Losing your holiday... it works how?

[fossyant]

I'd be a polite ar$e if they said that - they can't take it from you if they won't let you take it

There are bugger all folk in at my place, but we are allowed a couple of weeks 'grace' to get rid - fortunately I've used all but 2 days.

How many days have you got left ? What sort of business ?- if a private company then they are usually well ar$ey (been there) but when you know your rights....

 

[Mayniac]

Are you getting this dispute recorded? May I suggest that you e-mail the person concerned, tell them that you that you wish to take the leave that you are entitled to before the end of the month, and ask them which dates are available. You are therefore accommodating them as far as you need to, and demonstrating that you are being reasonable. Get any reply on paper.
Keep copies of this and any ensuing correspondence, which could prove useful in any future disputes.

I work in industrial safety, and I'm used to being fobbed off with excuses. But as soon as there is a paper trail, it's amazing how co-operative people become.

 

[Headgardener]

Three weeks ago I had planned to take the last six days of this years annual leave but on my first day was signed off sick for a fortnight. Fortunatly the managment agreed to allow me to take the last two days of this month and the first three days of April as part of this years leave allocation and carry over the day and four and a half hours into next years leave. BTW I work for the NHS as a porter.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

For what it's worth, I carried over 56 days holiday from last year ...

56 days? Blimey. That's nearly three years' holiday entitlement for me.

 

[punkypossum]

Surely they must at least pay you for them if you can't take it? We have a "no holidays to be carried over" rule, however, if you have made attempts early enough to try and book them, you either get special permission to carry them over or you get paid for them.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I also get one hours unpaid break a day. But due to work I am often unable to take a morning or afternoon break. So mainly only get 30mins lunch.

May Isuggest that in future, regardless of what your workload is, that you make a point of taking your full entitlement? If there's an hour every day you're not being paid for, then you should make sure you're not working.

 

[snorri]

You are lucky to be in such good employment that you do not feel the need to take your leave throughout the year, and your colleagues obviously feel the same way. If you had booked your holidays for late in March last year when the leave sheet came around I am sure there would have been no problem in getting off. You clearly do not want to be off on holiday so why complain if you leave things to the last minute and are then told you cannot be allowed off?

 

[Rhythm Thief]

And why shouldn't one book holiday at the last minute? Is it necessary to crowbar every aspect of one's life into somewhere that is convenient for one's employer these days?

 

[snorri]

And why shouldn't one book holiday at the last minute? Is it necessary to crowbar every aspect of one's life into somewhere that is convenient for one's employer these days?

Because it would have been well known in the workplace that a certain level of staffing would be required throughout the year, and that "everyone" there would want to have the last week in March off. It would only be reasonable to expect that some people are going to be disappointed.
The alternative is to be in employment where leave is allocated at times selected by management.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

That's what agency workers are for. I know it costs the company more to employ agency staff, but I don't remember my employer taking my financial circumstances into account when they knocked £80 a week off my wages late last year.

 

[Sore Thumb]

I have been trying to take these last two days for two months. So I would say not too short notice.

I have already started booking A/L for next year and I have already been refused one of the weeks I have booked. As I have to fit my holidays round all the family as my wife work as well. I will now have to work another time for this refused holiday.

I wish I could take my breaks but you can't just stop or walk off. Its up to the team leaders to arrange breaks for the staff but because of workload and staffing issues it becomes difficult. However we are then pressurised by the next management level to not put it down as overtime, as it will show a poor management of staff issue.

This is the way the NHS is now.

 

[marinyork]

Get onto staff side or whatever you call the equivalent (whichever sort of) in your Trust. I know they're only likely to work part time but they are all right in some trusts.

 

[ChrisKH]

When did the policy change and what notice were you given?

You say you have been trying to take them in the last two months; surely if you apply for leave (here's my leave application/e-mail/request, etc) it's either approved and you go off or it isn't and you make alternative arrangements. I have the privilege (?) of having to plan annual leave for a team and first thing on the agenda at every meeting is annual leave, because it is so important to everybody. There are also no excuses, if come the end of the year, someone hasn't taken it, they lose it but that hasn't happened yet. Shoot your manager ffs, they can't say no to everything.

Remind me to go private the next time I'm sick will you. I'm sure it's not your fault - hasn't the NHS got enough managers?



PS I now arrange my vacation as far in advance as possible now to avoid any problems like you are having. I know it's relaxed in many other companies/industries but sometimes you have to play the system.

 

[marinyork]

It changed about 12-18months ago IIRC depending on trusts. Some trusts/depts will have brought in this and the flexitime and family working stuff (haha) in earlier than others.

What Sore Thumb has described is entirely like I've had and other people I know have had. I don't blame him at all and sympathise completely. Some departments in the NHS don't like you taking any time off at end of year which means they try and blank all annual leave in end of Jan, Feb and March! Given that the rules also blank out large stints of time in the summer it leads to very serious problems. Basically the people that devised the system can't add up. The probabilities of likely staffing levels mean clashes all over the place. It's totally unrealistic.

 

[Willow]

I did a 12 month contract for the NHS working on a specific tender. It seems to me that the only way to get promoted is to move into management which generally doesn't use the skills that you joined the NHS for in the first place. Our local Chief Exec at the time started as a physio. Generally speaking ir would be better to pay people who have good background business management skills to do that side of things and have a reward systems that enables, drs, nurses and the like to continue to move up the salary scale but using their specialised skills in a way which is more useful to us. My 12 month experience lead me to believe there were too many not very good managers paid too much money and not enough workers - I stress that I am generalising and was only working in one particular area of the business