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Part timer annual leave query

12 replies

Ciasteczka · 02/04/2019 22:31

I started a new job in January this year and it's part time to fit around childcare. I've been debating my leave allowance with HR since I started but they still haven't been able to explain it in a way that makes sense to me. Please help me (and the poor guy on the other end of my emails) wonderful brains of Mumsnet!

Here's my conundrum. My contract states that I am entitled to 25 days pro rata annual leave plus 8 statutory holidays.

It's a local authority and it's on 'Green Book' terms.

HR have calculated the bank holidays pro rata which I wasn't expecting from the way the contract was worded. The formula they use is (my weekly hours/5) x 8. So I have 39 hours bank holiday allowance.

Unfortunately I work on Mondays and I work longer hours than a standard day so the actual number of hours I lose from my allowance on the bank holidays I am in work is greater than the bank holiday allowance they have calculated for me. And it's not small change - it's over 10 hours that is being deducted from my non bank holiday entitlement.

I'm feeling duped, I already had a number of emails with them about annual leave when I was negotiating the contract and they never once mentioned the bank holiday formula. I read the contract to mean that I would be getting 8 bank holiday days in addition to my annual leave allowance (normal in the sector I came from). I already dropped 5 days leave for this job because I felt the opportunity was worth it but it was a really fine balance because there was only just enough leave to meet our childcare commitments.

So, have I been an idiot and misunderstood or am I right in thinking that after bank holidays are deducted I should at least have my 25 days of leave (pro rata) available to me?

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idontlike789 · 02/04/2019 22:40

Short answer yes
If they said 25 days plus bank holidays that's what you get but it's pro rata

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AgentProvocateur · 02/04/2019 22:49

It’s normal to get public holidays pro rata and unfortunately, if you work on aMondsy, you will lose out and have to use annual leave hours to cover the public holidays. Some companies will let you work another day instead.

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Namechangeforthiscancershit · 02/04/2019 22:52

The way they have calculated it sounds right to me. There are calculators online which should let you out in your exact days and check it.

I thought the formula was standard everywhere so I wouldn't have expected them to explain it in the offer paperwork, but tbf it sounds like you've had something quite different elsewhere so maybe there is some variation in your industry?

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LizzieMacQueen · 02/04/2019 22:55

I had similar. Monday was a set working day for me and my entitlement to PH was 4/5 of total to reflect my 4 days a week pattern. I had to use some of my annual leave to fill the gap (was minimal hours which I appreciate is different in your case).

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Kummerspeck · 02/04/2019 23:01

I think they are right.
It was explained to me that a full-time person gets 25 + 8 days off. A part-time person gets that pro-rata'd so if they are working 2 days a week they get 25 x 2/5 annual leave and 8 x 2/5 bank hols.

If they work a Monday and have a bank holiday off, they take a whole day off work but are only entitled to 2/5 of that so have to repay 3/5 of a day from their overall allowance. This was done to level the playing field between part time workers as, before this came in, those who worked Mondays got more days off than others but, unfortunately, it works against someone part-time but working a long Monday like yourself

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FunkySnidge · 02/04/2019 23:05

It is normal for your bank hols to be pro rata. I am also part time and always avoid working Mondays for this reason!
Another way to get your head around the calculation is that you work 0.7 full time equivalent. So you get 0.7 of each bank hol. That is approx 5 hours for a normal 7 hour working day. You will need to take the remainder off as leave or ask to make it up another time.
If you work longer hours on a Monday you will be even more affected by thisas you will need to take off more hours. Annoying but that's just the way it works.
Any chance they will let you make up time another day?

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Blahdeblahbahhhhh · 02/04/2019 23:07

When I worked part time this is how it was calculated for me too. Otherwise it would be unfair for those who don’t work Mondays.
My workplace were really flexible though and I would build up time in advance and time off in lieu to make up the difference.
The other alternative is to change days and not work Mondays. The you will get extra hours and not have to work the bank holiday.
We also had the option to work bank holidays if we wanted, but I never did.

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Ciasteczka · 02/04/2019 23:07

Sigh, so it sounds like they're right. I've royally screwed myself over with a working pattern that includes a longer Monday then haven't I? I had no idea that they wouldn't actually give me a full allowance for the actual bank holidays I work. I would be far better off doing the same shift pattern over any other three days of the week.

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NChangeForNoReason · 02/04/2019 23:08

Totally agree with all PP - this is how it works and how I had to calculate my own hours when in this position.

Your options ...

Change ur days so u don't work Mondays (and keep all your BH/AL allowance for another time)

When Monday is a BH go to work for 10h on another day in that week (and keep all your BH/AL allowance for another time)

Top up ur BH allowance with AL

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FunkySnidge · 02/04/2019 23:08

Do you also work Fridays?
Because you get also get 0.7 credit for that day, you wouldn't just lose it because you don't work on a Friday... Same for the Christmas hols.
That can be added into your leave allowance and might help offset the Monday situation.

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Ciasteczka · 02/04/2019 23:28

funky - I hadn't thought about it like that. I don't work Fridays but I see what you mean.

Nchange - thanks for listing out the options. I've been struggling to do this.

I'm still feeling grumpy about it - but it sounds like it's more a case of being lucky that where I worked previously this hasn't been an issue. (I wish I could remember how they calculated it!).

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Isleepinahedgefund · 03/04/2019 04:10

Yep - but it works both ways. When I worked part time but not on a Monday I always had loads of extra hours of leave to use because I still got the pro Rata BH hours but hardly used any of them for BHs. I now work on a Monday but it's one of my short days so I'm still not quite using up my whole entitlement for BHs. Unfortunately the reason it feels detrimental to you is because of your working pattern - I was forewarned about this and took it into account when setting my work hours.

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