New job, no paid leave.

[Ivanovaa]

I’m an ex-SAHM and trailing spouse. We have three kids (2,3 and 7). I recently got offered a half time job in an interesting field and it is a great opportunity for me because I didn’t built up a lot of relevant work experience before having kids.

The job is on a one year contract and the vacancy mentioned a “flexible holiday policy of at least 30 days” (for full time). I agreed with my direct boss that it would be no problem to take up 3.5 weeks of already paid for vacation in May and August.

All seemed perfect and I eagerly (and stupidly) signed the contract. When discussing all the different policies, the HR person acted surprised when she found out I had not worked the year before, and she told me that because of this I will not have any rights to paid leave (as in this country it’s calculated based on the hours worked in the year before). I only get very limited unpaid leave days, and these will all be used up in September. With three little kids, closing days of daycare, 7 months without even unpaid leave seems impossible and I am so worried about it to the extend that I am reconsidering the job.

I live abroad and do not have a support system here, nor does my husband have the flexibility to take so much time off during school holidays. AIBU for reconsidering the opportunity?

Which country do you live in?

Are you in America?

Vacation days are very limited there.

But you can take unpaid leave?

So it's not a problem then. Take the time as unpaid, the main advantage of this job is building up your work experience, earning money is a bonus Nd if they allow you take unpaid leave then that will work fine.

If working is the only way to accrue paid leave, then surely you just need to get on with it?

Presumably if you earn leave the year prior, after you finish the years contract you will then have accrued 30 days leave, which you won’t be able to take as you will have finished the contract, so they will pay you for the leave instead? If so, take the days as unpaid leave knowing you will recoup the financial cost once the contract has ended?

Whatever the holiday situation

I think you need to grab this opportunity with both hands

You are an “ex SAHM”??

So you are in employment?

Thanks for all your replies. Yes I’ve started the job last week, it is in the public sector. I knew this was the case in the private sector. Apparently, the local government I work for has a right to chose the private sector vacation policy for their contract workers. I had no idea.

If this was happening in the USA I would have known. But I am in a European country (and I’m from another
European country myself, DH is from the uk).

I can not take anymore unpaid leave after my summer holiday.

Thank you. I will discuss this with HR. They have been not very useful so far and I felt a bit uncomfortable talking about holidays so much immediately..

Presume she means she’s just gone back to work.

I’m an ex SAHM
I now have a job so I refer to myself as employer rather than an ex SA

either way … this seems a good interesting job with opportunities OP. Go for it

I referred to myself as employed ie what I do for a job

"in this country it’s calculated based on the hours worked in the year before".

Which country is this? Because that does seem very odd, In it's basic nature, doesn't it? Odd. Legally that is not the same as the uk. What if you didn't work. You get zero. If you worked 80 hours a week you'd get more.

If it's the way it works there then you are out of luck. I never got any paid leave when I worked in US. I didn't do 40 hours a week and that's what was needed for any paid leave at all. You also had to work 12 months before any entitlement to paid time off.
I used to take unpaid leave as needed with plenty of notice. No one batted an eyelid. If they had been funny about it I'd have handed in my two weeks notice and applied somewhere else or even back with them once I had my time off. Lots of people I knew did this.

You get paid leave based on hours previous year

if you were a sahm, unemployed or with a different employer the year before… you can only take unpaid leave

Think of it as paid leave being Something that only kicks in after a year of working there

nothing in writing re what you agreed OP?

Anyone know countries that operate like this so I can avoid even contemplating moving to them?

Would you be paid for the accrued holiday when you leave?

I think that the OP can't take endless amounts of unpaid leave either. There's an allocation of days for this year. Unpaid.

Then for this year your husband takes time off for the kids and next year you both do it

As it's part time and you can cover the summer chunk with unpaid leave, you should stick with the job or else you'll never build up any paid leave and always have this hurdle. Plus your DH can and should cover some of the childcare. You've already sacrificed plenty by trailing him and bring a SAHM. This is a big opportunity for you so don't hamper your fulfilment and future prospects for this manageable issue.

So I do not have any problem with the lack of paid leave, that’s ok with me as long as I can still take unpaid leave. Unless I do not go on our already booked holidays this summer to see friends and family. My boss agreed that it would be fine for me to take these days and also did not inform me about the fact that I do not actually get paid leave and that by taking these days I will have consumed all my unpaid leave days for the remainder of the contract (another 7 months)

I am very grateful for the opportunity and I know I am lucky. But I am also disturbed that the vacancy specifically mentioned the 30 days and nobody bothered to tell me that it would not apply to me (which is against EU regulations but somehow this country has not made the necessary reforms).

I am worried about not going home to see family during Christmas for example, my husband would have to go with our kids for two weeks and I will stay here. I know I have to suck it up, but I don’t think it is reasonable and they should have informed me before that there is in fact NO flexible holiday policy. But I’m also just anxious about managing it all so I’m glad to get your feedback on what’s reasonable and what is not..

Just for reference, I am in Belgium. I am not making this up unfortunately.

Norway.

It’s a nightmare when you start working, though ex-DH (who worked in the private sector in an international company) earnedenough that they just split his wage over the twelve months and let him take (effectively) unpaid leave. Like OP, I work in the public sector and there was a lot less flexibility, though I probably could have taken more unpaid leave than I did, but couldn’t afford it.

From experience though, the first year in my current role was exhausting. I believe this system is illegal in the EU, so depending where you are, OP, you might be able to challenge it. Either way, if you can get through it, the experience is probably worth gaining.

I’m surprised at what they are telling you as it seems contrary to the working time directive. Can you take some legal advice?