accrued holiday

[ladykay]

I am coming towards the end of my maternity leave (taken the full year) and I have only just realised that I am entitled to holiday accrued during this year. Am I still entitled? Does the employer usually let people know or is it a free-for-all? It is a small company so does not have HR but does have an accountant and office manager who I think between them must have known (I am the only person to have taken maternity leave). I will ring up but would like to know if anyone else has had this conversation? I know they won't like it, and I don't really care because I want extra time with my baby, but I hate awkward conversations. Also I am feeling cheated because they didn't mention it on my last maternity leave 3 years ago and these are weeks that would really have meant something to me then. Even if it is just my job to know this, I still feel deceived by them as they must have known.

They may not know esp if they don't have a HR department but you are entitles to holiday accrued during mat leave.

Okay, I'll be nicer to them then! Thanks.

Yes I definitely wouldn't assume they 'must have known'. Also don't assume they will automatically allow you to tack all your leave on to the end of your mat leave. They probably will and it makes sense to do that but it's not something you have a right to do.

Oh, okay, so the alternative would be to take it as sort of double holiday throughout the coming year??

You're also entitled to all the bank holidays while you've been on maternity leave. Don't forget there was an extra one this year!

My sis worked for a small firm when she had her first child and had to find out all the relevant legislation herself and inform the HR person.

Good luck.

Thank you! That should be such great news but I'm most alarmed about telling them all this! Not that I don't think I deserve it (I was refused even a miniscule pay rise some time before I left - to keep my pay just 50p an hour over those I managed..blah blah) but just because it's going to be such an awkward conversation. "Yes, I'm fine, the baby's fine, you're up to your eyeballs in it are you? Did you know you owe me more paid leave?" But that's just me being a wuss combined with the kind of relationship we have.

perhaps do it as an email so there's a record and also so they have the distance to digest the content.

Something like

Dear boss

As you know my maternity leave comes to an end on xxx date and I intend to return to work at this point. I calculate that I have accrued yyy days annual leave and 9 bank holidays while I have been on maternity leave.

If it convenient for you, I will take this leave from xxx date to zzz date and therefore expect to be paid from xxx date.

I'd like to thank you for your support during my maternity leave and I'm looking forward to returning to work on zzz date.

hugs and kisses

ladykay

If it's not convenient, let them come back to you with an alternative and negotiate from there. This way, you're letting them know you are entitled to the extra leave. I'm assuming they do follow the law and pay you for at least 20 days annual leave plus bank holidays.

That's not a bad idea gallic...I could write it all down to get it out and then I'd have to follow up with a phone call, or they'd think i'd gone cold on them! They are a friendly company, but definitely squeeze the law when it suits them (i.e. trying to only pay 2/5ths of a bank holiday if you only worked two days a week - I'm not even sure this is wrong but it certainly felt wrong). There are other examples where I think we've all had our rights squeezed if we are not on top of the law (which I'm not always..) so it is a good idea to be quite confident and clear about what days I'm due - although this might be hard to add up as I was working three days for part of the year and a period of four days a week. But I can go through payslips and as you say they can always challenge it.