Psst, want to know how to get the most out of December public holidays without exhausting your annual leave?

Unfortunately for many of us, annual leave is dwindling out, leaving only a few days as an option. Picture: Leeloo Thefirst/ Pexels

Unfortunately for many of us, annual leave is dwindling out, leaving only a few days as an option. Picture: Leeloo Thefirst/ Pexels

Published Nov 7, 2023

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It’s that time of the year again when everyone’s rushing to apply for end-of-year leave.

If you haven’t circled those dates on the calendar yet, time’s running out.

Unfortunately for many of us, annual leave is dwindling out, leaving only a few days as an option.

Maybe you planned on taking a holiday or visiting family and friends over the festive season. The good news is that is there is a way of making the system work for you.

And, thanks to Uncle Cyril and the Springboks winning the Rugby World Cup, we’ve scored another public holiday on December 15, which happens to be a Friday.

Mind you, the Day of Reconciliation falls on a Saturday, and for those who don’t work weekends, it doesn’t count.

Taking all these into consideration, open your calendar and mark the following dates:

Monday, December 18 - Friday, December 22. Factor in Christmas weekend, and then book off again from Wednesday, December 27 - Friday, December 29.

Just by applying for these dates, you score 10 extra days on top of your annual leave.

If you plan on taking New Year’s weekend off, you can make the most of it by circling Wednesday, December 27 all the way to Tuesday, January 2, 2024.

Do take note though, that utilising your sick leave during this time wouldn’t be the best thing to do.

A recent case that came before the Labour Court and its reference to an earlier case showed that taking even a single “free” day off can put your job at risk.

IOL Lifestyle