Annual leave and working week hours.

[originalmavis]

I've just had a contract through and the 'standard' work hours and annual leave entitlement are low compared to what I have had in the past (salary too but that seems to be the market these days).

The agency knows what my previous terms were, and that I would be taking a pay cut to start with - but longer days and less salary?!

What's 'normal' these days?

Depends on the role and industry.

I'm never had set working hours, just full time and whatever hours required to get the job done. Some weeks it might be 50 hours, others 38-40 but I don't keep track TBH.

Holiday is usually 25 days plus bank holidays in my industry, but as the PP said it varies depending on what sort of job you do.

My contract is for 40 hours a week with 22 days holidays plus bank holidays
My team have contracts for 37 1/2 hours a week with 20 days holiday plus BH
We work in a day nursery

There's nothing "normal" these days with differences even within the same industries. What kind of role is it and what have you been offered? Were there no discussions about contractual terms before you received the formal offer?

I currently get 37 days holiday including banks, and a standard work week is 35 hours (law firm).

I did get offered a job elsewhere with a 40 hour work week and only 28 days holiday. They also only paid SSP for sickness, whereas I get full pay for three months.

I turned that job down - you can tell a lot about how firms treat their staff by the benefits they offer!

Normal these days is the official legal minimum which is 5.6 weeks.

Market median for holidays in the UK is 25 days, but a lot of companies still offer less than this as standard (mine included) you might find you have the option to buy some extra days through flexible benefits with the cost being taken (tax and NI) free from your pay over 12 months. In terms of working house - 35-40 is pretty standard although the there are still a lot of zero hour contract out there. The hours should have been part of the job spec/ad though...