Part time workers and bank holidays. Fair or unfair?

[crunchiesnuts]

I know that it’s completely legal and up to the employer, but I’m just curious about what people think about this.

I’m part of a small team (there are 7 of us in total). Everyone works full time, 5 days a week, except for one person who is part time, working 3 days a week. This person works Monday-Wednesday. When there’s a bank holiday, they switch their days and work from Tuesday to Thursday instead. Like I said, I know this is all above board and our manager is fine with it, but the rest of the team feels it’s a bit unfair since they don’t have a say and have to use their annual leave regardless.

I’m kind of torn on it. I know this person asked to work Mondays when she took the job, so it feels a bit like having the best of both worlds, but I also get not wanting to burn through almost all your annual leave just for the bank holidays. Recently, this person has mentioned how she doesn’t complain about the fact that the rest of us get more holidays and better pay (which is a bit confusing since we work more hours, so naturally, we would), but it’s stirred up some tension in the office, and I guess, some people think she’s rubbing it in their face. I’m just interested in hearing what others think. Even though it’s legal, do you see it as fair or unfair?

You might want to read the rest of my comments lol

They still take exactly the same amount of annual leave they are entitled to- no more and no less. I guarantee the shoe would be on the other foot if you worked part- time and Mondays! You clearly don’t understand the impact they have on those that do. Regardless, their work contract is none of your business.

Wouldn’t it be more unfair if they wfh on a BH Monday therefore getting a nice quiet day, no meetings etc? As I understand it that was also an option. Instead they are working the same days as the rest of you which is more useful?

Do you also leave lots of passive aggressive little notes about fridge etiquette?

Grim. So fudging depressing. What a ‘team’

It depends on their contract, its perfectly fine for a part time contract to stipulate the hours and not the days as long as employer and employee are content with this. Even if it does give days, if the employer is content then 🤷‍♀️

Does sound like sour grapes. Just because it’s impossible to have the same privilege no one should. What a spiteful way to be. We found out that a neighbour was paying less than the rest of the street when his council tax bill went to the wrong house. This neighbour knocked on a few doors to see if he was over paying turns out they were underpaying. After speaking to the neighbour it came apparent he hadn’t had an increase in 15years. We left it as by saying anything would disadvantage him and bring no benefit to us. It’s the same thing here. All you’ll end up doing is stopping this woman using the flexibility in her hours for no gain whatsoever to yourselves . That’s the end game and if she’s doing her job with no other inconvenience to you other than her working less hours then I’ll say it. Shame on all of you

I don’t really get why you’ve got an issue though. She is choosing to be in for 3 days when she could only be in for 2 that week. It doesn’t affect you in any way other than being a bit jealous of flexibility. You’re also totally overstating how much of a benefit it would actually be.

I work for an employer that has a flexible annual leave/bank holiday scheme where it is all rolled into one allowance. If you really want to work on a bank holiday you can to save your leave. Very few people (in a big organisation) actually take up the offer because generally people like being off on the bank holidays. I’ve seen the odd person work one of the May ones but literally no one gives up the long Easter weekend or the 3 Christmas ones.

As your employer offers 20 days plus 8 bank holidays, your 3 day a week colleague is entitled to 12 days holiday plus 4.8 days bank holiday (3/5’s of total). If your employer didn’t let her swap her days on bank holiday weeks, she would potentially need to take up to 3.2 days from her basic annual leave (depending on when the Christmas bank holidays are) to cover the Monday bank holidays or others that fall on her working days. That would be a pretty shitty approach for the company to take. Her working a Thursday or whatever non-working day instead of taking a bank holiday, would be equivalent to you working a Saturday or Sunday to save a bank holiday - it’s hardly a super sweet deal to be envious of. Bear in mind that she doesn’t benefit from bank holidays that fall on her non working days.

in my organisation we get round all of this by having one annual leave entitlement (which is greater than the statutory entitlement of 28 days) for people to book as and when. Much easier to administer part time holidays, no-one gains or loses because of their employment status and people are free to take the bank holidays or work them. So in my office some people now grumble that they have to take bank holidays from their annual leave entitlement and can’t get their head round that annual leave was increased so they weren’t forced to take holidays on specified days.

Absolutely, and it's interesting that none of the people who think the employee shouldn't be doing this show any sign of realising that some employers might find this setup beneficial.

Completely agree. This is fair and does not stir things up with the ft employees.

Pt only affects the number of hours worked. Pt employees should also abide by the rules which ft employees have to abide by.

As a manager I would not agree to the current arrangement. I struggle to see what justification a pt employee could have for wanting this flexibility over ft employees of not being forced to take bank holidays off.

sorry did you mean "part-timers" have it easier? If not, I am confused 😂

No one is taking it away from her? I’m not sure where you got that from because I haven’t mentioned anything like that. Management were asked if full time staff could do the same, but we were refused, and that was it. We haven’t attempted to take anything from her.

It reads like everyone at your company is paid for the bank holidays days they have off. In this case the part-time worker who is 0.6FTE will get 60% of the bank holiday days as paid leave, whether they work Mondays or not. Them asking to work Monday has no bearing on this allocation. If your part-time employee routinely worked Tuesday to Thursday, no-one would be complaining about them swapping working days, but they would still have these 5 extra bank holiday days to use as annual leave whenever they want. People are only complaining because of the day swapping, which leadership have agreed to, so no-one really has any grounds to deem it unfair.

But why can’t it be open to full time? Is it the case you literally can’t make up the day because you’re working the days it’s open?

Your employer is screwing you, but you your problem is with the other worker?

You get what you deserve. Sorry. Maybe instead of trying to turn on the other person you should try and have a word with your employer.

Turkeys and christmas spring to mind.

That’s your interpretation, not my intention. I’m someone who has happily been part time since 1999. Everything from 14 hours when I returned from mat leave up to 30 hours around school times once both DC were in secondary school and everything in between. I preferred to have the flexibility to spend time with the children. Now I just like finishing at 2:30.

It’s a bit ridiculous!

I work in a busy team, The PT worker has to take the monday off regardless and probably has caring duties (schools closed?)

She isn’t getting any more than anyone else - she’s getting the same and I would be pleased she making the effort to help out by swapping the days.

Yeah that’s it. We asked if we could work a Saturday instead, and they said no because the office is only open Monday-Friday. The rest of the business is open 7 days a week, it’s only central function that works Monday-Friday, so I don’t know why they won’t let us, but they won’t, and said only PT employees can swap days.

Do you want to work part time ? If not then I by does it bother you ?

I would love to work part time. I’d love to not work at all, but sadly I can’t afford it lol. Like the majority of people I suppose!

Not sure what is the point of your question. This arrangement is unfairly advantageous to part timers. So yes, it bothers the full timers.

@Topbobble

I agree, but in this example the employee has elected to work Monday to Wednesday so the calculation stands. They are doing themselves out of 0.6 of one day of added annual leave for days when a bank holiday falls on a Thursday or Friday

But the part timer can’t work Saturdays either? Only the Monday to Friday days that the rest of you do, plus no one can work on a bank holiday in your team?

If she worked 1 day a week -Monday -and so gets 28/5 holidays so 6, in a year with Xmas day and New Year’s Day on a Monday, she’d use up all her holiday on the 6 bank holidays on a Mondays and have zero choice on when to take holiday.
would that be fair?

don't be ridiculous, different contracts, different situations.

If it makes no sense for the business to run on weekends and bank holiday, it's clearly stated in the contract and surely people were happy to work there - and have all their weekends and bank holidays off?

People are free to go part-time, or find employment in a business working 7 days a week, where they would have the possibility to swap days and work weekends. If they are happy working in a 5 days a week place, then of course there's no flexibility.

they can't have it both ways. It's so childish, it's painful.

I think the thing the full timers at your workplace are not really getting is that somebody who works part time gets a pay/hours cut if they are required to take a bank holiday off.

Because they’re required to take a full day, but they only get paid for part of it.

So in the case of you and your colleagues, you get paid five full days on a Bank Holiday week. But your part time colleague gets paid for 2.6 days instead of 3.

Instead, they’ve sensibly negotiated a contract where they’re not required to take the bank holiday, but instead can work another day to make up the 3 days. Yes, this does mean they’re a bit more flexible with their accrued holiday hours, but it’s a lot fairer all round than expecting the part timer to take a pay drop every bank holiday.