Required to cover colleague's leave

[SeaWitchly]

I work 3 days/week in the healthcare industry (allied health and private sector). I am in a team of two and I am the senior member of staff. I have no responsibility for firing or hiring, I am senior in terms of mentoring junior staff and writing policies, etc.
I have recently been informed by management that I am also responsible for covering my colleague’s annual leave, so working 5 days a week when she is away to cover service provision. The problem is I have other work commitments on the 2 days I am not permanently employed which cannot easily be changed. And to be honest I think why should I? But is this just the reality of being ‘senior’, that I am essentially required to be on unofficial ‘on call’ to serve the needs of my organisation?
What do others think?

What does your contract say?

That sounds like a pile of absolute wankery bullshit to me! Can you check with HR and ask to see their policy on this?

Chat to the colleague in advance to find out annual leave dates so you can plan around them may be?

Have a meeting about it if it's not written in your contact with those in charge, not necessarily your immediate line manager.

Definitely check your contract! That doesn’t sound right.

Unlikely. Check your contract.

Check what yours are stated in your contract

You can't cover five days if you only work three. It really is as simple as that.

Unless, of course, by mutual agreement you decide to do so and you are recompensed (lieu days or payment).

It is not stated in my contract. I am paid for the extra day/s and have covered colleague before when I was able to - only once or twice.
I started in this role under a year ago. There is no HR dept. The rules seem to be made up as they go along 😒

You simply smile and explain unfortunately you won't be able to accommodate this as you work part-time and have other commitments on the other two days. There is no need to explain what those commitments are, especially if you are supposed to declare second jobs and haven't done so.

What are your hours in your contract?

nope. surely this is what bank staff are for?

It is not stated in my contract.

Then they don't have a leg to stand on. And you don't, IMO, even need to explain that you have other commitments on the other two days –if your contract says three days a week, it doesn't matter if you spend the other two days performing brain surgery or eating ice cream on the sofa.

Maybe contact ACAS before you tell your manager to fuck off that this isn't possible, so you feel like you have some knowledge and backup behind you.

If it’s not in your contract then you’re not contractually obliged to do it.

Not your responsibility, not your problem. You have other commitments that can’t be dropped every time your colleague goes on holiday. And what about sick days? Would you be expected to drop everything and cover those too? Nip it now and nip it hard.

Just refuse. They cannot sanction you for not covering someone else, surely?

No. If you work three days a week, you work three days a week. They can’t make you do five - unless something is in your contract that says you must for operational reasons.

The problem is - you've already done it, which doesn't help your case, you have set a precedent for it now which makes it harder to stop..
You should have said no from the beginning.
If it is not stated in your contract they will have difficulty enforcing it.

I'm senior in my (large) organisation but full time - I have to work my leave around another senior colleague as one of us has to be in at all times. But that is in my contract and easily achieved. I hope to go slightly part time after mat leave and if that is approved I will only have to cover my colleagues leave on my actual working days, not full time.

Ha no way. Why would you do someone else’s job? Your manager is a CG

CF lol

Has your colleague been told that he/she has to cover you when you're on leave?

So if you do those five days, you can inform them you’ll only be working one day the following week, so who will be covering those?

They can’t make you do it.

My partner has this, also often asked for meetings on non work day as team only all there occasionally. Sometimes takes leave from other job to swap a day off, and vice versa.
If it's not in your contract you don't have to. Does your colleague cover you? If they pay you extra then surely that is voluntary, can you have time off in lieu instead?
Sick days different, another manager or deputy covers those. Unles you were told about this at appointment it's unlikely they can force you. Where is your union?

If it's not stated in your contract then you are under no obligation to cover 5 weeks of someone else's holiday. That kind of thing needs to be explicit and agreed at the time of employment, not retroactively added in a 'Oh and by the way ....' fashion.

I used to job share. A new manager decided that my job share and I should cover each other's annual leave

If it's not in your contract then they can't insist but check you don't have a clause along the lines of "and additional hours when the organisation requires it"