[PAUL ERITH]

If your staff have six weeks paid holiday a year can you force them to take two weeks of the six at christmas or is that against employment law 

Thanks Paul 

[paul13]

As long as its in the contract you decide I think

[Richard iSparkle]

It doesn't need to be in their contract.  Your employer can decide when your holidays are.  It's well within your rights to say they take 2 weeks over Christmas.  You can even tell them to take holidays if your vans off the road I similar with short notice

[Dean Taberner]

Holiday pay for staff should be made illegal.

[Richard iSparkle]

Holiday pay for staff should be made illegal.

It winds me up too.  I think people should be entitled to a set number of holidays, but they have to budget for it themselves.  Can't see why I should pay for it, and pay for covering their leave too!

[home6442]

It doesn't need to be in their contract.  Your employer can decide when your holidays are.  It's well within your rights to say they take 2 weeks over Christmas.  You can even tell them to take holidays if your vans off the road I similar with short notice

You cant force your employee to use a holiday entitlement if you van is of the road you can ask but they don't have to
agree.
A employee contract sets out the rules that both the employer and employee agree to it doesn't work one way.
If you agree to employ for a set amount of hours per week then the employee is entitled to be paid for them hours
as long as they turn up for work as agreed.
If you don't have enough work then you can send them home but you must pay them as agreed.
Holidays work the same you can set out what ever system you want either set days or floaters but you have to
stick to it.
To change your holiday contract you have to give a certain amount of notice to all employees involved.

[H2GoKent]

It doesn't need to be in their contract.  Your employer can decide when your holidays are.  It's well within your rights to say they take 2 weeks over Christmas.  You can even tell them to take holidays if your vans off the road I similar with short notice

You cant force your employee to use a holiday entitlement if you van is of the road you can ask but they don't have to
agree.
A employee contract sets out the rules that both the employer and employee agree to it doesn't work one way.
If you agree to employ for a set amount of hours per week then the employee is entitled to be paid for them hours
as long as they turn up for work as agreed.
If you don't have enough work then you can send them home but you must pay them as agreed.
Holidays work the same you can set out what ever system you want either set days or floaters but you have to
stick to it.
To change your holiday contract you have to give a certain amount of notice to all employees involved.

I'm not sure you're right there, at my previous employment, we had 5 weeks holiday and we had to take 3 or 4 days at Xmas, and I know of several other people who are the same boat, if the employer shuts down over Xmas he can insist the staff use some holiday at that time.

[Richard iSparkle]

here's from citizen's advice bureau website

http://www.cab.org.nz/vat/eb/leave/Pages/AnnualLeave.aspx#3

they say the employer can tell you when to take your holidays so long as you get at least 14 days notice.

this suggests i was wrong about being able to tell them to take annual leave if the van was off the road.  i would personally still do so, and let them take it up with me if they wanted.  i personally think it's quite reasonable 

you can also offer your staff to take annual leave in place of sick days.  i always do this, i ask if they want to take them as annual leave so their wages arent down at the end of the month.  they always go for it

[PAUL ERITH]

thanks for the link richard i now have the answer

Can my employer force me to take annual leave between Christmas and New Year, or during that period?

Your employer can tell you when to take leave as long you are given 14 days' notice. If your office shuts down over Christmas and New Year then your employer can make you take your leave at that time, provided there is only one shut down period per year.

For more information about regular annual closedowns and your rights, refer to the Department of Labour website.

Thanks Paul

[Smudger]

If the company has a shutdown over Christmas and your contract of employment states this then you have to have it as holiday, my mate works for vauxhall and they have a three week summer shutdown, whit week shutdown, and Christmas leaves them 5 days to take as he pleases  

Richard - the only problem with letting staff having holiday instead of sick is you no longer have a record of sickness, so if an employee is taking regular spot days sick but your paying them holiday pay you can not do a disaplinary procedure.
Personally if they are sick they have time off ( unpaid ) it can be a pain, but we get through it, and if ours are sick it does effect their bonus too. Excessive/Pattern sickness will bring a verbal warning

Darran

[Dean Taberner]

Holiday pay for staff should be made illegal.

It winds me up too.  I think people should be entitled to a set number of holidays, but they have to budget for it themselves.  Can't see why I should pay for it, and pay for covering their leave too!

Totally agree mate.

[home6442]

Holiday pay for staff should be made illegal.

It winds me up too.  I think people should be entitled to a set number of holidays, but they have to budget for it themselves.  Can't see why I should pay for it, and pay for covering their leave too!

Totally agree mate.

The fact is you don't pay for it your employees earn it by cleaning x amount of windows per year and working x amount
of hours.
If your employees didn't earn it then you wouldn't have the money to pay it.

[Richard iSparkle]

Holiday pay for staff should be made illegal.

It winds me up too.  I think people should be entitled to a set number of holidays, but they have to budget for it themselves.  Can't see why I should pay for it, and pay for covering their leave too!

Totally agree mate.

The fact is you don't pay for it your employees earn it by cleaning x amount of windows per year and working x amount
of hours.
If your employees didn't earn it then you wouldn't have the money to pay it.

think you've wandered onto the wrong website John.  think you're looking for this one http://socialistworker.co.uk/ 

[Jim Waugh(Albright & Shiny)]

Holiday pay for staff should be made illegal.

It winds me up too.  I think people should be entitled to a set number of holidays, but they have to budget for it themselves.  Can't see why I should pay for it, and pay for covering their leave too!

Totally agree mate.

The fact is you don't pay for it your employees earn it by cleaning x amount of windows per year and working x amount
of hours.
If your employees didn't earn it then you wouldn't have the money to pay it.

think you've wandered onto the wrong website John.  think you're looking for this one http://socialistworker.co.uk/ 

ROTFLMAO...

[home6442]

Holiday pay for staff should be made illegal.

It winds me up too.  I think people should be entitled to a set number of holidays, but they have to budget for it themselves.  Can't see why I should pay for it, and pay for covering their leave too!

Totally agree mate.

The fact is you don't pay for it your employees earn it by cleaning x amount of windows per year and working x amount
of hours.
If your employees didn't earn it then you wouldn't have the money to pay it.

think you've wandered onto the wrong website John.  think you're looking for this one http://socialistworker.co.uk/ 

Thanks for the link Comrade.

[G Griffin]

Holiday pay for staff should be made illegal.

It winds me up too.  I think people should be entitled to a set number of holidays, but they have to budget for it themselves.  Can't see why I should pay for it, and pay for covering their leave too!

I thought you might want time off at Chrimbo, as you get visited by those four ghosts  .