Time off for appointments?

DD265

My employer has refused my request for a half day holiday, or to make up the hours elsewhere in the week, for a dental appointment because the time does not suit the business. I would need to leave work 2 hours early.

I understand that an employer is not required by law to allow employees time off for visits, and that they can deduct the time from holidays or ask that the hours are made up.

Unfortunately I cannot just request holiday for that day and not explain why - the appointment is this week so I appreciate that it was rather short notice. I only found out myself this morning - booked it a year ago when I went in for an emergency, but my normal dates are August/September and I'd forgotten about the emergency appointment changing the dates of my routine ones.

I am using an NHS dental practice, they are not open outside of my working hours. My track record within the company is excellent - not a single sick day since I started in 2010, no unauthorised absences and all of my appointments have either been arranged out of hours/when I was on leave, or I have booked holiday well in advance for that date.

I have offered an alternative date which would be a morning instead. If my employer refuses this too, how should I approach the matter?

LadyMissA

DD265 wrote: »

My employer has refused my request for a half day holiday, or to make up the hours elsewhere in the week, for a dental appointment because the time does not suit the business. I would need to leave work 2 hours early.

I understand that an employer is not required by law to allow employees time off for visits, and that they can deduct the time from holidays or ask that the hours are made up.

Unfortunately I cannot just request holiday for that day and not explain why - the appointment is this week so I appreciate that it was rather short notice. I only found out myself this morning - booked it a year ago when I went in for an emergency, but my normal dates are August/September and I'd forgotten about the emergency appointment changing the dates of my routine ones.

I am using an NHS dental practice, they are not open outside of my working hours. My track record within the company is excellent - not a single sick day since I started in 2010, no unauthorised absences and all of my appointments have either been arranged out of hours/when I was on leave, or I have booked holiday well in advance for that date.

I have offered an alternative date which would be a morning instead. If my employer refuses this too, how should I approach the matter?

I wasn't aware you had to give an employer full details of what you are doing with your holiday when you book it but they can refuse any time off this is why lots of people just call in sick and that doesn't help things.

What time would suit them then if you were too book another half day? Ask your boss that?

DD265

I will add that in the company handbook, appointments are to be made at the beginning or end of the day. Mine is at 4.15 (I'd need to allow 45 minutes to get there at that time of day and for parking) so not quite the end of the day, but I'm sure you'll agree that there isn't always the flexibility there with the NHS.

Thanks LadyMissA. The problem is the restriction of what is available at the practise! I don't want to push the appointment too far back (the alternative I found is April) because I am having trouble with a wisdom tooth and I actually rang up this morning to see whether they could check x-rays from last year to see whether this tooth is impacted.

Hopefully they'll agree to this appointment in April.

anamenottaken

DD265 wrote: »

My employer has refused my request for a half day holiday, or to make up the hours elsewhere in the week, for a dental appointment because the time does not suit the business. I would need to leave work 2 hours early.

I understand that an employer is not required by law to allow employees time off for visits, and that they can deduct the time from holidays or ask that the hours are made up.

Unfortunately I cannot just request holiday for that day and not explain why - the appointment is this week so I appreciate that it was rather short notice. I only found out myself this morning - booked it a year ago when I went in for an emergency, but my normal dates are August/September and I'd forgotten about the emergency appointment changing the dates of my routine ones.

I am using an NHS dental practice, they are not open outside of my working hours. My track record within the company is excellent - not a single sick day since I started in 2010, no unauthorised absences and all of my appointments have either been arranged out of hours/when I was on leave, or I have booked holiday well in advance for that date.

I have offered an alternative date which would be a morning instead. If my employer refuses this too, how should I approach the matter?

So you didn't have a dental appointment in August/September though you would have expected one?

This upcoming appointment is not an urgent one. The NHS reckons check-ups every couple of years is OK.

If the alternative date is not acceptable to your employer to grant holiday, I would approach the matter by finding a date that your employer would agree and then go back to the dental practice with that date to offer them.

LadyMissA

This will go down like a lead balloon but I do think its unfair however that you could be in mega pain with a tooth or something else medical and they do not have to let you have time off (even if you make up the time or take as holiday) even for something terminal but as soon as you say you are pregnant they allow you all the time off in the world!

DD265

anamenottaken wrote: »

So you didn't have a dental appointment in August/September though you would have expected one?

This upcoming appointment is not an urgent one. The NHS reckons check-ups every couple of years is OK.

If the alternative date is not acceptable to your employer to grant holiday, I would approach the matter by finding a date that your employer would agree and then go back to the dental practice with that date to offer them.

No. I did have one in August/September last year, but because I went in February/March for the emergency, the August/September one was cancelled and my routine visits were brought forward to this time of year. I am so used to going in August/September that I had forgotten.

Although this appointment is not an emergency, I do have a wisdom tooth with a hole in it! It's not causing me grief at the moment (the one below, which is slowly coming through, has been causing pain since October, but apparently they can't do anything for that) so I don't think it would last another year.

If they refuse this alternative, I'll take your suggestion. If I take a whole day, I have more flexibility with the appointment times.

DD265

LadyMissA wrote: »

This will go down like a lead balloon but I do think its unfair however that you could be in mega pain with a tooth or something else medical and they do not have to let you have time off (even if you make up the time or take as holiday) even for something terminal but as soon as you say you are pregnant they allow you all the time off in the world!

If I was that bad I'd call in sick/just go, then if necessary go through the disciplinary process when I got back.

In this instance it isn't an emergency (as they can't do anything for the pain of a wisdom tooth coming through) I think I'm just more frustrated that my track record with the company is so good, yet they've refused this appointment, and I don't think that my absence for two hours will be a significant inconvenience. Then I see others who just go to their appointments, but I suppose they have line managers who probably approve those appointments for them.

LadyMissA

DD265 wrote: »

If I was that bad I'd call in sick/just go, then if necessary go through the disciplinary process when I got back.

In this instance it isn't an emergency (as they can't do anything for the pain of a wisdom tooth coming through) I think I'm just more frustrated that my track record with the company is so good, yet they've refused this appointment, and I don't think that my absence for two hours will be a significant inconvenience. Then I see others who just go to their appointments, but I suppose they have line managers who probably approve those appointments for them.

I used to see others at my old place take time for appointments and not make up the time and when I asked my boss I never got an answer as to why others were different so I would always have to book a full days holiday as you could never be sure how long you would be there as they always run over and then it would take over an hour to get to my work.

bap98189

LadyMissA wrote: »

This will go down like a lead balloon but I do think its unfair however that you could be in mega pain with a tooth or something else medical and they do not have to let you have time off (even if you make up the time or take as holiday) even for something terminal but as soon as you say you are pregnant they allow you all the time off in the world!

Most employers will have a very different attitude to emergency appointments, and in many cases to hospital appointments. Fact is this is for a routine check-up which can be scheduled anytime and is not urgent.

LadyMissA

bap98189 wrote: »

Most employers will have a very different attitude to emergency appointments, and in many cases to hospital appointments. Fact is this is for a routine check-up which can be scheduled anytime and is not urgent.

Not all dentists are open late or at weekends and you should be allowed to take holiday in order to go to see one

And all the co's I have worked with make you make up the time on the day if you are late in.

We were onlt allowed 1 hour but in the example of my dentist who only open at 9.30 I would have never made it in to work for 10am (still having to work back the hour)

heretolearn_2

I suspect it's the lack of notice even though it's a regular scheduled check-up that has caused the problem.