losing time/holidays owed because timesheet can't cope??

[mogwai]

I work for the NHS. Our department works flexitime, which is great. We have to complete a timesheet each week, which keeps a running total of how many hours annual leave and "banked" time we have owing to us for the rest of the financial year.

One of the downsides is that we can't carry any hours leave or bank time into the next financial year (the timesheet has to balance exactly on March 31st).

I worked four days a week prior to taking maternity leave, but I will be returning to three days a week after christmas. My manager has made two separate timesheets for me (one for april 05- december 05) and one for january - march 06). According to my timesheet for april-december, I have half a day annual leave and half a day banked leave left until the end of december. My manager insists I cannot carry this over to january because "the timesheets can't cope with carrying hours over".

This is departmental policy from financial year to financial year, but surely I should't lose these hours just because our timesheet isn't sophisticated enough?. I know it only adds up to a day, but this will be valuable if my daughter is sick - I only have a couple of days leave left to last me until April.

My manager is too inflexible to suggest I take the hours back without noting it on the timesheet.

What should I do?

[Hadalifeonce]

Perhaps HR could help you out? They should know the rules, despite the inadequacies of the department timesheet!

[mogwai]

spoke to HR after your reply

They say my manager is categorically wrong!

Feel a bit unsure how she will react to the fact I took the issue to HR though..