Holiday Entitlement

Batman_100

Hi there.


I started a new job a few months ago and our holiday year runs from April to March. I started mid-August and under company policy I only started accruing holiday entitlement at the start of September, so that means I'll have half the normal entitlement for the 2015/16 leave year.


I work a 37.5 hour 5 day week, so legally I'm entitled to 20 flexi-days a year in addition to bank holidays. But my employer offers us 27 flexi-days a year.


My question is: can my employer force me to take all 13.5 flexi-days before the end of March or can they only force me to take the 10 flexi-days which is the legal minimum? And are they able to take disciplinary action against me or make deductions from my salary if I don't take my full entitlement? I have tried doing some basic research online, but terms like pay in lieu of holidays are as clear as mud to me.


I'm only asking because my team has got a lot of work that needs doing and we're experiencing staff shortages at the moment, so I want to try and keep my number of days off to a minimum.


Thanks in advance for any help.

ohreally

Your employer can stipulate when your a/l is taken.

Why do you think that failure to take a/l would instigate disciplinary proceedings, more likely that you would loose them.

Batman_100

Just noticed a mistake in my original post. I will have accrued holiday for 7 months this year, not 6, so that's 15.75 flexi-days I'm entitled to this year.

ohreally

You refer to holidays and flexitime, they are not the same/ interchangeable.

Batman_100

ohreally wrote: »

You refer to holidays and flexitime, they are not the same/ interchangeable.

To clarify we get the standard 8 days a year off for bank holidays, plus an additional 27 days to take off at a time of our choosing so longs as it's been ok'd by HR.

Starlet

Batman_100 wrote: »

Hi there.


I started a new job a few months ago and our holiday year runs from April to March. I started mid-August and under company policy I only started accruing holiday entitlement at the start of September, so that means I'll have half the normal entitlement for the 2015/16 leave year.


I work a 37.5 hour 5 day week, so legally I'm entitled to 20 flexi-days a year in addition to bank holidays. But my employer offers us 27 flexi-days a year.


My question is: can my employer force me to take all 13.5 flexi-days before the end of March or can they only force me to take the 10 flexi-days which is the legal minimum? And are they able to take disciplinary action against me or make deductions from my salary if I don't take my full entitlement? I have tried doing some basic research online, but terms like pay in lieu of holidays are as clear as mud to me.


I'm only asking because my team has got a lot of work that needs doing and we're experiencing staff shortages at the moment, so I want to try and keep my number of days off to a minimum.


Thanks in advance for any help.

I was curious how they can stipulate this. What does it say in your contact? Shouldnt you accrue holiday from Day 1?

jm2926

The question you need to ask is "what happens to days not taken?". My current employer lets us carry 5 days and they are added onto next year, previously employers I've been paid for extras or lost them altogether. the answer should be in your employee handbook/holiday policy or ask for clarification.

Batman_100

Starlet wrote: »

I was curious how they can stipulate this. What does it say in your contact? Shouldnt you accrue holiday from Day 1?

I was told by someone on the HR team that you don't start accruing holiday from the first of the month after you start.

specialboy

Legally you accrue holiday from day one but that only applies to your minimum entitlement. You are getting approx 7 days more than stat min and the employer can set any rules they want about accrual on these.