should colleagues with kids get preference for holidays?

kj*daisy

I don't think parents should get automatic priority (I am one) but we do generally need to cover the school holidays as best we can, so that is when I need to take annual leave as I can't leave them one alone at their age. But when booking leave I also take into consideration that others may also want those holiday and have worked my fair share of Xmas and Easter and bank holiday weeks etc when needed and farm the kids out wherever I can.

FATBALLZ

Fire_Fox wrote: »

There won't be any last one to be born whilst women in this country keep 'accidentally' falling pregnant or 'Children of Men' turns out to be prophetic. And again .... "How many UK parents honestly breed selflessly in order to pay the pensions and care homes for the older generation, and to ensure the continuity of the species?"

Don't intimate parents are doing the child free by choice a favour and we should therefore be grateful. You breed for your own selfish reasons, just like I choose not to breed for my own selfish reasons, and choose adopt cats for my own selfish reasons. Since I only take on rescues I help stop the UK being overrun with disease ridden stray animals as many countries are, does that mean I should get some kind of preferential treatment? :T

Who said anything about opting out of supporting the next generation? Are you confusing this thread with a completely different one, or my posts with those of someone else with an F in their username? There is nothing you can say that will persuade me that a healthy well adjusted child can only be raised with the aid of a two week summer beach vacation with both parents!

It always makes me lol that people will launch into ridiculous straw man arguments rather than simply accept they made a mistake and will know better next time.

kloana

I don't have kids. I kind of agree with some sort of unofficial priority for parents, but the parents in question should make steps to pre-book leave in good time, in the interest of fairness.

I get a little annoyed when parents request holidays at the last minute for school holiday periods, which they have known about for months/years in advance, as though it's a 'right'. This happens a bit in my current company - I've learnt to work around it, and it doesn't really materially affect me, but it's still irksome.

As a childless person, I don't actually know when most school holidays are - other than the general periods of late summer, and Christmas (which I avoid). So, I have in the past booked holidays well in advance, only to find I've booked the 'wrong' week in October, February, May, etc., and have been met with outright hostility from parents, who came to book their leave late, only to find it fully booked.

As a much younger and less experienced person, I actually got bullied into forefiting one holiday (as in an actual vacation) that I had booked and paid for, despite requesting the leave first. I was a childless late teen, working within a 100% female environment, all of whom had children.

Mums and dads - most childless people (myself included) will happily work around your holiday needs, but don't assume we know when the next half-term is going to be, and always book early!

Brighton_belle

kloana wrote: »

As a childless person, I don't actually know when most school holidays are - other than the general periods of late summer, and Christmas (which I avoid). So, I have in the past booked holidays well in advance, only to find I've booked the 'wrong' week in October, February, May, etc.,

This is a really good point actually. Neither do I most of the time.

BobQ

POPPYOSCAR wrote: »

[/B]

I agree.

I do not see why someone should lose out on the dates they want just because others have children.

Having children involves making sacrifices and this is just one of them.

There are many posts along these lines. Its not about the parents! Its about the children. Children deserve the opportunity to spend as much time as possible with their parents and those of us who have more flexibility should be reasonable and allow them to do so.

Im not saying that those without children do not deserve any preferential consideration. If your parents are celebrating their Golden Wedding, then you should be given preferential consideration too.

But as a general principle those without children should not be so selfish as to insist on first come first serve or equal opportunities.

jackomdj

Kloana I am the organised mum...our holiday runs from sept to august...so in August I took a work calendar print out, marked on it all my work deadlines, all the school holidays, all the teacher training days...then I worked out when it would be best to take my holidays, based on our month ends etc, and thing like teacher training days when there won't be clubs available. I then took my boss through it, summer time I ended up booking the middle of Aug as that is best for work (even though I would prefer end July/start of Aug as cheaper), Christmas (works out well as my boss is quite religious and thinks we should not work between Christmas and new year), I asked him If he would prefer for me to have oct or feb half term....
I have also booked for sports morning and Christmas plays... I have left myself two spare days to cover sickness, spoken to my parents to cover two weeks and know when they will end up in holiday club.

peachyprice

F_Bear wrote: »

(before theres an outcry of 'how many holidays!' this includes 11 bank holidays that are added to our leave as we'er a disciplined service)

Pah, that's nothing, my OH gets 10, yes 10, weeks

BobQ

F_Bear wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies.

unfortuanlty the 'first come, first serve' isnt an option.

we have to book 5 weeks leave, 1wk in spring, 2wks summer, 1 autum, 1wk winter by the end of october the previous year.

(before theres an outcry of 'how many holidays!' this includes 11 bank holidays that are added to our leave as we'er a disciplined service)

What on early is a disciplined service! This seems such a pretentious remark (I guess is normal speak for your workplace however) with the implication that others are an indisciplined rabble!

You do hovever make an interesting point. In many organisations leave is restricted by circumstances and so subject to formal rules (as in your case) or informal rules (based on management discretion or custom and practice). This means that staff join knowing that this is the policy they are expected to follow. I suspect is more difficult for those who are subject to the whims of an informal system imposed by a new manager.

wondercollie

Edwardia wrote: »

.

I think our whole school system needs to be looked at in a different way. In Canada and USA semesters (terms) are far more flexible, gifted kids can graduate school early and there are so many more options for online schooling, daycare, preschool etc.

Forcing everyone with kids to have their holidays over a few weeks or a week at half term just plays into the hands of the travel industry and forces prices up.

If I had kids I would home school because being able to go to France and spend a fortnight whenever with their French cousins for example would be a positive.

Education in school just seems so inflexible and to me that starts the problem. When I was at school my parents took me out to travel and it didn't do me any harm whatsoever I still got the bits of paper.

I live and work in Canada and the only students that really have semesters are university and college students. Public and private schools run September through June. Two weeks at Christmas and one week at the end of March for the holidays other than the long summer break. There are a few schools in my city that are trying an alternative schedule but it hasn't been too successful due to childcare issues.

I've been nursing since 2001 and still don't have enough seniority to get summer holidays. And yess, those with children feel entitled to the school holidays off despite only having worked for a year or two! I'm at the point where next year I will grieve for summer holidays. Much as I hate my long winters, I really don't feel that four weeks off when it's -35C is the same as four weeks off when it's 28C. Trips south to the heat in January are horribly expensive!

poppy_f1

my work it is pretty fair for the major school holidays we have to put in our requests early (in fact this year they are due in next week) for the summer *june/july/aug* we put 3 choices of 2 weeks so overall it is pretty fair, rest of the days its first come first served
generally i tend to avoid the school holidays as much as possible but sometimes i cant help it if there is something i want to do and its at that time of year

what actually annoys me is the parents that think they have children and need to be off for childcare who assume that they will get the holidays because of that and try to guilt trip you if they dont
we arent allowed to prebook time off in dec as its our busiest time but some days will usually become available this year im expecting it to be christmas eve then the following thurs and fri then the same for NY week - most of the time you can get one or the other off but its the arrogance of some people who claim they need christmas eve off cos they have children....what and me as a childless person doesnt have family stuff to do on that day as well


also the parents who moan about needing the holidays off all the time and turns out their children are mid teenagers who are more than capable of looking after themselves, i had a bit of a fight a few years back whos son was 16 and she claimed she needed the holidays off

anyway i think the most fairest way is first come first served