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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to think Employers cannot allocate annual leave?

125 replies

Daisydrum · 07/02/2019 18:29

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?

OP posts:

Birdie6 · 09/02/2019 12:46

I'm a nurse - almost every job I've had, the employer has done the holiday roster . If you want something different you have to negotiate with another person who has the days you want. There have been many times when I've had no school holidays off at all for the year, since everyone wanted them. it's just tough luck if you're in that kind of workplace.

AnxiousMcAnxiousFace · 09/02/2019 12:49

You can’t really compare with teachers who get 12 weeks off a year. I imagine 24 days holiday feels a lot more precious to just be told when you can have it.

It seems very very unfair to just have this imposed. What if your partner also had them and you ended up with no time together?

CottonSock · 09/02/2019 12:58

Well I would be looking for a new job if my employer decided this was a good idea. You must be reeling

seven201 · 09/02/2019 13:00

That is really shitty and wouldn't be bad for morale. It's one thing accepting a job that has set annual leave, but just changing it would piss me off. And I say that as a teacher who can't afford to go on holiday in school holidays!

seven201 · 09/02/2019 13:06

Must not wouldn't!

isseywithcats · 09/02/2019 13:10

yes they can my OH is a lecturer at uni and every year he has to have the same two weeks off as they are the ones with no meetings, exam boards or exam marking

Meandmetoo · 09/02/2019 13:14

Lots of misinformation on this thread.

This does constitute a change to contractual terms, either implied or explicit. And as such they need to consult with ALL staff it concerns to give notice of the change, why it's happening, and give staff the opportunity to put their views and alternative suggestions across. Of course if the company wanted to go ahead they could, but they cannot just make a fairly big change like this without following the correct process.

thesockgap · 09/02/2019 13:42

My husband used to work in public transport. All staff, whether directly involved in the transport, or public facing, or in offices, had allocated blocks of annual leave: one week in the spring, two in the summer, one in winter, and five floating days that could be applied for ad-hoc. His summer annual leave could be the first two weeks in May one year, late June the next year, then August the next. Only 3 of the 10 or so "blocks" of leave fell within the school holidays, which was problematic when our kids were little, as we couldn't book to go away in school holiday time so would have to get permission to take them out of school.

10000days · 09/02/2019 21:27

Train driver here... annual leave all allocated in blocks which rotate each year. You can swap leave with each other but parents have to target the non-parents very early. At my depot some of us are agreeing on 2020 - 2021 swaps at the moment to bag school hols.

Get a week of annual leave at Christmas once every 7 years! No one swaps that away though.

MidniteScribbler · 10/02/2019 04:03

He’s been allocated certain weeks across the year (one is on school holidays, three not)

And what have other people been allocated? If everyone gets one week school holidays and three not, then it seems like they have allocated it fairly. Parents don't have dibs on school holidays.

floribunda18 · 10/02/2019 04:47

I don't get why non-parents want to go away in school holidays though. Oh no, please let me pay double for my holiday and I just love going when the airports are frantically busy. No, no really I insist! Before we had children we avoided school holiday times like the plague.

Nicknacky · 10/02/2019 05:00

Because they might have partners who have term time jobs?

Original poster

Daisydrum · 10/02/2019 08:01

Thank you to everyone for your comments.
We wouldn’t dream of going away in term time. Even though it would be so much cheaper and DH has been allocated this. It’s really so we can all spend some time together in the holidays (unlikely abroad) its just to be together. There are non parents and parents with much older children now out of education who are not happy about this imposed change either.

OP posts:

Di11y · 10/02/2019 08:05

it's totally crazy, surely specifying x people off at anytime and asking people what weeks they want how usually happens! is how you get most people happy and achieve the same for the business!

adaline · 10/02/2019 08:10

I don't get why non-parents want to go away in school holidays though.

Because their other halves might work in schools or universities? It's not that hard to understand, surely?!

TrixieFranklin · 10/02/2019 08:17

God for bid people without children want to go away during the summer months, for a holiday the cheeky fuckers.

maddening · 10/02/2019 08:25

I think the teacher argument is non comparable - it is not the same as having 25 days per year pre allocated and not getting it allocated in the times that people seek eg summer, Easter and Christmas

What is the job market like elsewhere in your area op?

maddening · 10/02/2019 08:27

Floribunda - you could also be allocated school holiday periods when you don't want them, ops husband won't have the opportunity to avoid like the plague

SnuggyBuggy · 10/02/2019 08:31

It sounds crap and like the manager can't be bothered to deal with annual leave requests. We had a boss who said we couldn't carry any leave over, someone went over her head and it turned out we could as per the workplace policy, she just didn't want to deal with the admin that came with it.

Biker47 · 10/02/2019 08:33

Lots of misinformation on this thread.

Yes, including what you just said. If no agreement between the employer and employee exists to set out terms, the employer is within their right to allocate leave with sufficient notice, without the need for consultation.

Meandmetoo · 10/02/2019 09:23

Biker if the company has always allowed employees to book leave when they want, it becomes part of the contract, and changes to that contract must be handled correctly.

MidniteScribbler · 10/02/2019 12:47

I don't get why non-parents want to go away in school holidays though. Oh no, please let me pay double for my holiday and I just love going when the airports are frantically busy. No, no really I insist! Before we had children we avoided school holiday times like the plague.

Before having DS, there was an international event for my hobby that occurred during school holidays. I would not have been able to ever compete if the rules of my workplace were that parents have first priority over the dates.

cuppycakey · 10/02/2019 12:49

Non parents might have partner /best friend who works in education. They might want to take grandchildren away or be going as part of a larger family group.

Plenty of reasons why people without school age DC might want to go on holiday in school hols.

opinionatedfreak · 12/02/2019 00:09

I'm a doctor. Had lots of jobs in past with fixed leave or only 1 week in 5 when you could take leave!

My DSis is a teacher. My best friend and her husband have school age kids. I've holidayed with both. My request for the leave to do so resulted in some rather stiff words with a colleague who perceived that only parents were entitled to school holiday weeks (and Christmas - I've worked 4 of the last 6 of them).

As a result we had a major rota reorganization. All bank hols on a rota.

It is amazing. I'm getting Christmas, Easter & August bank holiday off this year! Never had so many public holidays before.

Chesneyhawkes1 · 12/02/2019 00:32

My leave is allocated. You swap periods on a rolling basis so some years you have rubbish leave, some good.

4 weeks is allocated a week in winter/spring, 2 weeks in late spring/summer and a week later in the year.

We get 2 weeks floating days to book when we like as well though.

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