Extra

My company is a rather traditionally Austrian one that has been around for quite some time and its average employee is male and in his late forties. This context means that a lot of people are parents who choose to take their annual leave during school holidays. This also means that it's VERY quiet during the summer months and the office is virtually deserted around Easter and in the first week of January. It is almost expected that everyone takes their leave during those peak times and so, even if you are in the privileged position not to have to travel abroad when prices are highest because *everyone* wants to take their vacation due to being tied to more or less the same school schedules, it's a hard-earned perk as you always need to justify yourself. There have been countless times when I was the party pooper who raised her hand to say that, yes, it was in fact a problem for ME attend that team event "after the summer holiday season when everyone is back". Like people who work part-time, us exotic birds who dare take vacations at "odd times" always need to explain themselves and learn to ignore remarks like "What a pity, that time/date would have worked for everyone if XY had been there as well." Well, yours truly is looking forward to her BIG summer (but in the Southern hemisphere!) vacation later this week and does not have the tiniest sliver of a bad conscience for being so EXTRA. See you!