Holiday entitlement during short time working

[Colaire]

I am expected to manage a regular work force all of whom have been on short time working for the past year and are all now working at 50% of their contracted hours. My difficulty arises in managing holiday entitlement. The Directors of the Company subscribe to an HR Advise Service who advised them at the outset of the reduced working hours, that all staff should retain their holiday entitlement as if they were working their normal contractual hours. The net result is that most are accumulating untaken holiday which if they all took it at once, there wouldn't be a work force for me to manage which would obviously damage the company further and endanger jobs. The position is even more complicated in so much that a few have over the period obtained temporary or possibly permanent employment on the days that they don't work here. Naturally the other company is affording them holiday pay as well.

 

The majority of staff are concerned that the build up of untaken holiday is a potential 'time bomb'. Apparently the Advise Service do not have any suggestions as to how to deal with this other than instigating a redundancy programme which no one wants to happen. Whilst I personally benefit from the increased holiday ratio I am worried that this situation if it continues will damage the company and will certainly make my job even more difficult. I also have doubts about the initial advice given to the Company Directors as it does not seem logical that a person can effectively double their holiday entitlement ration.

 

Has any one any advice as how this should be dealt with or could comment on the original advice given?

[Guest Old_andrew2018]

Have you considered making a telephone call to ACAS, they may well be able to direct you

[Uncertain]

Sorry but I don't see how they have "doubled" their holiday entitlement by this.

 

There is a legal right to 5.6 weeks paid holiday per year. That is 5.6 of their weeks so somebody who only works 5 hours a week gets 5.6 x 5 hour weeks off.

 

Presumably the normal rules for agreeing holiday dates still apply? The number of weeks each person is going to be absent remains the same as if they were working full time.

 

Sorry if I am missing your point but I can't spot the problem.

[Bigredbus]

Your workforce accrues holidays entitlement proportionally to their hours worked, unless their 'contract' of employment states otherwise.

 

...and since most of them work outside your company, they would accrue holidays with their alternative employer.