Furlough and holiday

Stardustjunkie

Hi all,
We booked a holiday for May, which has obviously been cancelled. We were able to reschedule to the end of September (which I know is still risky but there’s reassurance that we won’t lose the money if it gets postponed again). 

My partners boss has told him categorically that he still has to have the annual leave during the first week in May and is not allowed to move it, despite being furloughed and not being able to go anywhere or do anything.

In addition to this, they are forced to take annual leave over Christmas, so it leaves very very little to play with.

We’ve been advised that Martin Lewis maybe said something about this on TV but I can’t find anything on here? 

I’ve read ACAS and understand an employer has the right to tell an employee when they can take annual leave, but this whole situation seems morally wrong. I appreciate employers are struggling too, but a little compassion to employees who are also struggling, might not go amiss?

help welcome!

sharpe106

Morally wrong why? A company makes plans around when staff have booked holidays off.

Stardustjunkie

sharpe106 said:

Morally wrong why? A company makes plans around when staff have booked holidays off.

This company asks for twice the length of days notice. So he only has to give two weeks notice to take one week of annual leave. I don’t think this is particularly relevant, as he has given the notice to cancel and then 5 months notice to reschedule?

sharpe106

At lot of companies arrange leave so they only have so many off at one time and staff changing this round will effect that.

Stardustjunkie

I see your point and I genuinely see the employers perspective. In this company though, annual leave is granted on a first come first served basis, in a company of 7 people. This week isn’t booked by anyone else, and has more than ample notice. If the holiday had already been arranged for this date, it would’ve been accepted without question.

Maybe I’m more upset because this was money inherited from my nan, to go on a holiday that she wanted me to experience (as it was her favourite place in the world). I’m also angry because the same boss recently tried to force my partner to take annual leave for a 2 day hospital admission, even though he gets no sick pay so she wouldn’t have been out of pocket anyway. 

Stardustjunkie

In fact, I’ve just worked it out that as long as everyone is working by the first week in September, there is enough days for everyone to take their full annual leave entitlement without any of them overlapping, before Christmas.

yksi

Putting aside kindness and so on, an employer can require any & all employees to take their annual leave at a time to suit the business. So they're actually allowed to do what they've done, unfortunately. What is worth asking them is how they are handling the furlough around the holiday pay, as you can't be both at one time. If you point out that it's less for them to pay out in May if they let you save the holiday pay for later, they might agree.

Stardustjunkie

She has said it’ll be holiday pay, so full pay. Seems mad considering they’re going to pay more when they’re not earning anything....

But this is the same employer who tried to force a days annual leave for a grandparents funeral (rather than compassionate leave), and a hospital procedure. 

It’s a company that treats the staff as a number rather than a person. I think every employee needs to be treated with some compassion, without allowing the system to be abused.