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Original poster

Holiday help please! Thank you :)

27 replies

Onwardsandonwards · 19/10/2023 21:31

Hi, I work for a company of 30 people. Company is American and for a while only a few people in the UK, including me. We have more now here but we need to benchmark our holiday policy against against other UK companies. I’ve be very grateful if you could tell me:

  • how many holiday days you get each year
  • how many people in your company
  • does your office close over Xmas in addition to your individual holiday days.

Thank you!

OP posts:
Lochness1975 · 19/10/2023 21:36

25 days plus bank holidays. No shut down for Christmas, have to take leave between bank holidays if you want the whole Christmas off.approx 3,500 employees

SecondUsername4me · 19/10/2023 21:40

31 days of annual leave (28 days for the first 3 years in the company then up to 31 on third anniversary)
1 day "for free" to be taken on your birthday (or closest working day if weekend)
8 days bank holidays (office closes on BHs so these have to be taken on actual BH).

Our office closes Christmas Day-Mew Years Day (inclusive) and we have to use 3x annual leave days on top of the set bank holidays to cover this. This leaves (for me) 28 days to take whenever I like out of my allowance.

We can carry over 5x days into next year. Equally we can use up to 5x days from next year's allowance.

We can also buy and sell blocks of one week leave, but this has to be done in March for the year ahead. I've not done this myself so not sure of the specifics of how it works.

Carsarelife · 19/10/2023 21:42

10 people in company.
Everyone gets 20 days paid holiday through the year plus bank holidays paid. 2 week closedown over Xmas unpaid.
Able to take an additional 3 more weeks off unpaid if you have children.

Nail123 · 19/10/2023 21:56

25 days, rising to 30 after 5 years, plus bank holidays plus 3 days for Christmas closure.

We can buy a further 2 weeks as well.

Not sure how many staff but I will guess at 2000.

Kitkat1523 · 19/10/2023 22:04

33 days plus bh ….opportunity to buy 2 weeks extra a year

TokyoSushi · 19/10/2023 22:09

Company of 6 people, 30 days holiday plus BH, need to use holiday if want to be off between Christmas & NY

Pussygaloregalapagos · 19/10/2023 22:25

US companies often only offer 10 to 15 days leave don't they?

Original poster
Onwardsandonwards · 19/10/2023 23:05

This is so helpful thank you!!

We are a UK registered branch of a US HQ. So we need to give the UK statutory minimum.

OP posts:
MexterDorgan · 20/10/2023 00:51

When people say they can "buy" extra annual leave, is this charged at the same rate as the pay you'd be earning on those days? Is it not just akin to unpaid leave if so? How does it work? Never worked for a company who offers that and always wondered. Smile

In answer to OP, 30 days AL with bank holidays paid in addition. No shut down over Christmas. Local firm of roughly 250 employees.

cocksstrideintheevening · 20/10/2023 08:49

28 plus bank holiday. 3 need to be taken over Christmas. Can buy / sell up to 5 a year and roll over up to 5.

Every 5 years service you get an addition 5 days for that year.

cocksstrideintheevening · 20/10/2023 08:50

Oh and multi national 11,000 in the uk.

cocksstrideintheevening · 20/10/2023 08:51

MexterDorgan · 20/10/2023 00:51

When people say they can "buy" extra annual leave, is this charged at the same rate as the pay you'd be earning on those days? Is it not just akin to unpaid leave if so? How does it work? Never worked for a company who offers that and always wondered. Smile

In answer to OP, 30 days AL with bank holidays paid in addition. No shut down over Christmas. Local firm of roughly 250 employees.

If you buy it is your daily salary and is deducted monthly, reverse if you sell.

user1846385927482658 · 20/10/2023 08:52

MexterDorgan · 20/10/2023 00:51

When people say they can "buy" extra annual leave, is this charged at the same rate as the pay you'd be earning on those days? Is it not just akin to unpaid leave if so? How does it work? Never worked for a company who offers that and always wondered. Smile

In answer to OP, 30 days AL with bank holidays paid in addition. No shut down over Christmas. Local firm of roughly 250 employees.

Yes it's unpaid leave but the deduction from wages is spread over 12 months rather than taking the hit in the month of the leave.

Ylvamoon · 20/10/2023 08:58

MexterDorgan · 20/10/2023 00:51

When people say they can "buy" extra annual leave, is this charged at the same rate as the pay you'd be earning on those days? Is it not just akin to unpaid leave if so? How does it work? Never worked for a company who offers that and always wondered. Smile

In answer to OP, 30 days AL with bank holidays paid in addition. No shut down over Christmas. Local firm of roughly 250 employees.

I am able to "buy" 5 extra days... it's usually taken from my wages over a 6 month period.

Holidays run from1st April to 31st March. Any such request has to be in by 1st March for following year - to get approval from management & HR.
You can not carry any holidays over to the next year if you bought any, otherwise its up to 5 days.

I get 25 days plus BH. Not closed for Christmas. Medium sized company/ charity.

mumonthehill · 20/10/2023 09:09

25 days plus an extra day up to 29 each year worked. Plus bank holidays and plus between Christmas and new year off. We can carry 5 days over. We also have flexi time.

CMOTDibbler · 20/10/2023 09:25

Huge multinational company, 700 or so in the UK. We get our AL in hours (so much easier), and I get 185 hours plus public holidays. Part timers get their bank holidays added in hours to their holiday and then just have to book the appropriate hours off if they would be working on a BH.
As a company there is a christmas/ new year shutdown but you do have to use leave for it.

Original poster
Onwardsandonwards · 20/10/2023 22:04

Thank you - so helpful!

OP posts:
RandomUsernameHere · 20/10/2023 22:08

30 days plus bank holidays (starts as less but goes up after 5 years).
Approx 40 employees.
Office is open over Xmas apart from the bank holidays.

Guttedme · 20/10/2023 22:13

Not told when we can book holiday leave but brits aren’t meant to ask questions in the workplace either so; left up to the intelligent momas as who know best…

MrsPositivity1 · 21/10/2023 00:03

Onwardsandonwards · 19/10/2023 21:31

Hi, I work for a company of 30 people. Company is American and for a while only a few people in the UK, including me. We have more now here but we need to benchmark our holiday policy against against other UK companies. I’ve be very grateful if you could tell me:

  • how many holiday days you get each year
  • how many people in your company
  • does your office close over Xmas in addition to your individual holiday days.

Thank you!

Small company of 6

20 days holiday plus 8 bank holiday days

We close between Christmas and & NY but the extra days are out of your 20 days

CuriousGeorge80 · 21/10/2023 00:07

26 days plus bank holidays. Closed Christmas through to New Year and have to take 3 days of our holiday for that. 600 people in the company.

I have never worked anywhere with under 25 days plus bank holidays, but have always been in quite big organisations.

OvertiredandConfused · 21/10/2023 00:18

150 staff – UK charity.

25 days holiday plus bank holidays plus a day of leave for your birthday. All based on an assumption of full time and pro rata for those working less than full-time.

Expected to work in between Christmas and New Year or take holiday.

I have previously worked for the UK army of a US-based charity. We had 20 days plus bank holidays and it was one of my reasons for leaving. It was a real bone of contention and definitely a problem for recruitment and retention.

OutlandInland · 21/10/2023 00:26

27 days a year plus bank holidays. Rises to 29 days after 5 years. The senior managers have 29 rising to 31. Also have the option to buy or sell 5 days a year. We close at Christmas but have to use our annual leave to cover it. We also have a flexi policy that allows up to 12 days a year leave if we've worked up the time. As a manager I can take 48 days a year - we have very high staff retention surprisingly!!

Invisimamma · 21/10/2023 00:36

40 days total per year, this includes Christmas. This is pretty generous, my previous employer was 35 days including Christmas.