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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Declined Annual Leave, AIBU?

163 replies

blaisealex · 26/06/2021 18:57

The whole family was hit by a sickness bug this week meaning DH ended up being off work for four days, Tuesday to Friday.

He requested annual leave rather than losing money. This request was declined. Surely, this is unfair? The company don't pay sick pay. It's going to leave our family short by three hundred pounds next month which will mean we struggle to buy food next month and fuel our cars to get to and from work.

He has always used annual leave to cover sickness before and that has never been a problem. Only recently a colleague used AL when he was off with an injured knee.

So, AIBU to think this isn't fair and is there anything we can do?

OP posts:
Justforphoto · 26/06/2021 19:31

@VeniVidiWeeWee

Why can't he use SSP.

Is he not an employee?

He probably can but only for 1 day and considering the op says he will lose £300 for the sick leave then ssp wouldn't make much of dent in that.
Backhills · 26/06/2021 19:31

@VeniVidiWeeWee SSP is £95 pw and not payable for the first 3 days. Honestly, how would your family manage on that?

JellyTumble · 26/06/2021 19:33

And you know this how?

@Thehenbunringsock Before Covid-19, a fifth of workers didn’t have a rainy day fund. The majority of people do have at least some small savings/emergency/rainy day fund.

PurpleyBlue · 26/06/2021 19:33

Problem is if he keeps using holiday instead of sick leave then they won't have an accurate record of when he is sick so they won't be able to take action against him if he keeps going off sick.

WinstonsWeirdVole · 26/06/2021 19:34

Clearly some posters have never had to try and support a family and run a household/car on a crap/precarious income where you literally don’t earn enough to be able to amass several hundred pounds between periods of sickness Hmm

YANBU at all. We need a major reform of sickness pay and wages in general but as a pp said there’s not much chance of that under a Tory government, sadly. Sorry you’ve had a bad time OP Flowers

Original poster
blaisealex · 26/06/2021 19:34

@VeniVidiWeeWee

Why can't he use SSP.

Is he not an employee?

You can only get SSP from the fourth day you're off sick. He was only off for four days in total. So potentially, he could get one day of SSP but no the first three days he was off. That's what, not even twenty quid he'll get for that one day. He'll be losing about three hundred quid.
OP posts:
alexdgr8 · 26/06/2021 19:34

can you cut back anywhere on your expenditure.
maybe you've got into the habit of over-spending ?

newnortherner111 · 26/06/2021 19:34

If it has been the custom and the previous practice then it almost seems a contractual provision by default. Regardless of whether we think it is reasonable or not, in my opinion.

As for the emergency fund, that is not your employer's issue. Is your car other than a 1000cc or similar car, do you make trips you could walk? Do either of you smoke, or drink alcohol? There is the start of some savings you can make to have a fund build up.

VeniVidiWeeWee · 26/06/2021 19:35

Apologies, I didn't fully read the website.

moonbedazzled · 26/06/2021 19:36

You shouldn't have to build up an emergency fund to be sick! What happens if you're on minimum wage and just scraping by. Sick pay should be the same whether you are earning minimum wage or in the higher pay bracket.

I assume you are in the UK. If so, your husband is entitled to SSP. It's only about £100pw but it's better than nohthing.

saraclara · 26/06/2021 19:37

Jeeze, some people have absolutely no idea about other people's lives. What a smug middle-class attitude from some.

Justforphoto · 26/06/2021 19:37

blaisealex is that 4 days at £75 gross or have you taken tax and nat ins into account already? If you haven't then you won't be as down as you think

NannyAndJohn · 26/06/2021 19:37

YABU (or more rather, HIBU).

Don't like the policies, find another company to work for.

WeAreTheHeroes · 26/06/2021 19:37

Will he definitely not receive his normal wage for the days he was off sick?

Orangecinnamon21 · 26/06/2021 19:38

Does he work in a safety critical job? Or have they looked at their H&S policies lately? That may account for change in procedure.

moonbedazzled · 26/06/2021 19:38

You're entitled to SSP if you are ill 4 full days in a row not after 4 full days.

From ACAS website...

By law, employers must pay Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) to employees and workers when they meet eligibility conditions, including when: they've been off sick or self-isolating for at least 4 days in a row, including non-working days.

Sparechange · 26/06/2021 19:38

@alexdgr8

can you cut back anywhere on your expenditure. maybe you've got into the habit of over-spending ?
How patronising Have a Biscuit
channeltwo · 26/06/2021 19:39

@saraclara

Jeeze, some people have absolutely no idea about other people's lives. What a smug middle-class attitude from some.
Absolutely agree
Melonportal · 26/06/2021 19:40

Allowing people to take annual leave instead of sick leave can create a resourcing headache as anyone who has had a leave request denied because the company need them in, can say they're sick and take annual leave anyway. Most companies require leave to be booked in advance so that they can ensure they have enough staff working each day.

I know this doesn't help you OP, but it's one of the reasons my employer wouldn't let us use annual leave to cover sickness.

Blanketpolicy · 26/06/2021 19:43

Our company avoids letting people use AL for sickness as it means there isn't accurate sickness records when too many inconvenient last minute absences become a problem. Or people could plead sickness and use AL for dates they knew they couldn't pre book as a day off.

It makes sense not to muddy the water between AL and sickness.

EversoDelighted · 26/06/2021 19:43

The lack of sick pay is shit but it's totally normal to not allow annual leave to be taken when ill, also to have to reserve a couple of days for Christmas / NY shutdown and to have had to take 10 days in the first half of the year, if everyone saved it all till later in the year they may well have too many people trying to take it at the same time.

Quietrebel · 26/06/2021 19:43

I used to work for companies with that policy at the start of my career (and with two young kids). I'd drag myself to work every single day regardless of how shit I felt (with flu-like bugs etc) and of course others would catch it. Same for my colleagues, who also couldn't afford to miss days and then you'd end up with a team that's under the weather half the winter. Not great for productivity! Letting people get over a bug for 48 hours without punishing them financially would save a lot of stress for everyone and I'm sure would improve overall productivity. But some employers treat staff like naughty skiving children.

LizzieW1969 · 26/06/2021 19:44

Jeeze, some people have absolutely no idea about other people's lives. What a smug middle-class attitude from some.

No compassion either from quite a few posters.

moonbedazzled · 26/06/2021 19:52

Sorry, I was wrong. You don't get paid for the first three waiting days. I guess they try to starve you back to work!! That's awful.

superduster · 26/06/2021 19:52

I'd you are getting UC then your UC will increase to make up some of the loss. If you are still getting tax credits then I would check whether IC is better for you.