Why is the NHS so generous with their employee leave

Absolutely this

I'm guessing you are civil service!
Dont get complacent. Things will change.
It really feels like there is a race to the bottom for all employees right now.

This is how work should be. Private enterprise usually means huge profits for the owners/shareholders at the expense of the workers.

I work in the public sector (not NHS) and we have proper pay rises, incremental holiday allowances and a good pension scheme. This is the minimum that everyone should get.

If you're running a business and can't afford to pay decent wages and provide adequately for your staff then you shouldn't be running a business.

We had an office that used to be a store room and had asbestos, they used to have to come and take readings! two plug in heaters. Old hospital and the building was falling apart. Like you I worked with some amazing people, sraff and patients

I know several people who work for the NHS. They all have a very similar work ethic. Not surprisingly, they were recruited by people with the same work ethic.

You really can’t see why someone who works as a midwife might need quite a long time off after a miscarriage….?

Terms and conditions are normal for public sector but I agree that some employees abuse the system regarding time off for x, y or z.

Everybody should get at least 6 weeks holiday, join a union or move to NHS.

And how much do you get paid for your private sector role vs a comparable role in the NHS….?

I have just retired from NHS after 37 years service. The last few years were part time. My retirement lump sum is £39k with an additional £565 per month. If that is what others class as a gold plated windfall, then so be it. To me it doesn't seem that much. I would certainly not be able to retire at all, if it wasn't for the financial security provided by my husband.
I didn't want to retire at all but sadly I'm completely burned out to a level where it impacted on my physical health. I was working at least 10 hours a week unpaid overtime just to shore up our understaffed service.
I honestly wouldn't recommend an NHS career to anyone now.

@Ionlywentandbloodydidit you are definitely not being unreasonable! I'm NHS and I have a colleague who "works from home" one day a week; management say they cannot take this day away from them because this person has been doing it since COVID times. I know for a fact this person does NOTHING for 8 1/2 hours when they "work" from home (they told me to my face they do washing / dog walk etc and they have no real work to do at home). I flagged this TWICE with my line manager and then my big manager; LM brushed it off and BM said that they had asked for proof as to what this person does from home, but said person cannot prove it. So, it's just been left. And CF colleague gets paid for a 9 hour day when they do buggar all. It's infuriating!

& I worked for NHS & paid into MY pension for 25 years & get £760 a month.... there's a huge number of factors involved. Banding, whether full time or part-time, when you take it....shrugs....

Just remembered, I did have a colleague who had a lot of time off, she had luekemia, she had to stop working and she died a few years ago. Would you have begrudged her some sick leave?

Come work in the NHS - it's so much fun! We're on a total recruitment freeze for the financial year to the point they've not replaced literally dead colleagues and we're just expected to cover. Haven't had a functional printer for 10 months (and we're a service that needs it and can't go digital for our client group), the heating's broken and won't be repaired so we have to huddle around one oil plug in radiator with the heating power of an optimistic fart and we're generally treated like shit.

I stick it out because my colleagues (the not dead ones) are fab, and my client group doesn't really get served by the private sector.

I think we need to stop with the can’t get rid of lazy workers. I have been the line manager who dismissed 2 professional NHS staff and another resigned when called to a disciplinary. Her sickness record went onto a reference request , I know because she rang to complain and I had to tell her I hadn’t filled out the document sent to HR.
Im aware that other managers in the NHS have done the same.
if you have done more than 10 years continuous service you get 33 days plus 8 Bank Holidays, which maybe where 8 weeks come from. I can only say that there must have been other issues with bereavement and miscarriage.
To reverse things, a friend working in the private sector commented on his paltry leave allowance, his line manager responded that he was entitled to 2 weeks a year paid sick leave and he should ensure he took much of it.

Well that's also incorrect.

It's 5.4 weeks (27 days), then 5.8 (29), then 6.6 (33). plus BHs of 1.6 weeks (8 days).

There are undoubtedly people in the NHS who abuse the sickness, but a awful lot don’t, I worked for 35 years in the NHS, longest period of sickness was two weeks after an operation, barely ever took odd days off for the believed sick days the private sector seems to believe are an automatic right in the NHS, please don’t tar everyone with the same brush

& the extra leave etc increases the longer you stay in the NHS, you don't get that from Day 1 - & important to remember recent & current governments are doing everything they can to break the NHS so it certainly isn't an easy job, whatever role you have.

this wasn't my experience in the 12 years I was a mental health worker in the NHS, cannot recollect anyone in my large team and the associated wards we worked on being off for vast swathes of time. How do you know that the woman who had 2 months off after having a misccarriage did not need it? i had a month off when I miscarried twins as I was physically unwell and emotionally not in a good place to do my job. I am sure you have transferable skills so why not apply for an NHS job and avail yourself of all the perks.

Hot desking! How’s that being a poor employer. Pay for parking , again what’s the issue with that?

It depends what scheme you’re in. The newest one is far less generous than the older ones. You are probably in an older one.

You feel taxpayers money is wasted giving people employee rights that you would like? And really you know should be rights for all employees?

change track and get an nhs job?

8 weeks leave 🤣.
That's just a lie. It's 5 weeks, rising to 6 weeks after 10years continuous service.

Somewhat intrigued as to what sort of clinical facing job OP does that isn’t transferable as that’s the answer, transfer. Yes there is some abuse of sickness etc within the NHS , but you definitely wouldn’t get six months off after a bereavement, would be off sick and yes maybe the sickness benefits etc are much better than the private sector, but, here’s the thing,there is absolutely nothing to stop those who constantly complain about the public sector, from getting a job within it

This is correct.

As far as I can tell, TRS shows what you'd get if you retired today, based on how long you've paid into the pension so far. It doesn't assume you'll keep paying in until retirement and predict what you'll get at retirement age. What it shows seems pretty useless to me.