Taking time off work during school holidays

robram2

Hi,

I work in a pretty small company (15 employees) and Wish to have Paid leave during half term week in october.

Unfortunately, because we are a small company, my colleague already has this week booked off, and my employer says we can't be both off at the same time.

I recall something regarding employers legally bound to allow certain amount of time of to employees during school holidays.

Is this true? What can I do?

Horace

Your employer can refuse your holiday request for the reason that you have stated that someone else has booked it first. There is no god given right that you should be allowed holiday during school holidays - you need to plan your time better and book your holidays in advance which is probably what your colleague did.

DCFC79

robram why dont you get in there and book other time off in the school holidays

tigtag02

robram2 wrote: »

Hi,

I work in a pretty small company (15 employees) and Wish to have Paid leave during half term week in october.

Unfortunately, because we are a small company, my colleague already has this week booked off, and my employer says we can't be both off at the same time.

I recall something regarding employers legally bound to allow certain amount of time of to employees during school holidays.

Is this true? What can I do?

The time off you are thinking off is (I think) called parental leave and its unpaid and not about school holidays but ill children / no childcare.

Sorry I dont recall the length of time it relates.

TT

Pssst

There is actually no legal entitlement to holidays at all save for the statutory holidays. anything else is a bonus and negotiated. Your boss doesnt have to give you time off if it would leave him short staffed.

robram2

Thought as much. It's not that I didn't book time off in time, it's that we both want to go on holiday together.

Guess one of us will have to pull a sickie for a week. lol.

liney

robram2 wrote: »

Thought as much. It's not that I didn't book time off in time, it's that we both want to go on holiday together.

Guess one of us will have to pull a sickie for a week. lol.

Disciplinary.

Your employer has to have "reason to believe" you are pulling a fast one, not proof. Them refusing you a weeks holiday during half term, the same week as your partner and you being ill, is most definatley "reason to believe".

paulwf

Legal minimum holiday entitlement is 5.6 weeks, i.e. 28 days if full time.

Lets assume 8 days are taken off by everybody for bank holidays which is perfectly normal. Therefore everyone has 20 days i.e. 4 weeks holiday left. 15 staff times 4 weeks is 60 weeks of staff holidays in a 52 week year. Therefore there has to be a time when there is an overlap in holidays!

Although there isn't any right to a particular week off, with advance planning (which you are giving) any well run company with 15 staff should be ok with 2 off at a time. That is providing you aren't working for a company that is seasonal i.e. sees an upturn in business during school holidays.

alison999

i book the school holidays off the day i get the new timetable well, as many days as i can, then my o/h tries to work round the other days.

Oldernotwiser

robram2 wrote: »

Guess one of us will have to pull a sickie for a week. lol.

We'll see you in the dole queue then!

Horace

robram2 wrote: »

Thought as much. It's not that I didn't book time off in time, it's that we both want to go on holiday together.

Guess one of us will have to pull a sickie for a week. lol.

As it coincides with the school holiday and you have already asked and beeen refused holiday then your employer isnt daft and will know that you're not sick, he then has the right to discipline you for unauthorised absence.

So are you trying to say that you are having an affair with this colleague of yours and you want to go on holiday together? I am confused now, I thought you wanted holiday that week for school holidays? Either way, you have been refused holiday so accept it and be better organised next time.