Holiday Entitlements

clive308

My employer has stated that staff need to book all thier holidays for the year now, or loose them. I work nights 4 on 4 off. Employers has rules on leave, such as:
how many staff can be off at the same time.
first come, first served
holidays not to be taken at certain times

It appears that the rules are being purposely structured to reduce the amount of leave that staff can take.


Now a number of staff are faced with losing holidays, because they cannot fit them in anywhere. We are not allowed to carry any leave over.
2 staff face losing 60 hours of leave.

Is there anything, that can be done?

theoretica

The employer must permit staff to take the legal minimum of leave, but does not need to let the staff choose when to take it. I suggest that if you really can't find a time to book the leave (even if not at the time you really want it) you ask your employer to tell you when you can take it.

AP007

clive308 wrote: »

My employer has stated that staff need to book all thier holidays for the year now, or loose them. I work nights 4 on 4 off. Employers has rules on leave, such as:
how many staff can be off at the same time.
first come, first served
holidays not to be taken at certain times

It appears that the rules are being purposely structured to reduce the amount of leave that staff can take.


Now a number of staff are faced with losing holidays, because they cannot fit them in anywhere. We are not allowed to carry any leave over.
2 staff face losing 60 hours of leave.

Is there anything, that can be done?

Your company has to allow all statutory holiday to be taken.

Its a rather odd one to say all the years entitlement must be booked now.

How would you know when you want to take holiday?

It will do nothing but increase sickness I think.

getmore4less

Very common in the NHS to book most/all of the holidays in advance.

and many other places that need cover also operate this sort of policy

.......

One think you could do is check if the "full time equivalents" is covered by the number of staff, it might be that there are just not enough people.

As above post says if the holiday do not fit into the rules the employer needs to say when the holiday can be taken and/or change the rules.

paddedjohn

Are you sure that the other reason is looking at losing 60 hours (which can't hapen anyway) or is it that they will have to take them at a time that doesn't suit them.

Kei

This is a useful link http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=1374

Your employer may be asking you to plan out hols so that it plan to accommodate every employee. There may be room to change your dates later down the line, but then your employer still has a business to run so can decline your holiday request if there is a valid reason.

On the flip side of having to book it all now, at least you know that your hols will be honoured, the problem where people are facing losing out on holidays won't happen.

katenut

Sorry to hijack your thread, but this is along similar lines - my partner's employers have introduced a new policy stating that holiday has to be taken within certain timeframes (e.g. 9 days before 30th March). He is supposed to sign to say he has read and understood the new policy (which he hasn't), can companies change policies like this? Or would it constitute a change of contract?

Takeaway_Addict

katenut wrote: »

Sorry to hijack your thread, but this is along similar lines - my partner's employers have introduced a new policy stating that holiday has to be taken within certain timeframes (e.g. 9 days before 30th March). He is supposed to sign to say he has read and understood the new policy (which he hasn't), can companies change policies like this? Or would it constitute a change of contract?

Unless they specifically said in the contract the employee can choose when to take holiday for example then yes the employer can, it stops people hoarding holiday until the christmas period and then taking it all in one go.

Though if your partner doesn't take the holiday then they must allow him to take it later on unless those days lost don't take him under statutory holiday in which case he could lose them and this could be a change in teh contract terms (but realistically there is little you can do on this). This might work once but then chances are they will be on your partner and make sure he takes the days either by him asking or them telling him when to take them.

katenut

Aww !!!!!!, I had a feeling that might be the answer :-( 9 days to take between 1st Jan & 30th March (when we're 2/3 the way through Jan already) is a total pain, as we'd got our year all planned out to fit round holidays and events!

Thanks for your help

Takeaway_Addict

katenut wrote: »

Aww !!!!!!, I had a feeling that might be the answer :-( 9 days to take between 1st Jan & 30th March (when we're 2/3 the way through Jan already) is a total pain, as we'd got our year all planned out to fit round holidays and events!

Thanks for your help

You have some time to rearrange them and the weather is normally decent in March

getmore4less

What sort of cover is needed,

times like this you need collective cooperation by those affected to see if there is a way to make the system work.

Would Easter being in March cause issues for this