Any HR personnel around please? Bank Holidays/ furlough query.

[marmiteandcheeseoncrumpetspls]

I was furloughed from my office job from 30th March to 1st July. There were 4 BH during that time. Am I entitled to ask for them to be added to my leave so I can now take them at a later date?

I'm struggling to understand the wording on the govt website.

If it's relevant my pay was made up to 100% and I get 30 days leave per year (been there forever so have built up additional days) plus the 8 BH. Bank holidays are not booked off, the office is closed so we just automatically take the day.

As I say I don't think the wording on this subject is clear on the govt website so looking for clarity.

Thank you!

Oh my fucking god

I literally just had the BBC News notification flash up on my phone to say 649,000 fewer people were employed in June than in March and then I came onto MN and this was the first thread I clicked on!

If I was 100% this wasn't a wind up I'd give you my first biscuit but I've been here 9 years and not given it yet and not sure it should be wasted on you!

You got the bank holidays as you usually would.

You got paid fir them and were off work.

Why do you think you’d be given them to take again?

WTAF?
Jesus wept!
FFS OP
Yeah, you tell them how unfairly you’ve been treated! Go for it!

Why would you even think this is a reasonable request?

I've also been on furlough and this would not even cross my mind.

I think you should ask them. It will be quite revealing to them that this is the way you think.

My company closed for 5 weeks, then gradually opened bringing more people back as the work increased.
I was one of the first back, so only two of the Bank Holidays fell during my furlough period, others ‘lost’ all 4. We were all paid 80% only.
I had ‘written off’ Bank Holidays as lost, but we have had a letter to say that we would all get two extra days holiday in 2021 and two in 2022 to make up for the Bank Holidays.
Total surprise. I know my company paid for specialist legal advice regarding the wording of letters about furlough etc, but I don’t know if they have been adviced that this is the correct thing to do, or if it was just a goodwill gesture for us.

I don’t understand your logic here. You didn’t work the back holidays and got paid for them, just like any other year and you want to take an additional 4 days off and be paid again for those days?

Cheeky or not, the actual situation is as follows:

Employees should be paid their normal rate for any holidays taken during furlough. This includes bank holidays.

If holiday entitlement is described as eg 25 days plus 8 statutory holidays and the office is closed on these days then the employer can assume these days have been taken while on furlough AS LONG AS THE EMPLOYEE RECEIVED 100% OF THEIR NORMAL RATE. If an employee was only paid the 80% furlough rate then the employee can deem these holidays not taken and add to entitlement.

If the holiday policy is phrased as eg 33 days inclusive of bank holidays (ie the business usually operates and employees have to request the time off) then it's a bit more obscure.

Holiday entitlement still accrued during furlough. Many companies are going to have a nightmare allowing leave, even although the Working Time Regulations were relaxed to extend the time leave must be taken.

So the OP has no case. She received the full 100% of her pay so can assume that the bank holidays have been taken from her entitlement.

Essentially what you are saying is that you consider yourself more deserving than the employees who were working and not furloughed. Both sets of employees were off on the bank holidays both sets of employees were paid 100% but you consider that you should get the time back again. I don't imagine this would go down well with the non furloughed employees who haven't had 3 months off on full pay.

Please explain op why on earth you think you would be entitled to them as an extra when you've been off on full pay for three months?

Oh go on OP, ask your employer. And then come back and let us know how they react.

Some people really have no idea.

You've been paid in full without having to go to work and have probably saved time and money too due to not having to commute.

You've also presumably still got plenty of holiday allowance remaining as you wouldn't have had to use any of it during the furlough period. And yet you're still not happy and want more time off?

Be careful what you wish for OP, some people will be getting more time off than they could ever imagine, only it won't be paid. Just be grateful if you're not one of those people.

No, you would normally be paid for the bank holidays (as the office is closed) and you were paid for the bank holidays (and the office would have been closed) so why do you think you are entitled to 4 extra days??

what an amazing amount of brass neck!

Someone at my DH's place of work did similar and insisted on taking AL the first week she was due back from furlough (same situation Company had made her salary up to full pay). No childcare/carer issues .. nowhere she could actually 'go' on holiday .... she's probably first in the queue for redundancy.

Assuming you're not on a wind up, most people I know had to take annual leave during furlough, so you probably don't even have as much holiday as you think you do.

Based on the latest guidancee_, if employees usually work bank holidays then employers can agree that this is included in the grant payment. If employees usually take the bank holiday as leave then they must get their usual pay in full. Employers would either have to top up the grant amount to the employee's usual holiday pay, or give a day of holiday in lieu.

You've been paid in full and have therefore had your entitlement. You are not owed anything further.

Hope that helps

Until last week I hadn't had more than 2 days off together since February. I am a nurse and have worked split shifts, stayed late and kept going for months. I can't believe the OP is so greedy. At times I have been jealous of people furloughed, I hear all about people who have decorated or sorted their gardens and would loved to have had ever 4 days off together never mind months.

Just be thankful you still have a job and stay silent 🙏

I wasn't going to reply but can't help myself now...
I've been working my socks off during the pandemic. On the front line, in ICU. I don't think I've left work on time more than a handful of times for many reasons. Not least due to the length of times it takes to get in and out of protective gear.
I understand the love for the NHS has now stopped and been forgotten, I love my job and have happily contributed but I have never considered claiming for all the extra time it would have added up to.
Many people have lost their jobs, many have struggled on government payouts much less than their usual pay

I'm not even sure I can reply without being rude...

@dottycat123 I can see I cross posted with you 😂

Did you work on the Bank Holidays? That's the main question.

No you didn't, so no, you can't use them another time

You didn't work the bank holiday, you were paid for being off, you haven't lost holiday entitlement because of it.

I'm struggling to see why any reasonable person would think this entitles them to 'claim' bank holidays back from their employer.

@marmiteandcheeseoncrumpetspls you are in the same position as if you weren't on furlough (IE you didn't work on the BH and you were paid for them) so don't make an absolute fool of yourself and ask for extra time off