Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

to be annoyed that I can't take my annual leave?

44 replies

anybodythere · 26/04/2018 09:39

I work in financial services and we are entitled to 25 days holiday exc bank hols per annum.

Last year I couldn't take all of my annual leave so had to rollforward 6 days (the maximum). This year I therefore have 31 days to take.

In total, the days I have had and have booked off total 17 days.
We are not allowed to take annual leave between January - 1st April. Fine, so I have 9 months to take it.

However, I have been booked to client work for the rest of the year meaning there is no space for me to book my annual leave. I often don't know when I want the leave over a year in advance and usually know about 4/5 months in advance, but we get booked to clients a year or more in advance.

I'm annoyed, not only do I have another 2-3 weeks of annual leave to take, I couldn't roll this forward to next year as the maximum is 6, and I don't want to! I want my annual leave!

What can I do in this situation and do I have any rights? Or AIBU?

OP posts:

Furano · 26/04/2018 10:51

@ChipperChapper no, not really. She might have an understanding manager or in-charge on the audit who will let her have a friday off but the OP would just have to do 5 days work in 4.

I usually let people have an odd day off, but its up to them to get their work done and they don;t get allocated any less work!

Odd days off are not encouraged, most people take blocks of weeks off which makes resourcing projects easier as you just don't get put on a project for that time period so there isn't work piling up.

MereDintofPandiculation · 26/04/2018 10:54

It's not at all uncommon to be restricted as to when you can take leave. Be thankful you weren't a civil servant 20 odd years ago - the terms and conditions specified that the needs of the office came first - "annual leave is a privilege not a right".

Redpony1 · 26/04/2018 10:54

You need to learn to plan ahead and book your leave way, way in advance

Not always possible for some people. I can't book my leave until competition dates get published, which vary's massively from event to event

Redpony1 · 26/04/2018 10:57

Odd days off are not encouraged, most people take blocks of weeks off which makes resourcing projects easier as you just don't get put on a project for that time period so there isn't work piling up.

Just to add to that, i've not taken a whole week off in 8 years. My whole spring/summer is 'odd days' as that's how my competition calendar is. I couldn't work anywhere that told me HOW to take MY holiday.

BlueSapp · 26/04/2018 10:59

your job sounds horrendous I'd leave and find something better

adaline · 26/04/2018 10:59

I don't understand how that works... For example, say the OP wanted to take the Friday off before a Communion, to go shopping etc and relax before the Saturday.

Lots of places don't allow leave to be taken at such short-notice. I'm very lucky in that if I need a day off, it's generally accommodated wherever possible, but I know if I want a Saturday off during the sale, for example, it's never gonna happen unless I book it off at least 5-6 months in advance.

Not always possible for some people. I can't book my leave until competition dates get published, which vary's massively from event to event

But that's not your employers fault. Businesses have every right to restrict the availability of annual leave to certain times of the year, or to say "all leave in blocks of more than three days needs be booked upto six months in advance" - their priority is their business needs, not the social lives/holidays of their colleagues, after all.

IloveJudgeJudy · 26/04/2018 10:59

They're not not allowing you to take your leave, they're just not allowing you to take it when you'd like. That is legal. You have to be able to take your leave, but your employer can allocate when. This recently happened on my team. I'd asked people to request leave, gave them an end date when they needed to book it by and told them that after that date, leave would be allocated. Some didn't understand this and when they got their allocated dates, asked to change them (usually to very popular dates, like half-terms!). No, they couldn't have them, other, more organised team members already have them so you have to take the allocated dates now.

adaline · 26/04/2018 11:01

I couldn't work anywhere that told me HOW to take MY holiday.

But a lot of businesses DO restrict holiday. I can't have any time off between the 20th December and the end of January, or during the first week of the summer sale. That's the same for everyone, regardless of seniority or needs outside of the business.

I think you're pretty lucky to work somewhere that allows you to be so flexible.

kmmr · 26/04/2018 11:03

We encourage odd days off to refresh after a deadline, but tell the teams to book them in at the start of the audit. One audit had a series of Thursday signings, and the team would often have an half or full day off on the Friday.
Its well known when you sign up to an audit firm that busy seasons exist. Its the nature of the work.

Redpony1 · 26/04/2018 11:06

I think you're pretty lucky to work somewhere that allows you to be so flexible
I've always worked in places where the notice period for leave is 1 week for every day you want off, so 3 days = 3 weeks notice.

I understand there are industry's where they dictate annual leave and i wouldn't work in them. I was recently asked to go for an interview at an industrial plant, where the holiday was decided by shut down periods... I declined obviously.

I can't really take leave in march/April due to year end but if i needed a day it would only impact on myself so i'd have to do 5 days work in 4 days.

Furano · 26/04/2018 11:11

I couldn't work anywhere that told me HOW to take MY holiday.

That's fine - no one is forcing you to.

No one goes into audit blind. You know the deal before you sign up re holiday restrictions. The nature of the job, especially as a trainee is such that your time is planned well in advance (clients, college, revisions, exams, holiday).

Furano · 26/04/2018 11:13

I've been out of audit longer than I was in... and I still can't shake the habit of booking holidays 12 months ahead!

Original poster

anybodythere · 26/04/2018 11:14

Just FYI - no I am not in audit and the reason I haven't booked in advance is I only joined in December.

OP posts:

ChasedByBees · 26/04/2018 11:48

I think you need to write back to resourcing and tell them that regardless of bookings, they have arranged it in succa way you can’t take your legally allowed leave and so something will need to be reorganised. Come up with a solution at the same time as laying out the problem and cc HR.

pudcat · 26/04/2018 19:32

If you only joined in December how does this make sense? Last year I couldn't take all of my annual leave so had to roll forward 6 days (the maximum). This year I therefore have 31 days to take.

rookiemere · 26/04/2018 19:53

There are potentially two issues here and I'm struggling to understand which one it is:

You cannot fit in your A/L allocation because you are fully booked for the rest of the year. That is definitely wrong and you must be allowed to take your A/L or at least what you cannot carry over.

and/or

You cannot take your A/L at prime school holiday slots because you have not booked it very far in advance, (bearing in mind that you have booked 2 weeks in August and one week in April which are pretty popular spots)so therefore you will get to take the rest of your A/L but at unpopular times such as November.

I think its the latter, in which case that's just the way the world works. The one and only advantage of being tied into school holiday dates either by spouse or DCs is that generally you know about a year in advance when the holiday dates will be so you can book your A/L and potentially your holidays at that point.

Oblomov18 · 26/04/2018 19:58

What you are saying doesn't add up.
Last year? Only joined in Dec? Don't know Dh's teacher holidays? Purlease. Grow a spine.

topcat2014 · 26/04/2018 20:25

Switch to management accountancy, OP, - much less corporate bollox :)

Tistheseason17 · 26/04/2018 20:57

It is legal. Employers are permitted to define when annual leave can be taken.

In a small business it is crippling when people aren't organised and try to take all their remaining annual leave just before the end of the annual leave year.

There are similar, but not as severe, rules where I work.

Flip

1 2