to think I am right!

[freddiefrog]

This has been going round and round for weeks now, I'm sick of arguing about it and getting to the point where I'm doubting myself.

I'm contracted to work 2 days a week (Wednesday & Thursday) so my holiday allowance is pro-rata - 35 days for full time employees, mine is 14 days.

I want a week off during the Easter holidays so put in a holiday request ages and ages ago, it was signed off and all ok.

Then I get an email to say that my days had changed to Monday & Tuesday due to my holiday on Weds/Thurs.

So I phone and point out I'm not working at all I have booked holiday for the 2 days I'm contracted.

Office lady says yes, she knows I'm on holiday, that's why she's changed my days

I say no, I'm using my holiday allowance, I'm not swapping days, I'm on holiday all week.

She says, no, if I want the whole week off, I need to book the whole week off - i.e. use up 5 days.

I've tried explaining until I'm blue in the face that I only need to book holiday to cover my actual contracted hours, if I'm just swapping days, I'm not on holiday. We're now in a stand off.

AIBU to think I am right? Aren't I?

I'm managing to completely confuse myself, so I'm not sure anymore

[SPBInDisguise]

Any update?

[toomanyfionas]

You are right of course, and you need a new office lady.

[Jux]

Ask if those who work 5 days a week have to book 7 days off in order to get a full week's holiday. Presumably that's what the silly girl would have to do herself.

[Misfit13]

You already have 5 days a week off.
You have booked an additional 2 days off. That makes 7 days. Which is 1 whole week. I'm thick as shit, but I can work that out!

[manticlimactic]

Where I work (2 days, like you) I had to book 5 days off for the whole week and PT people couldn't get their heads round it. BUT my entitlement was 35 days not 14 so it all worked out. They've changed it to hours now so it's much simpler.

[freddiefrog]

I don't work for the NHS

I actually have a cushy little number going - boss is a sort-of friend of DH's (he used to work for the same company as DH, then set up his own company), I work from home 2 days a week, am around to pick the kids up from school, and can bunk off for an hour if i need to be at an assembly, etc and the pay is good, so I can't moan

I just want a week off without a drama with the office lady

Anyway, Boss has rung, and he'll go over her head and book it in properly tomorrow. Phew!

Thanks!

[OrbisNonSufficit]

I know this is off topic, but it just suddenly struck me that part of the problem with glass ceilings and women not really realising their potential and so on may ACTUALLY just be about the fact that when we want a little bit of part time work for a year or five while the kids are little No One Can F**king Figure It Out.

[hugoagogo]

Try working just Sundays; I applied for a day off and HR said I couldn't, because

'it's a Sunday-we are closed'

I said 'that's so funny, because my contract say's I have to work Sundays!?'

HR is in an office miles away and just cannot understand that other people do not work nine to five in an office like them.

[tollyandfeste]

Hi, I am an HR Advisor and yes you are 100% right!!! Your annual leave is pro rata your annual hours. So if you work 2 days a week to have a whole week of you use 2 days annual leave.

[DieWilde13]

Watching with interest. I am working part-time and holiday entitlement is driving me nuts!

[SPBInDisguise]

This is ridiculous!

[Fakebook]

Sounds like a simple case of thickitis.

[Jux]

This happens so often. Can't they teach HR people what pro rata means before they let them loose on the world? . It's not even difficult.

I once had two guys working piggy-back for our department (alternate days so there was always cover). They got x holiday each, but somehow HR had decided that if one was on holiday the other had to cover him. Which meant that in the end neither actually got any holiday at all. Took ages to show HR how it worked, and many diagrams and coloured pencils died in the demonstration.

[bringonyourwreckingball]

Euphemia the part timers/bank holiday issue is actually a bit of a legal grey area. My employer does give me a pro-rated amount of extra holiday in lieu of bank holidays as I don't work Mondays and I do think that's legally the right approach but there's a case that suggests otherwise.

Freddiefrog - she's bonkers. If she won't back down ultimately you can tell her she's proposing to discriminate against you under the part time employees (prevention of less favourable) treatment regs. But you might not want to take it that far if your manager is backing you.

[2beornot]

Freddie, do you work in the NHS by any chance? And have you recently moved to e-rostering? This is the type of issue that can happen, particularly when you are part time and not a shift worker. She has to request that you have all five days off (so that the system doesn't just change your hours), but you only need to use 2 days leave.

I'd keep a close eye on your leave entitlement if I were you!!

[InLoveWithDavidTennant]

yanbu! but you know this already

what utter madness!

[raisah]

sounds like HR at my place, bit clueless about employment rules!

[Startail]

And the prize for one brain cell goes to Freddiefrogs office lady.

[foxrivereight]

Maybe its the type of work i do then ? We are 24 hour service with shiftwork so we all get the same bank holidays , because it's nor fair if someone is always off the bank holidays and someone works every one because of the way the rotas work .

[pompompom]

We get 40% of 35 days, then 40% of bank holidays regardless of which days of the week we work.

But it depends on your contract

[ModreB]

Ha, we have an electronic leave system, so if someone works only half days, say mornings, but 5 days a week, which works out at 17.5hrs a week, they are entitled to a full holiday entitlement as their working day is half a normal day. This also means that they cant book half days leave.

But, if someone works 17.5 hrs over 3 days, say Monday,Tuesday and half day Wednesday, they are only entitled to half the full time holiday allowance as they only work half the week, and they can book half days as part of the time they work full days.

Try explaining that to our thick HR department Took me about a month before they understood.