestonDave wrote: »

If you are off 2 half days in every week of the holidays (14 weeks of the year) and then presumably another few days off here and there to make up your 20 days, when are the others supposed to take their holidays? They can't take them in any of the holiday weeks as that would only leave one person in work on your half days, so if that one person phones in sick there is no-one in. Its entirely reasonable for the employer to look on this arrangement as now being unworkable with only two other members of staff.

As an alternative do two full days in some weeks and get your wife to do the same in others. It has the same impact on covering your kids, but doesn't mess up so many weeks for holiday for others.

Wife works 3 x 5.5 hours a week so doesnt do full days.

Ignore the fact I have kids and I just wanted to have half day holidays on certain weeks would that upset the non family people who have answered.

Trust me it would be ten times as easy ( take days of for rest and relaxation not be baby sitting ) for me to tell the mrs to stay at home and we can claim extra benefits and wouldn't be that much different off, couple of hundred a month. Plus our little one is in nursury a couple of days a week to give her a good chance to explore and socialise rather than being bored at home with mum. But were trying to do the right thing, contribute to society etc.

SarEl

bluenoseam wrote: »

Your boss i'd imagine is perfectly entitled to do this, they can legally decline this (although i'd suggest maybe there might be a precident set - one of the employment lawyer types will come along shortly) - or the other way to look at it is this. Say your company bent over backwards to help you and gave you the half day holiday as and when requested, but Jim from Admin who doesn't have any kids gets refused - would you see that as fair on him? Might be an idea to suck it up on this one and see if you can get a childminder to cover those 2 half days, but it's certainly NOT discriminatory in my eyes.

One of the employment lawyer types has come along and doesn't see an argument for precedent. They are short staffed, everyone wants holidays in the summer, and jobs still need to be done. In law they have the right to decline leave requests for business reasons, and can rescind any prior approvals too provided they give at least twice as much notice as the length of the leave booked - so for half a day they would have to give at least one working days notice.

Parental rights do not come into leave entitlement - not that they are rights as such anyway for the most part, more like heavy hints.

consumers_revenge

As I said Im amicable to work around. I swapped one of my half days around today to let the boss go on a jolly. No complaints hes as entitled as me and I could swap easily over so didnt mind.

Emmzi

consumers_revenge wrote: »

Ignore the fact I have kids and I just wanted to have half day holidays on certain weeks would that upset the non family people who have answered.

Yes. That's why I ask all my staff to put their full weeks in first - so everyone can book a block of time to go away or whatever - and then if there is spare capacity they can have odd days.

Trust me. There have been days when one more holiday rota !!!!!ing session, and someone is going out the window. So these days I make no concessions. If parents want special arrangements they can go convince their colleagues - I have my pick list order, and as far as I am concerned, that is it.

WestonDave

The principle is still the same - between you, you need to cover 3 mornings x 13 weeks of school holiday. She can cover 4 weeks from her holiday allowance, which leaves you to find 9 x 3 half days or 13.5 days out of your 20. So it is possible to cover it. That isn't the problem. What would be better from both employers point of view is if for example your wife covers a week at Christmas, a week at Easter, and maybe 2 weeks in the summer holiday, while you cover the other weeks in their entirety, then its not hogging as many weeks and preventing other staff from taking any leave in those 13 weeks.

Spears123

t0rt0ise wrote: »

Some people without children feel discriminated against because they are the ones always left to mop up the days that the parents can't do. I used to work with someone who was always going home early for child care reasons. Seemed so unfair.

Obviously you don't have any kids!

Nowadays, both parents have to work so employers need to be flexible.

Simple.

Tiddlywinks

consumers_revenge wrote: »

Trust me it would be ten times as easy ( take days of for rest and relaxation not be baby sitting ) for me to tell the mrs to stay at home and we can claim extra benefits and wouldn't be that much different off, couple of hundred a month. Plus our little one is in nursury a couple of days a week to give her a good chance to explore and socialise rather than being bored at home with mum. But were trying to do the right thing, contribute to society etc.

I don't want to be unkind but this comment did get my goat a bit... do you want us to feel guilty for objecting to parents insisting that they have first dibs over prime time holiday dates? Or are you after the sympathy vote? Or a medal? What?

You chose to have children - what did you think you would have to do with them during those well known long holidays?