"On call" during annual leave

Manxman_in_exile

How much are they going to pay you to be on-call? And how much if you actually are called out?


If the hospital is closed and the "entire workforce" (except you three) are on annual leave, how likely is it that you'll actually be called out? What patients might you have to see if the hospital is closed? You don't do home visits do you?

Manxman_in_exile

agrinnall wrote: »

How has this been handled in previous years?

Look at previous posts re Christmas 2013 and 2014

dlmcr

Manxman_in_exile wrote: »

Look at previous posts re Christmas 2013 and 2014

This is a disgrace.

There is no reason to continue working year after year for a company that treats its staff like this.

If someone had told me I had to be on call during booked annual leave I would tell them I had a holiday booked. If they asked for proof of booking I would refuse to provide it. It is none of their business what I do during my annual leave. Alternatively I would say I want to work as normal during Christmas (by being available for their "on call nonsense") and I will instead book my annual leave that I would have had at Christmas, at some other time during the year.

They are only doing this because they can get away with it. If the OP and others affected just said no or looked for new jobs then the company would look at other ways of providing cover during periods like this.

nimbo

chowells17 wrote: »

I work in the private health sector.
Due to have almost 2 weeks leave over Christmas/New year.
Today I have been told that I and 2 colleagues, need to be "on call" on a rota system during this time.
This will involve receiving and making telephone calls and perhaps seeing patients, and being available 24/7.
Can this be enforced, or am I within my rights to refuse?
Any help would be appreciated.

It seems a bit harsh as this on call roar is potentially going to be impacted by Christmas as in. Or drinking on the ode days you're in call or the night before if an early start.

If I'm on leave I pwrsonally feel I should be allowed a Bellini for breakfast over the festive season. Or spend all day the cinema with my phone off.

Will they be paying back the days you're on call - id be pointing out I have plans in Scotland visiting relatives and that I'll be several hours away from home. Or work.

I hope you get it sorted.

Gavin83

Being on call is not annual leave. I'd be telling them they can either leave you in peace to enjoy your annual leave or they can pay you for the period and treat it as a normal working day. I say this as someone who works in a technical IT role and therefore have to be on call. However my employer has enough respect not to ask me to do this during periods of annual leave.

I'd be happy to take a phone call to help out as a one off but this isn't at all what we're talking about here.

[Deleted User]

If you get called, tell them that you've had a drink or two (you are 'on leave' after all). I suspect that may be the end of the conversation.

MinnieCooper

Hi,

I am in the NHS and I was put down to be on-call one night during annual leave (that had been booked, and approved, months before). I was due to go on a short trip abroad with my family. No-one would swap me and I was stuck with it so, stupidly, I cancelled my trip (and lost the money). My husband was furious!

I couldn't believe the attitude of my manager (I had only worked there a few months after being transferred there after our department closed at the sister site). What if I had booked a 2 week trip to Florida with my children? He just didn't care.

Anyway, I left shortly after this. Went back to my previous employer. I went to see the Chief Exec before I went and told them the above and they were shocked! Goodness knows if anything happened but the Chief Exec said that under no circumstances can they make you do on-call if you are booked to be on annual leave. If you had booked they annual leave after the rota was out then that was different but mine had been booked for months.

I was threatened with disciplinary action etc. by the manager (I had never, ever been spoken to by any NHS manager the way he spoke to me). Crazy manager! I received an apology from the Chief Exec.

JReacher1

Sleazy wrote: »

If you get called, tell them that you've had a drink or two (you are 'on leave' after all). I suspect that may be the end of the conversation.

Probably get fired if you do this.

I would be surprised if there wasn't something in the contract that said you weren't allowed to drink when you're on call.

TELLIT01

Gavin83 wrote: »

Being on call is not annual leave. I'd be telling them they can either leave you in peace to enjoy your annual leave or they can pay you for the period and treat it as a normal working day. I say this as someone who works in a technical IT role and therefore have to be on call. However my employer has enough respect not to ask me to do this during periods of annual leave.

I'd be happy to take a phone call to help out as a one off but this isn't at all what we're talking about here.

That's very much how we were treated when I worked in IT support too. If I was on leave, and there was a problem, they might try to contact me but there would be no guarantee that I would be available.
In a properly run organisation there is no need to contact people when they are on holiday.

paddedjohn

If you need to be available 24/7 then you are not on your holidays. Not one single hour of the 2 weeks can be classed as holidays.
Tell your employer that you are sorry but you have things planned and it's too late to change them, would they like to be eating their Christmas dinner with their family hoping that the phone doesn't ring?