AIBU to think Employers cannot allocate annual leave?

[Daisydrum]

DH’s Employer has allocated annual leave for the whole year. No one is happy about it, everyone has spoken up about it but apparently there is nothing they can do!
Is there anything we can do?

My sister's an NHS doctor and that's totally normal everywhere she's worked. She's even seen people come into work on their wedding days before the ceremony because they couldn't get the whole day off or swap.

P.S. it's shit though!

I didn’t know you could do this! 😦

Yes, they absolutely can. We only do it where I work if someone is repeatedly asked to choose their holiday and doesn’t.

Is this a new job? Was he informed beforehand or is this something they are trying to introduce

Yes they can OP, however expect the work force to suddenly have a higher than expected sick leave for “a few weeks” signed off by stress and anxiety.

expect the work force to suddenly have a higher than expected sick leave for “a few weeks” signed off by stress and anxiety.

That may only happen if there is paid sick leave, like it or not, attendance is higher where sick leave is unpaid.

Yes because people go into work when they should not. I know, I have done it.

Youmadorwhat Dh has the same pattern, 3 on 3 off. I can work out what he'll be doing for Xmas in 3 years time (unless he gets switched to the 'other' shift).

If he works extra days (has some training in 'our' 3 weeks) he can either have it paid or take time off, but he's limited to what days he can have off and it really had to be negotiated as someone has to cover his job role.

Although my OH is in the forces so we couldn’t even guarantee he would get our wedding day off

How do parents cover holidays? In my workplace they really tried to accommodate that by having cover from non parents and making sure if you had Xmas you didn't get Easter or next Xmas etc. People also swapped. My relative works alternate Saturdays and it's hard to swap because no one wants to do two in a row.

DH used to work a shift rota that was a moveable feast of nights and days for six weeks then ten days off. Those ten day periods were his annual leave. Great that you knew over a year in advance when your holidays were if child-free. Nightmare of juggling if have children and both parents work. Probably got one xmas in three off.

Missing I use a childminder for school holidays.

Thank you everyone. With regards to teachers, it is known going into the role what the holiday is. At DH work previously there was a choice, this year it is now all allocated. Time off in school holidays would be ideal so he could spend it with the DC’s rather than being allocated weeks in term time.

Apart from teachers I didn't realise companies coukd do this.

The more I see of other work places the more thankful I've worked for a local authority for the last 30 odd years!!

If this is somewhere he has been for a while and they have just started allocating, then there could be a "custom and practice" argument.

Worth speaking to ACAS to confirm his legal position as it may not be as simple as "yes, its legal".

I couldn’t work for a company like that.

www.peninsulagrouplimited.com/guides/custom-and-practice/

It's pretty shit, and pretty stupid. The most valuable staff will leave and take jobs elsewhere with more family friendly rules. A company that does it is going to face some serious problems in the very near future.

It’s legal and where I work some holidays are allocated during shutdown periods but we’d have no staff if there was no flexibility.

I used to work for a kids out of school activity provider and holiday could only be taken out of term time.

The most valuable staff will leave and take jobs elsewhere with more family friendly rules. A company that does it is going to face some serious problems in the very near future.

That depends on many factors -

is the company in an unemployment black spot?
is it the large local employer?
does the remuneration package more than compensate for inconvenience?
Are the staff low attainment and not likely to get employment elsewhere?
is it actually a convenient employer for most people ?

OP "At DH work previously there was a choice, this year it is now all allocated"

that's mad. What reason have they given?

Was normal at Royal Mail. You could swap - and if you asked far enough in advance for a really important occasion (e.g. wedding) then managers would normally try and allocate the time you wanted. But the usual process was that it was allocated and if you didn't like what you had, then you needed to get someone to cover you.

Completely legal. Common in many sectors, including areas like public transport.

Suggest he swaps if he doesn't like what he has been given.