are they entitled to ask this?

bluenoseam

You lied to them - which could be a disciplinary under it's own steam, were you daft enough to use current employer as a reference? If so that's where you've potentially come undone, while I agree it's your holiday your business, you were less than honest about the reasoning and it sounds like it's come back to bite you.

DVardysShadow

bluenoseam wrote: »

You lied to them - which could be a disciplinary under it's own steam, were you daft enough to use current employer as a reference? If so that's where you've potentially come undone, while I agree it's your holiday your business, you were less than honest about the reasoning and it sounds like it's come back to bite you.

If the employee took the time as leave, they have no duty whatsoever to account for their time on leave. So, no duty to account => no gross misconduct.

bluenoseam

DVardysShadow wrote: »

If the employee took the time as leave, they have no duty whatsoever to account for their time on leave. So, no duty to account => no gross misconduct.

True, but we all know that things like this turn very bad very quickly and the law will only protect you so much.

MissSarah1972

bluenoseam wrote: »

True, but we all know that things like this turn very bad very quickly and the law will only protect you so much.

But the OP booked a holiday - it matters not where they were or what they were doing. If they didn't want to let them have the holiday they didn't have to.

If you called in sick and said you were in the doctors waiting room waiting to be seen in an emergency then that is a lie.

ktothema

Ok, so we know its not true, but its more than feasible that:

OP had a doctors appointment (booked by phone so no written record). OP decided to book the half day but the doctors surgery rang at some point whilst OP was already on the leave to cancel the appointment, maybe rebooking for a slot that didn't require time off work (again, over phone so again no record). As OP had booked and started holiday, they continued to take the time off anyway.

This actually happened to me the other week and, like OP, I live decently far enough from my workplace to make it not worth the hassle of going back in, using the holiday time was better.

spidereyes

Thanks to everyone who replied.....
Thought Id just update the situation.

I personally thought the interview went terrible, didn't think they were interested in me at all but had a phone-call at lunchtime from the director offering me the job!

Ive accepted it and Ive handed my notice in at my current employers so I think its pretty obvious why I now had Monday off....Nevermind though Im *fingers crossed* off to better things in a months time!