Can anyone who knows these sorts of things help please? I'm getting a bit confused...
I'm currently pregnant, due on the 10th April. I'm not very happy in my role and will not be returning after my maternity leave, and was hoping to pack it all in as soon as possible.
My employer's holiday year runs Jan-Dec, and their policy is that you're not allowed to carry forward holiday (I was specifically made aware of this when I told HR of my impending maternity leave). My holiday entitlement for this period (2016) will be 28 days plus 7 bank holidays (as I will have used Jan 1st already), giving me 7x weeks paid leave, which meant I was intending to finish on Jan 31st, take 7 weeks leave and then start maternity leave at 37 weeks pregnant (21st March).
I conveyed this to my line manager and he has come back and essentially said that he won't be authorising the leave right now and my taking it depends on the cover he gets in - which will be based on my intended maternity leave start date of 21st March. Of course this is completely the employer's prerogative, but it buggers up my plans a bit!
As my leave spans two holiday periods, does this mean that they'll just have to pay me for all the outstanding leave? And if so, when do they have to pay it? I've been reading online that there's no obligation to pay for leave unless you leave the company, and that most companies in this situation would carry it forward to the following year - which I've been told they won't do. In addition of course, I'm planning on handing in my notice once my paid maternity leave finishes (around Christmas 2016), so I'll get the money at some point, it's just a bit of a pain. Any thoughts?