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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Holiday

23 replies

EZA15 · 30/11/2017 21:24

I work for a company where a shift is 8.5 hours a day. On Saturdays I do 7 hours my issue is if I want to book a holiday I have to book it as a full day. Is this right? Should I be able to have it as a full day? Because it’s not really a full shift? AIBU in thinking it should be half day holiday?

OP posts:
Madonnasmum · 30/11/2017 21:29

Where i work its the same, as holiday is calculated in days rather than hours.

ScreamingValenta · 30/11/2017 21:30

Surely your holiday allowance should be calculated in hours, not days, if the days you work are not of equal length - you should be able to book it as 7 hours? If you are 'losing' an hour and a half whenever you book a Saturday, that doesn't sound fair.

Moanyoldcow · 30/11/2017 21:30

Yes. It's 7 hours so of course it's not half a day.

You should be booking holidays in hours if you work variable hours but not all HR departments are very good at that.

keepondreaming · 30/11/2017 21:34

As PP have said, if you work non standard hours, your holiday should be calculated in hours rather than days. You may have to take a minimum number if hours at one go (to stop you having odd single hours off regularly) but T&Cs should state this.

Namechange90 · 30/11/2017 21:39

You book what you need so if your going away Wednesday to Sunday youd book Wednesday Thursday Friday and Saturday. Doesn't really matter that work work 1.5 hours less on one day, it's still your work day

starzig · 30/11/2017 21:42

YABU. 1.5 h is hardly anything to get upset over. You are having the day off aren't you? Don't see why you would make a big drama out of it. It is certainly no way a half day.

Original poster
EZA15 · 30/11/2017 22:05

Yes but I’m losing 1.5 hours why should that be at detriment to me?

OP posts:
Glumglowworm · 30/11/2017 22:06

It shouldn’t be a half day because it’s more than half a day. It’s closer to a full day than a half day.

But your holiday allowance should be done in hours so you use 7 hours for a Saturday off and 8.5 hours for a weekday off.

ScreamingValenta · 30/11/2017 22:08

What do other employees at your workplace feel about this, OP? Has anyone raised the issue with HR or a union?

GrandDesespoir · 30/11/2017 22:42

YABU. 1.5 h is hardly anything to get upset over.

Not on the face of it, but if, say, the OP were to book ten Saturdays off in the course of a year she would effectively lose 15 hours' holiday which is the equivalent of two full working days. That's hardly fair.

GoldenBlue · 30/11/2017 22:54

Holidays should be in hours otherwise they can't be worked out properly for part time workers.

You shouldn't be detrimented

MadForlt · 30/11/2017 23:06

If you only book off Saturdays, or book them disproportionately more than other days, then yes, you would miss out.

If you booked weeks off, so the same number if Saturdays to other days, you would be even, and if you booked more weekdays than Saturdays (proportional to your many you work), then you would score slightly.

I guess they figure that out works out in the end on average.

Having said that, I agree that your holidays should be calculated as hours.

stargazer2030 · 30/11/2017 23:10

Is your holiday entitlement in days or hours. If it's hours then it's unfair. If it's days it doesn't make a difference.

BackforGood · 30/11/2017 23:19

Not a legal stance, but maybe it is more of a 'supply and demand' thing, in that if all things were equal, in terms of number of hours worked per day, then I bet Saturdays would be the day most people wanted to take off. This way, it is a case of people preferring a Saturday, but then balancing that with the fact they don't "get" as much holiday as they would if they took another day off. Kind of like the carvery you buy Mon - Thurs is exactly the same meal as the one you buy on a Sunday, but it is cheaper mid-week as not so many people want it then.

Coastalcommand · 30/11/2017 23:44

Can you check with your union? Every contract is different, but they'd be able to help.

Original poster
EZA15 · 01/12/2017 06:58

We’re not in a union? I’ve asked HR and they’ve said it’s a full day.

OP posts:
Moanyoldcow · 01/12/2017 07:39

HR are wrong. They were calculating part time holiday incorrectly where I work when I started. I showed them some info from ACAS and policy has changed.

Look up the legal requirements and send to HR and see how you go.

Dashper · 01/12/2017 07:41

I'm in a similar situation to you OP in that I work PT with a longer "half" day. Our HR officer who drew up my contact couldn't get her head round the concept of a number of hours holiday, so we agreed my pro-rata holidays on the basis that a half day by itself is my 4.5 hours. Does your holiday balance out in that way?

Brokenbiscuit · 01/12/2017 07:47

How many hours a week do you do in total, OP?

daisypond · 01/12/2017 07:53

Your leave should be calculated in hours. But the Saturday definitely isn't a half-day.

RedSkyAtNight · 01/12/2017 08:06

If you went to an hours based system then you'd have to use more holiday to book a week day off. So moving to this system would only benefit you if you book disproportionately more Saturdays than any other day.

I imagine that HR find most people book a mix and it evens out.

ZanyMobster · 01/12/2017 08:46

It probably works in your favour overall as presumably you don't take off more than a full day when you take leave mon-fri?

peachgreen · 01/12/2017 10:05

How long is a lunch break on a full shift? My working day is 8.5 hours but an hour of that is lunch, so actually only 7.5 hours paid.

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