To think this holiday allowance is unfair?

[QueenOfThorns]

Sorry, I know this should probably be in the Work section, but I needed somewhere with more traffic so I can make a decision quickly.

I have recently accepted an offer of employment from a company who I really like the look of - many former colleagues work there and seem to like it. They have also been really flexible and agreed to let me work part time hours, but spread over 5 days, so 6 hours per day.

Today I received the usual paperwork to sign, including my contract of employment. It all seems as expected, except that it specifies that my holiday entitlement is 25 days (including public holidays), on a pro rata basis, with a full-time employee getting 33 days. This doesn't seem fair to me, after all, it would take me exactly the same number of holiday days to take a week off as a full-time employee, so why should I get fewer? (I had previously negotiated a similar working pattern with my current employer, changing from 4 full days to 5 shorter ones, and they were going to increase my holiday allowance to that of a full-time employee, which suggests that I'm not being totally unreasonable to think this would be fair!)

Does anyone have a working pattern like this and can you tell me whether you get the full holiday entitlement? Or is there anyone out there who works in HR who knows what would be standard practice?

I'm hoping that they just haven't thought this through, otherwise it feels a bit like they're trying to take the piss. And I'm not sure that I want to work for them if they are! Either way, I think it's a deal breaker for me unless they change this - I'd be sad to walk away, but I'm prepared to do it!

What do you think?

Mary - one would simply round up to the half day in that case. Or just leave it at 15 days 3 hours if the hol booking system allows for it

Administratively, and for handling queries, it really is easier managing holidays if they are in days rather than hours. I only work holidays out in hours for irregular days eg someone does 6 hours one day, 4 the next.

Worrying to see the lack of numeracy glancing through this thread.

OP, I imagine they're just used to part timers working a smaller number of full days, in which case they've calculated it correctly. Hopefully they'll realise through your query and respond appropriately!

Ours is all computerised so everyone who is part time is done in hours regardless of whether that is 5 short days, 4 longer days, 5 days of different length etc. If it works out an odd amount then we have the option of buying extra hours to make it up to a full day, carrying forward the hours, adding it to th odd hours for the public hols or if the person is on flexi hours they can add in some flexi to make it up, or simply just book off the 3 hours or whatever.

I work the same pattern. I get annual leave in hours but it works out exactly the same number of MY days as full time staff get. They've messed up your contract. People don't understand this work pattern .

The lack of understanding of statutory holiday entitlement is a bit shocking. As many people have said it's not complicated.

My bet is that they've just made a mistake

This is my area of work and I work similar hours to you also spread out over five days. The person who designed our IT system could not get his head around what I was entitled to and had designed it in a similar way to what your new employers are suggesting. In the end, HR and I agreed to circumvent his system so that I got the correct annual leave of 28 days per year. I'm not sure if that is helpful to you other than to let you know that you are right and they are wrong.

I work 6 hours a day for 5 days. Originally all part timers where I work had to calculate their leave in hours. Then they realised that actually if you work the same number of hours every day you can actually calculate them in days.

So I get 31 days like everyone else. But because I work 6 hours a day I am paid for 6 hours on a day I take leave, not 7.5 like everyone else.

Where you work 5 hours Monday, not at all on Tuesday, 9 hours Wednesday, then 8 hours Thursday and Friday you have to use hours or it wouldn't work out right.

As others have said, the most worrying thing about this thread is the lack of basic numeracy skills! It really isn't hard to work out.

You've said it's a good company and they've been flexible in offering you an atypical working week, so it sounds like it might be a mistake. I can't find anywhere in the thread where you've said you've clarified it with them, OP, but apologies if I've missed it. If I were you I'd go back and have a conversation with them before turning down what sounds like a good job.

I work in HR and it's definitely not standard practice - we would pro-rata your holiday entitlement so that you'd get 33 x 6-hour days. We do make mistakes sometimes though!

Phew! Thanks for all the responses. It's interesting how confusing this can be!

Anyway, the news is good - they got back to me first thing, admitted that it was a mistake and sent me a new contract with the correct number of days (33) in it. So I am going to scrutinise it very carefully before signing, but I'm very pleased with the outcome!

Fab news OP. Good luck in the new job.

Good news for you OP if a unsurprising outcome, hopefully the posters talking rubbish about holiday entitlements will have learned what the rules are.

Glad that's sorted. Good luck in the new job!

Great to see your update, OP, and hope all goes well with the new job.