Couples Who Work Together & Annual Leave

[dazzlin72]

I was just wondering what the process is with regard to this? Is it right that they should be able to take every weeks leave together when it is then denying others that same period of leave? In respect of school hols for instance, surely it only takes 1 to look after the kids not both!, so why not share the minding duties?

[midegarelu]

My wife would love that. She could stay at home with the kids while I jet off to Spain for a week in the sun.

[Ossie From Preston]

They let two male posties in my office who live together have the same week leave I wanted last year I had to fly out to Portugal a week after to meet up with the wife kids lucky her sister was out there at the time it won't happen again though. These two never seem to get split up even on their duty's they have the same day off due to swaps.

[Lounge Lizard]

I was just wondering what the process is with regard to this? Is it right that they should be able to take every weeks leave together when it is then denying others that same period of leave? In respect of school hols for instance, surely it only takes 1 to look after the kids not both!, so why not share the minding duties?

But if they live together AND work together surely they need holidays for a break from each other.

[dazzlin72]

I don't have a problem them having a family holiday together, everyone should be entitled to that. What i'm saying is, they don't need to have the same other 4 weeks as well, that's just being selfish, as others are in same boat. The problem is compounded as there are a few couples, & so they are taking the allocation up, & know one else can then get a sniff.

[IcanthelpthewayIam]

I don't have a problem them having a family holiday together, everyone should be entitled to that. What i'm saying is, they don't need to have the same other 4 weeks as well, that's just being selfish, as others are in same boat. The problem is compounded as there are a few couples, & so they are taking the allocation up, & know one else can then get a sniff.

well family friendly policies are one of the things that the cwu and unions have been arguing for over the years, take it you want to take a step backwards and get rid of these and other hard fought for rights?

[music4essex]

When my Ex Husband and I wanted to have the same time off together who ever was last to pick out of the both of us the other person would wait till then to pick together, Now we just let each other know what dates we are going to pick so the other one can pick differently so he can have our son . Mind you next year i can pick out of school holidays as he is leaving school

We have 2 couples in my office and they manage to get the time off together ok.

Essex mum

[dazzlin72]

Zx135, family friendly hrs, & annual leave are 2 completely different things!

[Kings Norton]

Well thankfully we don't have any couples in our office but saying that I can see your point we all need time off for holidays with our partners whether they work at Royal Mail or Argos why should they prioritize a couple? Maybe if your office allows 5 off for a week then they should count a couple as one for that particular week and allow 6 if they gave the couple a week leave then its their problem to cover it simple.

[Ossie From Preston]

maybe royal mail should stop taking on people with kids at school and only take on single people with driving licences. Both liabilities problem solved.

[dazzlin72]

Shhhhh Ossie! You don't know who could be reading!

[bolton1969]

Sore point for me.

I didn't get a weeks leave as it was oversubscribed and a couple in our office got priority.

Then when it came round to this weeks leave they both came in on overtime.

[UnhappyGremlin]

Irrelevant.
However A/L is distributed, it should be the same for all.
Couples should not be given special treatment. That's discriminating against single people and those with partners outside of RM.
Couples in my unit are given no special treatment, at all.
They take their pick when it's their turn and that's it.
If they want the same weeks, they take their chances and pick in order. If they want the same weeks, the only realistic and fair way to ensure they get them is to pick at the same time, which means which ever of the two waits until their partners pick to ensure they get the same week. To allow couples to jump to the front of the queue is plain wrong.
If there is a local agreement in place in reference to this, then it should also state that one year priority should go to couples, and the next year they should reverse the process, similar to seniority/juniority picks that some units use.
They should also not monopolise sought after weeks, e.g. summer leave etc. Some blocks should be left for others, and if they're full, then they have to pick other weeks.

On what grounds was the couple granted priority?
I would point out that, wherever a manager positively discriminates for one person (or couple), they cannot achieve this without negatively discriminating against another.

[korky]

even if they are on a different pick list, they should still be able to pick the same dates as long as they choose dates based on the basis that they go with the 1 furthest away from the 1st pick
can be no arguing that way.
i'd be pretty peeved if i got knocked back on a premium week when someone got it whose below me, seniority doesn't come into it at ours, you are put in a group and stay in it .

[Lounge Lizard]

I don't have a problem them having a family holiday together, everyone should be entitled to that. What i'm saying is, they don't need to have the same other 4 weeks as well, that's just being selfish, as others are in same boat. The problem is compounded as there are a few couples, & so they are taking the allocation up, & know one else can then get a sniff.

But even with a spouse that does NOT work for Royal Mail there's no guarantee of getting a week for a family holiday in the summer six weeks, usually but not always.