Annual leave without going on holiday?
1manonthebog
Posts: 3,707 Forum Member
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It was my understanding that annual leave could be used for whatever you liked, If you wanted to sit on the sofa for your entire annual leave then that's up to you?
I'm on my annual summer leave at the moment, when I booked it got asked 101 questions as to why and what I was doing where I was going. I got it off OK but the impression given was that this is not something that usually happens in this company if you have no holiday booked.
The same vibe was given off by my co workers, some who have carried over 3-4 years worth of holidays. I told them I was taking the kids to various parks and attractions over my leave, Nope doesn't matter, should be in work, is the vibe they gave me. They have even messaged me on whatsapp this week "Well are you taking it easy" again also hinting that I am sitting on my ar$e while I should be at work, your made to feel bad about taking your entitled to annual leave.
Perhaps the resentment is coming from the fact the company runs on a skeleton workforce, they don't allow for people being sick or holidays etc which means more stress on everyone else.
Have you ever encountered this? Am I actually doing anything wrong?
I'm on my annual summer leave at the moment, when I booked it got asked 101 questions as to why and what I was doing where I was going. I got it off OK but the impression given was that this is not something that usually happens in this company if you have no holiday booked.
The same vibe was given off by my co workers, some who have carried over 3-4 years worth of holidays. I told them I was taking the kids to various parks and attractions over my leave, Nope doesn't matter, should be in work, is the vibe they gave me. They have even messaged me on whatsapp this week "Well are you taking it easy" again also hinting that I am sitting on my ar$e while I should be at work, your made to feel bad about taking your entitled to annual leave.
Perhaps the resentment is coming from the fact the company runs on a skeleton workforce, they don't allow for people being sick or holidays etc which means more stress on everyone else.
Have you ever encountered this? Am I actually doing anything wrong?
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Comments
No you're not, THEY are
In fact you're pretty well obliged to take your holiday entitlements now.
Nope. As long as you have accumulated the holidays you require, given the required notice as per your contract and there are no conflicts such as someone else on your team is off at the same time (varies from company to company) then that is it. You do not need to explain why you need the time off or even tell them what you plan to do.
The only scenario where the above might not apply is if you're required to be "on call" as part of your job.. but they'd need to pay you quite handsomely to be on call during a holiday.
It does sound like there may be a culture at your place of work where people are passively encouraged to only take time off when they really need to. But that's rubbish. you can take time off whenever you like as long as you meet the above conditions. It's a big mistake to think you "owe" the company something and not taking holidays will somehow be rewarded. It usually isn't.
Of course theres nothing wrong with co-workers taking an interest in your life and perhaps asking a "Oh going anywhere nice?" type question. That's fine.. so just make sure you're not over analysing. Enjoy your time off!
I have given up holidays in the past, but that was my decision as long as I got paid for them which I did.
Tell your nosy colleagues you are spending 2 weeks in the Costa Del Backgarden!
Paid annual leave is a legal right, and no one should be made to feel like they can't take it.
It sounds like your colleagues are the odd ones to me not you!
otherwise it is no-one's business but yours.
However i did work at a place like yours where I kept getting phone calls while I was on holiday - one week I actually did go away and came back to over 40 messages on my answerphone.
Now I always say I am going whale watching in Alaska, or birdwatching in the Outer Hebrides - neither of which (at that time) had good phone signals or wifi.
It's bad enough that management have taken a legally unjustified interest in your holidays, but the fact that they've successfully created a culture where their staff take the same attitude is pretty sad.
The problem is probably so engrained however that you'd probably have quite a task on your hands to fix it.
Assume there is not a Union on site.
I am no fan of Unions, but this the kind of stuff they really excel at.
Nope, sitting about doing nothing is exactly what holiday/leave is there for, you have done nothing wrong in your choice to spend that time in your own home rather than some overcrowded hotel swimming pool far away.
I was saved the worst part of what you had in that we have a scheduled 2 week shut down, where it is okay to take time off, but I do find it a struggle to have to explain every year that, no I am not going anywhere. I have to go into the reason being that in my previous job I was a travelling rep, and I have had more than enough airports and hotels to last me a couple of lifetimes, and I certainly can't bring myself to see anything even slightly enjoyable about travelling anywhere.
Your colleagues sound like a bunch of idiots.
I wonder if the OP is be misinterpreting people's comments. If you say "On my holiday I'm going to sit around all day on the sofa" someone might respond with "That sounds a bit boring and a waste of a good day off".
But everywhere I've worked holidays have been sacrosanct the only comment I've ever got is "Why haven't you taken all your holidays, yes?" the implication always being that it's important to take breaks from work.
What rubbish, annual leave can't be spent doing whatever you please and cannot be carried over, it has to be used before the end of the year (March)
And the only thing I can see an employer complaining about is if you spend your 'holiday' doing what is essentially your job (perhaps for someone else) and therefore not getting a break.
Maybe but it's not down to the employer or colleagues to tell the op how he spends them
It's a bit sad that the company itself discourages leave; worse that colleagues agree with the idea that holidays are a bad thing and should be discouraged and justified.
Typo
Should be can instead of can't
I work for a large firm, you put your holidays in and you take them..