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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think that these holiday restrictions are crazy?

56 replies

Holyshitbags · 11/11/2018 20:32

This place of work bans anyone from taking their annual leave in June, July, August, December, January, February. Anyone in the office is not allowed to take a holiday at the same time as anyone else (so 6 people have 6 months in which to take their annual leave)
It is an online shop that sells equipment for one particular sort of hobby. They release a catalogue twice a year (August and feb) and the office produce the catalogue. The management have this holiday “rule” across the board so it includes the staff in the warehouse. Now whilst I understand that warehouse staff may be needed at end of catalogue and new catalogue times the office staff only take a couple of months to produce the catalogue so I’m not quite sure why the holiday ban applies to them.

I just find it crazy that this company can ban you from taking a holiday basically for the whole of the summer!!! AIBU? Is this the norm?

OP posts:
melissasummerfield · 11/11/2018 21:43

Previous employee tried to take their annual leave before it was lost - it coincided with AL of someone else - she got a solicitors letter for that!!

Eh? so she requested holiday that overlapped and they threatened her with legal action? Surely they would just decline the holiday request Confused

Wonkypalmtree · 11/11/2018 21:43

In your shoes I would just find another job, life is too short for this sort of shite

POPholditdown · 11/11/2018 21:46

I’ve just left a job working nights that had a monthly allowance of holiday across the entire office, and only 2 people allowed off at the same time despite your shift.

5 people on nights, 30 on days so the ‘allowance’ was consistently used up by the day shift.

I couldn’t get one holiday approved June-September. Rejected due to too many people off, despite being fully staffed on nights the whole time.

Some employers just think you should live and die for work.

Chucky16 · 11/11/2018 21:48

Job conditions sound shit, but it’s up to the individual if they are willing to put up with them or not!
Why on earth did your husband accept a job without finding out conditions of employment? It’s his own fault and those were the conditions so no point in crying over them now!! A company isn’t going to change their conditions because someone thinks they aren’t fair after accepting them!
They obviously can get enough staff to work under these conditions so to be honest no point in complaining, he’s got a choice.... put up or shut up!

JEMSY30 · 11/11/2018 21:51

So would they pay the fine for having to take your kids out in term time, given you can't take them on holiday during the summer hols?! I couldn't work there personally

Original poster
Holyshitbags · 11/11/2018 21:54

Thanks guys
I’ve always been a sahm and hubby worked his last job for 18 years where they operated flexi time and could give a days notice for a day or two off.
That’s another thing about this place - they require a months notice for holidays too 😂😂
If I told you the sheer craziness of the place I’d have to shoot you all so I’ll keep the rest of their rules to myself!! Haha

OP posts:
Original poster
Holyshitbags · 11/11/2018 21:58

@chucky
They mentioned that there was a restriction of four months (two months for each catalogue) but when he finally got sight of the contract after 4 months it turned out to be 6 months restriction, he was very naive - neither of us realised that places like this still existed - they obviously have never heard that a happy workforce is a productive one.
He’s trying hard to get out but to no avail so far :-(

OP posts:
sobeyondthehills · 11/11/2018 21:58

This sounds like every job in retail I have ever had.

I think in the last one, the restrictions where last 2 weeks in August, first 2 weeks in September, November, December and most of January and then around Easter time.

No more than 2 off at any one time. At least a month's notice, but they time I was leaving this had turned into booking all your holiday at the start of April for the year.

Original poster
Holyshitbags · 11/11/2018 21:59

@jemsy
We home-educate so no fines - but I was looking forward to taking a June holiday next year (this year he also had a three month probation period which he couldn’t take a holiday in either 😂😂)

OP posts:
OrdinarySnowflake · 11/11/2018 22:01

Assuming you have already had time off for the summer, then get him to apply for anything else available over the winter, particularly over January you find a lot of recruitment.

He should make it clear in a resignation letter that the holiday leave situation - both the restrictions of when no time can be taken off and that the limits of who can be off at the same time means that at no point for 6 months of the year can all staff be in at the same time or lose holiday allowance - are the reasons for leaving.

Do they have a very high turn over of staff? Lack of long term employees (besides owners /v senior level staff) is a bad sign.

VaselineDion · 11/11/2018 22:02

Teaching then.

OrdinarySnowflake · 11/11/2018 22:05

oh and has he asked if he'll be paid out for any untaken holiday leave, if he's unable to use his holiday allowance before April?

Aridane · 11/11/2018 22:05

What’s wrong with a month’s notice for leave?

Aridane · 11/11/2018 22:06

Working Christmas Eve and day after Boxing Day - they are work8ng days, aren’t they?

Chucky16 · 11/11/2018 22:17

Holyshitbags I would suggest you have a word with Citizens Advice. They will be able to give advice over employment law. He should have been given conditions of employment to sign when he accepted the job, before he actually started. I do think that they are breaking employment guidelines.
However, the question is if he really needs this job? I would suspect that if he starts to question conditions he may find his employment terminated as it is very easy to get rid of employee within first year.

Chucky16 · 11/11/2018 22:21

Aridane
Working Christmas Eve and day after Boxing Day - they are work8ng days, aren’t they?
actually for many workers, nhs (like myself) etc. Christmas Day is a working day never mind Christmas Eve and Boxing Day.

Original poster
Holyshitbags · 11/11/2018 22:24

@ordinarysnowflake
Yep, very high turnover of staff. Almost the entire office are searching for other work. He’s been there 6 months and two people have left in that time. Conditions are so intolerable that one young lady walked out!
I think they assume if they pay higher than usual wage they basically own their staff.
It has been compared to school or a prison by staff on more than one occasion.
When they got their contract I suggested that they all get together and say that the holiday situation was intolerable. But they daren’t rock the boat and nobody wants to stay anyway so they decided it wasn’t worth it!

OP posts:
anniehm · 11/11/2018 22:24

It's not that uncommon - not overlapping is common, and in retail/hospitality it's common to have to work until 6pm Christmas Eve and back in 6am on Boxing Day, no chance of avoiding it, they also ban holidays in busy periods and send you home when it's quiet and don't pay you!

I would hate these restrictions but if you take the job as long as they are in the contract you haven't got any way of complaining

ICouldBeSomebodyYouKnow · 11/11/2018 22:24

I'm almost scared to ask what happens if you have booked holidays, and a colleague then goes off sick just before your holiday.

I'm sure your DH will find something else if he keeps trying.

GabsAlot · 11/11/2018 22:32

a month notice is pretty standard

the rest sounds illegal

my dh cant take holiday over xmas if hes on shift but its mostly approved other times

StoppinBy · 11/11/2018 22:34

Holiday leave should accrue, ours does, my hubby has about 6 to 8 weeks built up at the moment.

Some places do a total shut down at Christmas for a month and in this case all your holidays are gone in that period which sucks but they can do it.

If you were not made aware of these terms when you both started then I would be looking in to whether they can do that, how crap that you can't even take holidays together, I would be pretty annoyed about that although I do get that small businesses really can't afford to lose two workers at once so I can see why they set that rule.

Limiting your months that you can take holidays to only half of the year is pretty extreme and if it means you can't all take your allocated holidays then that would be against the law I would also think and at the very least incredibly unjust.

Original poster
Holyshitbags · 11/11/2018 22:34

@annie
He’s not in retail though, he only does the graphics side of things!

He didn’t know how ridiculous the holiday situation was going to be when he accepted the job.
I get the not overlapping thing but out of the six in the office only one actually does the same job as my husband so in my opinion it should only be if they were off!

OP posts:
ADropofReality · 11/11/2018 22:35

bridgetreilly

Trade unions don't give a shit about workers in the private sector, so there's no point in joining. Push a pen in the public sector? Unions will push as hard as they can, get the Tory Chancellor to cancel "austerity", proclaim a 1% rise each year is not enough. Work in the private sector? Tough shit.

Beingginger · 11/11/2018 22:36

I work for a very large supermarket and I can’t have holiday in December or over Easter but I have to book my entire holiday allowance in February. Tbf though my boss is very good and I work in a small department so I can change holidays if I need to and he would probably allow time off in December if I asked nicely.

Aridane · 11/11/2018 22:50

And if you don’t use all your holidays you lose them once April hits!!

We have the use it or lose it terms at work. However, we just take our holiday!