Unpaid Holiday Dilemma

magenta22

Put in a request for holiday and taking it as unpaid.

Now I know already that people here are going to say it's manager's descretion etc...

I am on a fixed term contract, have sweet FA to do 90% of the time, had things that weren't mentioned to me during the interview which would have affected my descision to take the job (ie: I wouldn't have).

My LM has left me a message saying that unpaid leave is not something they normally do (but it's on the holiday system!!) and if they agree it for me they will have to agree it for the rest of the team.

My argument here is - I spend the whole day sitting doing nothing and speaking to no one as they don't speak to me - so as it is the Christmas period - there will be even less to do and how will anyone else know it's unpaid leave if I don't speak to them? I'm not gonna tell them!

I wouldn't mind but I said beforehand that we always go to visit family at Christmas for a couple of weeks and they said nothing then about it. The flights are now booked and weren't cheap.

I am not happy in the job anyway...

1, because of the lack of friendliness

2, because of their failure to tell me certain things which I still think should have been mentioned in the interview.

3, because I have nothing to do! This in itself is driving me insane. People say dont' knock it, you're getting paid to do nothing but it's not much fun when you are doing it.

I think I may just have one option with this, not something that I really want to do because it will be giving up and with the job market as it is not the best idea but is giving my notice really the only option?

meer53

I wouldn't want to be your employer ! How would it be for them if they gave you unpaid leave over Xmas, and then everyone else decided it was a good idea too ? As you have already booked flights and you hadn't had the holiday agreed i think you do only have one option. To resign.

magenta22

To be honest I have never worked for a worse company!

The first thing was springing something on me (and I quote) 'because it's just what they do and assumed it would be okay' which I didn't think was acceptable in the first place.

I had pre-warned them that I would be taking holiday over Christmas and that gave them the chance to say if there would be a problem over it they didn't was (and again I quote) 'oh that will be nice'

To sit doing nothing for 7 hours a day is crazy in itself and again this this something that I have said to them already but always get there is nothing to do! I am still trying to work out what the person I am covering did all day.

As I said I speak to no-one and no-one speaks to me (they don't like me covering their friends role and I am not a local - as in I moved from another town).

Seems like that may be my only option - then again I have never been so unhappy in a job as I am in this one.

Jarndyce

Now I know already that people here are going to say it's manager's descretion etc...

It's at the manager's discretion.

is giving my notice really the only option?

Yes, or risk dismissal.

None of the rest of your post is relevant at all. However !!!!ed off you are at work, if you do not follow the employer's agred procedure for booking leave then you have no right to take the leave. And if you take the leave anyway then you are in breach of contract and/or likely to be dismissed for gross misconduct.

(BTW why is the leave unpaid - have you used up all of your paid leave?)

LadyMissA

You should never book a holiday untill the time off has been agreed. And yeah tell them 'I spend the whole day sitting doing nothing and speaking to no one as they don't speak to me' so they can just get rid of you.

Badger_Lady

I do feel your pain - I did a fixed term contract for a while and was able to complete my duties in 1 hour a day, leaving the other 6-7 vacant. I ended up getting signed off with depression because I just couldn't face sitting in an office full of strangers staring at a screen all day.

The most bizarre thing was that the LM was quite happy for me to work remotely, so I could literally just hang around at home with my Blackberry. Which again sounds great but I was constantly on edge - it didn't feel right and my life lacked meaning because I couldn't plan any alternative ways to spend my time.

So you have my empathy.

But unfortunately on the holiday front Jarndyce has nailed it.

magenta22

Thanks for the comments, they are kind of what I expected on here really.
I have requested it as unpaid because of being on contract, I have been told conflicting things about the holiday - one saying that as on contract it is worked out differently but the system defaults to a permanent member of staff.

I have already told them on numerous occasions LadyMissA that I have nothing to do because I think it is crazy to sit around doing nothing. They are paying for me to do so and I am not helping them or utilising my skills. So if they want to dismiss me for that they can do that already because they know.

I gave up a perfectly good ongoing temp role for this job which is something that irritates me.

LadyMissA

If you have told them and they know this just read a book all day. So many holidays (paid) do you have left then?

Jarndyce

If you are employed on a fixed term contract (as opposed to being a self-employed contractor) then you are entitled to paid holiday, unless you have agreed to an arrangement such as it all being paid up at the end of the contract? What does your contract say?

magenta22

Badger_Lady wrote: »

I do feel your pain - I did a fixed term contract for a while and was able to complete my duties in 1 hour a day, leaving the other 6-7 vacant. I ended up getting signed off with depression because I just couldn't face sitting in an office full of strangers staring at a screen all day.

The most bizarre thing was that the LM was quite happy for me to work remotely, so I could literally just hang around at home with my Blackberry. Which again sounds great but I was constantly on edge - it didn't feel right and my life lacked meaning because I couldn't plan any alternative ways to spend my time.

It's crazy isn't it. I can complete my work in less than that! We were out of the office yesterday (business not holiday) and I came back in to a grand total of 2 emails! To me although grateful for the money at the end of the month - a complete waste of resources.

magenta22

Contact says 25 days holiday, someone else told me 21 days holiday, system said 16 as paid. I have had approved over the middle section of the holiday but not the days beforehand.

I have had times where feel physically sick because of this job so perhaps resigning would be best all round and just hope that I can go back to temping.