Holiday Requests

bleepandbooster

A friend of mine received an email last week at work saying that for 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after 01-04-13 any holiday request would be turned down. This is to ensure the end of year procedures to run smoothly.

My friend has worked there for nearly 20 yrs and has no written contract. The end of year has run smoothly before with people in the office understanding the need to be at work.

They also go on to say that this will be an ongoing thing and a condition of employment.

Is this correct or can my friend politely tell them what to do with the email.

David

ValHaller

It is correct and from a jumped up twerp of a manager. The country is full of them salivating at the people they can put through disciplinary.

Never mind keeping foreigners out. Throwing twerp managers out would improve life no end.

LittleVoice

bleepandbooster wrote: »

A friend of mine received an email last week at work saying that for 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after 01-04-13 any holiday request would be turned down. This is to ensure the end of year procedures to run smoothly.

My friend has worked there for nearly 20 yrs and has no written contract. The end of year has run smoothly before with people in the office understanding the need to be at work.

They also go on to say that this will be an ongoing thing and a condition of employment.

Is this correct or can my friend politely tell them what to do with the email.

David

Employers have the right to say when you can or cannot take holiday. This has always been the case and, as such, is really not a change of the employment contract although it spells it out clearly.

Only thing to watch is if 31 March marks the end of your holiday year. If it does it is important that they have told all employees that they can't take holiday in the last two weeks as this gives them time to take it before it expires (or get approval to take it forward to the next year).

It may not have been the best way of notifying staff but it is fair and clear.

Takeaway_Addict

ValHaller wrote: »

It is correct and from a jumped up twerp of a manager. The country is full of them salivating at the people they can put through disciplinary.

Never mind keeping foreigners out. Throwing twerp managers out would improve life no end.

Its hardly a jumped up thing to do is it really, its 4 weeks in a year where the OP's friend cannot take holiday...only the other 48 they can then!

Sycorax

I don't understand what the issue is with the email. It's just formalising what's already custom and practise. As for not having a written contract, that's irrelevant, implied contracts i.e. you've been doing the work and accepting the money without complaint, are just as valid as written ones.

It sounds like it was a general email to everyone anyway and not targeted at your pal in particular. To me it's just clarifying the situation for everyone. It's not unusual for companies to have embargos on holidays at certain times of year and it's not unusual for them to remind people of this via memo, briefing or email.

Acc72

LittleVoice wrote: »

It may not have been the best way of notifying staff but it is fair and clear.

I agree with the above.

What was the precursor to the e-mail ?

Was it a new manager looking to formalise previously informal agreements, or are there staff (other than your friend) who are looking to book holidays during this period ?

It is a bit like Christmas cover - it is fine when staff have an informal agreement and stick to it.

Problems arise when one or more then decide to make up their own rules (for their own personal benefit) - the manager is then effectively forced to bring in procedures for the benefit of the company, and unfortunately when this happens you cannot please everybody and somebody is going to be unhappy.

ValHaller

Takeaway_Addict wrote: »

Its hardly a jumped up thing to do is it really, its 4 weeks in a year where the OP's friend cannot take holiday...only the other 48 they can then!

Of course it is jumped up. Look at the OP:

bleepandbooster wrote: »

.... My friend has worked there for nearly 20 yrs and has no written contract. The end of year has run smoothly before with people in the office understanding the need to be at work.

Only jumped up twerps stamp their authority on something which is working fine and has done so for many years.

Evilm

Yes, they can do it and it doesn't have to be written into the contract to be valid.

One friend had Christmas pre-approved in January and had their employer tell them they couldn't take it off only in November - just had to put up with it or find another job.

Did your friend have something booked in (or unofficially approved) for this time or is she just upset by the sheer implication that they can restrict their employees in this way? If there was something in progress a quiet chat with the manager to ask if she could be allowed this time due to not being notified until now might work and get her the holiday anyway. Certainly worth a try.

Takeaway_Addict

ValHaller wrote: »

Of course it is jumped up. Look at the OP:


Only jumped up twerps stamp their authority on something which is working fine and has done so for many years.

Or maybe it just wasn't running as efficiantly as the OP's friend would believe. Things change...

ValHaller

Takeaway_Addict wrote: »

Or maybe it just wasn't running as efficiantly as the OP's friend would believe. Things change...

Or maybe there never was a memo and the year end is really in October. We will never know ....

emilykf

I can't have the first or last working day of any month off due to month end commitments, although I knew that before I started the job. It does sound fair enough, if not communicated in the best way!