20 days annual leave is Dickensian

[Palacelife]

Most firms now start on 25. I think 20 just smacks of a mean firm and not a place you want to be. AIBU?

Teaching is the classic example of a job with lots of holidays but the overall package and working conditions leave a lot to be desired.

Quite- just saying teachers are not actually paid for the extra holidays- people assume they are.

I get 20 days, I know I could get more holidays and better benefits other places, but the people I work with are great, there is a great work life balance, I have hybrid working and the salary is decent, so it's something I'm willing to compromise on.

I'd rather all those factors than getting 30 days holiday working with arseholes with no flexibility.

Some people are being so literal on this thread.

I saw the ghost of a Victorian industrialist in your post as you were chastising people for not counting a given, in this case a weekend, as a lovely perk from a generous employer.

Well hopefully next year when Labour win the GE they will do more for worker’s rights.

😂 yes we should all be looking to America as an example of how to treat employees/people in general.

It’s actually 28 days leave though isn’t it so no that’s not bad at all

Not a perk but certainly a working condition. Many people still don't get weekend or the equivalent of weekends off, plus at least 28 days holiday. If you do, the fact is you spend at least 36% of days not working. If you have more holidays than that it is more than 36% and, as some have mentioned, they can work flexi-time or 'buy back' up to 3 weeks additional holiday which, fir them, allows extra blocks of time not at work if that's what they choose.

So what's to stop you going in tomorrow and saying you want to take the rest of the week off?

When does the work get done when people can take as much time off as they like? What's to stop people doing the absolute bare minimum they can get away with and taking 50/100/150 days per year AL?

Or is the reality that it's not really unlimited?

@Fabshab it's more I'm struggling with the model of capitalism! If everyone at my work or DHs work took unlimited leave they would have to employ additional staff. If I took 5 days every month for example I wouldn't be able to get all my work done. Do your employers expect you to get all your work done or are they happy for others to cover.

DHs work is quite modern, 3 months paid pat leave but obviously that's only a few staff

@Saverage I get 33 plus bh & personal days. I would struggle to fit my work in if I took off more.

Completely agree. I’m in a job currently with this entitlement and tbh it really does take a toll on me. I feel I never have any spare time in my life as when im not at work 8 hours a day I’m cooking, cleaning, looking after my toddler and frankly feel knackered. The company I work for do not give a crap about staff in my position and there are no perks or benefits. And the irony of it all is it is a major private mental health service.

Happier staff equals more productive staff.

Staff might also be attracted to places with better working conditions.

Don't come to Canada. In Ontario (the largest province) minimum annual vacation time for the first five years of employment is 2 weeks (+ statutary holidays. After five years of employment, the minimum annual vacation time is 3 weeks.

Quite. I work in an industry where redundancies have been rife for the past year or so. If I was taking 60 days annual leave as per PP's example with no effect on the company I think I'd be in the potential redundancy queue fairly sharpish.

Some people take a lot more (think most was about 45 days last year) but I know they end up working some weekends and evenings to make up the work.

So that's not really Annual Leave then, is it ? It's more akin to flexi-time. "Yes, you can have Thursday and Friday off, if you work Sat and Sun to make up"

Mine starts on 33 plus bank holidays. There are companies that start on 38.

I'm in the CS and I'm on 25 days plus 8 BH days, rises to 30 days after a certain period of service.
I've worked in a few places which only offered 20 days plus BH, as well as places where you weren't allowed to take any annual leave during July or August, or December.

5.6 weeks/28 days is the minimum requirement by law.

Well, it depends on your workload. Theoretically you could take 45 days with no weekend or evening work, get less projects done, or let things just fall through. Which wouldn't go down well for your career or your colleagues' feelings about you. So yes, I think in my company's case it's more like extreme flexi-time. Not sure how it works in other companies.

@Fabshab How does it work when you are being paid the same as your co workers though and as you said some will take more holiday than you? So effectively they’re paid more than you.
You don’t get holiday pay if you don’t take holiday so surely it’s just one scrabble fir anything that can be authorised so you don’t lose out.

Wouldn’t be enough for me.

28 Days as it's a business that's open on BH. Many people have a variety of shift patterns to cover everything but I'm lucky that I can, currently, choose my start/ finish and that I am doing M-F. Someone else covers weekends at the moment although there will likely be a time in the future when I'll be doing part of some weekends- my role will never need a full weekend day but there are certain things that have to be done daily. Also, majority of my job has to be done on site- can't really do WFH apart from some bits of admin
So I've worked more BH than not this year to save the time for weeks with DH and DS etc. Not allowed to take leave from end nov up til xmas as that's our peak busy time. Business is then open between xmas and new year but quiet and I'll be using a full 6 days of holiday to cover being off then. I'm salaried but it's not especially generous when you look at my contracted hours and responsibilities. No chance to buy more or scheme to increase with service at present.

I'm in NZ and we get 20 AL days plus 12 public holidays.

@Fabshab

Really? How does that work for the company?