Parental leave

[Birthdaycake369]

I requested a weeks parental leave from my employer last year to look after my 2 primary aged kids in the summer holidays. They refused it initially but when I explained that it couldn’t be refused only granted or postponed they postponed it until mid September which wasn’t any use as the kids were back at school and I ended up just not taking any as they didn’t offer any other options. I’m still with the same employer and I would like to use it this year but I’m discouraged from applying from last years experience. Has anyone else experienced this with their employer and how did you tackle it? I have annual leave left but this keeps getting refused too when I try and book days off.

Sure, agree. Ultimately all leave whether AL or PL causes disruption, because there is one less person to do the work! But it feels like a lot of organisations are using a lower threshold for PL than the SERIOUS disruption, that is stipulated. On the basis that they know no one can really quantify.

The reason they gave last year was that there were too many people on annual leave for that week but I was told by my union rep at a later date that there were spaces on the annual leave rota for me to have taken it so I’m not sure it was dealt with properly. I gave 3 months notice previously which I thought would be enough as it says 21 days notice should be given. If I ask for annual leave too far in advance the manager says ask me nearer the time as he only makes the rotas up the week before. Thanks for all of the responses

Did you really put a request for leave in 2 weeks ago for leave for this Summer ? You cannot be surprised it was postponed. You could try contacting your union.

I have only ever put in one request for parental leave for time off during my then 16yos GCSEs, that most enormous fuss was made, in the event the GCSEs were cancelled (2020) so I must have put the request in before March.

Next year I would do it when the leave year opens so either 1st week of January or 1st Week of April depending on your contract.

@Goldencup no I haven’t put any leave requests in recently. Yes last year was the first time I had asked for parental leave too and my eldest was 9. I was thinking of asking for the last week of the holidays which would be 6 weeks notice but I agree it would be quite short notice so I’ve probably left it a bit late for this year.

Only 2 people are allowed leave at any one time where I work, in a team of 9.
It is difficult to ensure that everyone can have time off in the summer using annual leave.

If PL is added to the mix, some team members would not be able to use their annual leave over the peak summer period, but the person using PL AND annual leave would have had the whole of August off.

I think you should still try! 6 weeks notice is plenty. Ask to know the ‘significant reason’ and the serious disruption your absence would cause, if they say no, in light of the fact that they are continually refusing your requests for AL & PL

Definitely try the worst then can do is say no. Also I think the more people make these requests, the more it shifts the dial within organisations.