Change to holiday entitlement

[ShaunaSadeki]

I assume that my employer will have checked the legality of their recent change to our holiday entitlement, but just in case thought I would check here just in case.

When I joined the company I work for, our holiday entitlement was 25 days + bank holidays + company shutdown between Christmas and New Year as an extra benefit.

in order to “make it fairer” to people on different contracts the shutdown between Christmas and New Year will now come from our holiday entitlement and we have no option to choose to work any of those days.

I know the second part to be legal, and assume the first part must be too?

The extra time off was a nice little perk so it’s is a bit annoying.

I think you’ve been lucky so far to get that leave as extra. Everyone I know who has this time off is taken from their holiday entitlement.

We shut our business down between Christmas and New Year and it's taken from staff leave at the beginning of the year.

What does your contract state? We have the same arrangement (3 bonus days off at Christmas) and it's part of our contracts and considered as part of our benefits package. I assumed they'd have to go through some sort of consultation to change it.

This is how it works for University Staff, 4 days of my Annual Leave is used when we are closed over Christmas. I would work them but not allowed as everyone else is off.

I also work at a university and we don't have to take it from our annual leave, I didn't realise that varied across institutions - seems a bit unfair.

Yes, completely normal. An employer can request holidays to be taken at anytime as long as they give twice the notice. For example 2 weeks notice if requiring an employee to take 1 week off.

We never used to do a Christmas shut down but decided it would be more productive to.
we checked the legalities and yes, we could just inform people and then close the business during that period and take it from their holiday allowance.
So your company are well within their rights. There will be something in the contract around holidays and subject to change etc

Yes normal to take it from your allowance, you’ve been lucky to have had it as extra.

We close some days over Christmas but they are considered bonus days. They are not in the contract so it's an extra they can take away if they want to.

How are the Christmas shutdown days dealt with in your contract?

If they are part of your contract then they can't just change this without consultation.

If the days were never contractual then I'm not sure whether they could be claimed as custom and practice if you've had the benefit of these for a long period of time.

Might be worth speaking to ACAS.

My company give us a extra day and usually two days are taken out of our allowance for the annual shutdown.

They are allowed to change it - but ideally with your agreement.

Yes of course employers are able to dictate when you take leave.

But that's not the OP's question

OP what does it say in your contract re the shut down days?

The question is whether or not they can change the terms for OP not whether other people have to take the time off in their company.

What does your contract say?

OP I'd get your contract together and copies of any communication around this and call your union. If not in a union call ACAS.

Thanks all, it isn’t in my contract, so will have to suck it up! Annoying as that is a loss of 4 days some years. I worked at a University previously and the shutdown there was also “free”.

Not relevant I know but in the late 80s the company I worked at allowed the women in the office an extra day off in December, called 'the Christmas shopping day'. Can you imagine that nowadays 😂

OP how long have you enjoyed this perk?

John Lewis partnership still give you a Christmas shopping day!

@bugalugs45

How quaint!

I bet they don't just award it to women in the office though 😄
I was more than happy to have the day off, my same-grade male colleague quite rightly kicked off about it!

I worked at PwC about 15 years ago and everyone got one, likewise a day to move house etc.

All Christmas shutdowns i've worked have been taken from leave