My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Chat with other users about all things related to working life on our Work forum.

Work

Totally confused about annual leave and maternity leave.

14 replies

JessJess3908 · 07/06/2009 19:17

And my HR dept seem even more confused than I am. I previously worked FT and am going back (officially from 1 June) 3 days per week. Their latest policy (it changes weekly) is that I have to use the annual leave I have accrued FT as if i was working FT - i.e. spend the first few weeks of June using 5 days a week of my AL and then getting paid as if I'm working full time, then going back to work with only the AL that I have been awarded pro rata for the rest of the year. Hope that makes sense.

I don't really want to do this as it won't leave me much leave for the rest of the year and I'm worried I'll have to take time off when DD picks up the inevitable nursery bugs. Is this normal?

OP posts:
Report
burningupinspeed · 07/06/2009 19:20

That is how it worked for me I'm afraid. However when they paid me for it as if it were my new p/t hours, I was 'given' the rest as extra days IYSWIM.

Is there any room for negotiation?

Report
burningupinspeed · 07/06/2009 19:20

I mean they paid me as if it were p/t in error, sorry I wasn't clear.

Report
gigglewitch · 07/06/2009 19:23

Depends if it is in the same annual leave year, afaik. If you have a policy whereby you have to "use or lose" leave by a given date, whether calendar year or leave year from the date you started working for the company, then you usually have to use up all your leave.
Just for the purposes of getting this straight...
Have you worked ft, gone on mat leave, then want to return part time?
And where does your AL year start and end?

Report
gigglewitch · 07/06/2009 19:26

if you were ft, then mat leave, then returning on ft hours, fine you do what you want with your leave. it's the change to pt that makes all the mess, obv
But that would imply that your contract change should not come into play until some time in July when you have finished all the full-time bit. How on earth are they working this?

Report
JessJess3908 · 07/06/2009 19:35

Thansk for your responses. My AL leave runs from November - November so it is all in the same AL year. Yes I have worked ft, gone on mat leave, then they have agreed I can return part time. The flexi working contract I signed stated that my new hrs begin when I returned on the 1 June.

I have no idea how they are working it all out - some of their calculations are so dodgey that I want to ask them for their workings.

They did say that they'd like me to take my AL upfront - then rang me up last week to ask why I was not in the office yet

OP posts:
Report
gigglewitch · 07/06/2009 20:05

I am not entirely convinced that they can dictate when you have to take your holidays - as they are yours to take as you need for rest and recouperation

Is it a new Flexible Working Agreement?

Report
JessJess3908 · 07/06/2009 20:13

Yes it's a Flexible Working Agreement. I might ask to see the policy. They may well be right but I am a teeny bit suspicious as they seem to change their minds on what the policy is from week to week. I need to save quite a bit of leave for the end of the year as DP and I are getting married in October. I will warn them why I am concerned (mostly because I am worried DD will get sick when she starts nursery and I will have to take time off to care for her). I thought that the return to work from mat leave would be a well oiled process - apparantly not!

OP posts:
Report
JessJess3908 · 07/06/2009 20:14

Meant to say, it's really a great place to work as a mum and I'm v grateful that they've agreed to me going part time (I know a lot of you here on mnet have not been so lucky).

OP posts:
Report
gigglewitch · 07/06/2009 20:22

I've had a good experience of FWA's, having had eight years of them and also appreciate my employer's family friendly nature. But you are just being organised fgs, they should be pleased!! BTW you are also entitled to say that you have holiday/honeymoon/wedding booked and ensure that you will get this time off arranged before you actually return to work, so that all sides know what your intentions are Wanting to keep paid leave for childcare emergencies isn't necessarily a viable reason - although we all do it and on the whole it's preferable to have paid leave for such situations, the government's provision for "parental leave" means that you have time available to you to care for dependents, but it doesn't have to be paid - thus our (generally family friendly) company have said that emergency leave is now all unpaid - thanks no doubt to some swingers of lead....

Report
gigglewitch · 07/06/2009 20:26

defo ask to see the policy. also check out the directgov website - stuff like this might be useful.

Report
gigglewitch · 07/06/2009 20:30

taking paid leave

Report
gigglewitch · 07/06/2009 20:33

ooh bugger. it seems they can dictate when you take your holiday...[http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/Timeoffandholidays/DG_10029788 look]] - though it would be reasonable to expect them to have a policy covering this.

Report
gigglewitch · 07/06/2009 20:34

look
is what i meant

Report
JessJess3908 · 07/06/2009 21:00

Cheers gigglewitch - looks like I shall have to rely on their good/slithtly confused about their own policies nature.

OP posts:
Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.