Covering holidays for job share partner

sunshine38_2

Hi

I wonder whether anyone could help?

I have started a part time job share position and work 2 days per week, being Thursday and Friday. The person I'm job sharing with works 3 days, Monday to Wednesday.

A condition of the job is to be available to cover the other person's holidays as and when she takes them and vice versa and I accepted that as on the surface, it sounded okay.

Does anyone have any experience/advice on how this usually works?

My Job Share Partner ("JSP") has accrued additional days and is in the process of booking and taking those days and I am expected to cover. I am allowed to either "bank" the additional days worked as holiday for myself or take paid days.

My difficulty is in understanding where the line is drawn, if any?

My initial understanding was that my JSP would have 15 days (normal holiday) so I would, in effect, cover 15 additional days. What will actually happen is that when I take my 10 days, my JSP will then "bank" 10 days holiday and take at a later date. When she takes those extra days, I would then have to cover ... and so on.

This is the first job share post that the Company has had and I do understand the need to cover for holidays. Is there usually a cut off point or something as to how many days should be covered as holiday and those which should just be additional paid days?

I hope what I'm trying to ask makes some sense. I realise that there are benefits to be had in that I, myself, would gain additional days to "bank" and take as holiday but I wonder where it would all end. I have three children and I'm concerned that I will practically end up having to work full time in order to keep on covering my JSP's holidays.

Another point I wanted to try and work out was when I do book my two days (Thur & Fri) and my JSP wanted to book the preceding Mon-Wed (her 3 days) that would mean I dont actually have my "week" off as I would be expected to cover my JSP's holidays at the beginning of the week :think:

I'm confused. Can anyone help explain what would normally happen or be expected in a job share situation.

Many thanks,

Sunshine

suicidebob

Seems strange that you're allowed to bank the day off rather than get paid.

What makes you think she'll want to continually bank day's off rather than get paid?

The most additional days you could end up working is 25, and that's if your colleague banks every day. That's 1 day every 2 weeks.

newmumincov

It does sound like you'll end up qualifying for more and more banked days and so would your job share partner, in an exponential fashion.

At the end of the day, one full time employee would be entitled to 28 days a year, they can't expect one "full time equivalent" employee not to be absent for the same length of time. If you were working full time, you certainly wouldn't be expected to cover your own holiday, would you? They would either have to manage with your absence or get another additional person to cover.

Those job share partners I know are not asked to cover for each other.

sunshine38_2

Hi

Thanks for such a quick response.

My job share partner absolutely does not want to take her current accrued days as paid, she is taking them all as holiday (currently a further additional 15 days to take between now and December) plus her normal holiday entitlement still available of 10 days.

Apparently her role was reduced earlier in the year but the planned job share replacement did not work so she worked the "extra" days to claim back once the employer managed to get someone else in to cover the Thursday and Friday (me!).

So, this appears to me that she has got 25 days in total to take for which I am expected to cover. As she has been allowed to bank the extra days she worked as holiday, I am also allowed to bank them as holiday as and when I cover them. I'm not exactly sure where it's all going to level off really.

I have been told that it will be better from next year as she will not have the extra days that she has accrued this year. Even so, will it not be the case that we would just keep on covering holidays over and over?

Would it normally be the case that holiday you cover for your job share partner would be taken as paid rather than accruing more holidays for yourself?

Thanks

Sunshine

sunshine38_2

newmumincov wrote: »

It does sound like you'll end up qualifying for more and more banked days and so would your job share partner, in an exponential fashion.

At the end of the day, one full time employee would be entitled to 28 days a year, they can't expect one "full time equivalent" employee not to be absent for the same length of time. If you were working full time, you certainly wouldn't be expected to cover your own holiday, would you? They would either have to manage with your absence or get another additional person to cover.

Those job share partners I know are not asked to cover for each other.

Hi,

Thanks for your reply.

I did a job share a good few years ago but I was not expected to cover the other job share girl's holiday/sickness absence. From what I can recall the argument (which had taken place before me taking up the position) had been that if you had to cover the other person's holidays then ultimately you cancelled out your own holidays by then working to cover the other person's. [does that make sense?!]

So, I have 10 days normal holiday and my job share partner has 15 days (I'm ignoring the bank holiday stuff by the way) then when I work her 15 days, I'm effectively cancelling out my own 10 day holiday entitlement and will actually work 5 days over and above ???? What's the point of me having a holiday "entitlement"?

Thanks

Sunshine

SarEl

Our job share arrangement have to cover each other for holidays on the same basis - we cannot have the position not done for part of the week. But we do not allow accrual of time for the reasons laid out - it is paid if you work extra days. But it is a bit of a nonsensical cleft stick - if you agreed to this contractually you must do it - but equally I don't think the employer has thought it through for one minute! It might be worth claculating the ongoing impact of this and pointing it out - I don't think they realise how it will play!

sunshine38_2

SarEl wrote: »

Our job share arrangement have to cover each other for holidays on the same basis - we cannot have the position not done for part of the week. But we do not allow accrual of time for the reasons laid out - it is paid if you work extra days. But it is a bit of a nonsensical cleft stick - if you agreed to this contractually you must do it - but equally I don't think the employer has thought it through for one minute! It might be worth claculating the ongoing impact of this and pointing it out - I don't think they realise how it will play!

Thanks for your reply.

I never realised how confusing it could get!

I've found it really hard to find any substantial information as to what might be (or should be) the best practice to follow.

Sunshine

getmore4less

It can't work no one should work for more than (52-5.6*) 46.4 weeks

They have to employ someone to do 5.6* weeks(or close) as they would if there ws just one of you(ie a full timer)

Or you have to do at least the equivilent as paid days.
(I would ask for the relevent holidays for those)

edit : (reminder to self read posts carefully)
[STRIKE]
the other issue seems to be you think you both get 15days.
you should get 2/5 of the full time holidays your JSP 3/5th.
Handy that B/H will use up some of the total allowance
[/STRIKE]


* substitute full time holidays including BH

animalmagic84

getmore4less wrote: »

It can't work no one should work for more than (52-5.6*) 46.4 weeks

They have to employ someone to do 5.6* weeks(or close) as they would if there ws just one of you(ie a full timer)

Or you have to do at least the equivilent as paid days.
(I would ask for the relevent holidays for those)


the other issue seems to be you think you both get 15days.
you should get 2/5 of the full time holidays your JSP 3/5th.
Handy that B/H will use up some of the total allowance


* substitute full time holidays including BH

The OP states that she gets 10 days holiday and the JSP 15 days which would appear to agree to your calculations. 2/5 x 25 = 10 and 3/5 x 25 = 15.

I agree with SarEl, the OP needs to talk to the employer. It does seem that they have set up this system without really thinking through the consequences. You just need to explain to the employer what you have said here and the fact that the number of days that you will end up covering may just keep increasing into perpetuity and ensure that they make the system work so that this won't happen (ie make you take the days covered as paid and not banked).

sunshine38_2

Thanks getmore4less and animalmagic84. I appreciate you taking the time to help.

Sunshine