Annual leave cancelled

[24lemons]

My employer has sent out a company wide email stating “planned holidays should not be taken in the next 6-8 weeks” then goes on to say “we can appreciate that days need to be taken here and there, but in general booking block weeks should be avoided for this period.”

The reason given is that we are down on the first quarter of the year and being a seasonal business, the next 6-8 weeks are predicted to be busy.

This directly affects myself and 2 colleagues who all have holidays booked and paid for between now and the end of June.

Where do we stand if the boss tells us we can’t take our holidays? Where do we stand if we tell them we are going anyway as it’s already been authorised and paid for?

[HTP99]

I'd imagine if previously authorised then it's tough on them, however if booked and not authorised yet, then tough on you.

[bennno]

24lemons said:

My employer has sent out a company wide email stating “planned holidays should not be taken in the next 6-8 weeks” then goes on to say “we can appreciate that days need to be taken here and there, but in general booking block weeks should be avoided for this period.”

The reason given is that we are down on the first quarter of the year and being a seasonal business, the next 6-8 weeks are predicted to be busy.

This directly affects myself and 2 colleagues who all have holidays booked and paid for between now and the end of June.

Where do we stand if the boss tells us we can’t take our holidays? Where do we stand if we tell them we are going anyway as it’s already been authorised and paid for?

Why ask Randoms on here, pop and see your boss and tell him you want to help, but have a holiday booked which cost x and can't be moved.

Perhaps check if it can be moved first, if it can't then just advise that.

Perhaps they mean please dont plan and ask for time off - its very rare that any company would ask staff to cancel leave?

[blue_haddock]

HTP99 said:

I'd imagine if previously authorised then it's tough on them, however if booked and not authorised yet, then tough on you.

I'd agree that if they have been already authorised and you have booked your vacation then sorry but they cant stop you going.

Although it does sound like a case of the company flying close to the wind and not being sure they can get through the next few months.

[Douglas Quaid]

blue_haddock said:

HTP99 said:

I'd imagine if previously authorised then it's tough on them, however if booked and not authorised yet, then tough on you.

I'd agree that if they have been already authorised and you have booked your vacation then sorry but they cant stop you going.

Although it does sound like a case of the company flying close to the wind and not being sure they can get through the next few months.

OP is in the U.K. not USA.

[Muzzer79]

HTP99 said:

I'd imagine if previously authorised then it's tough on them, however if booked and not authorised yet, then tough on you.

This

The phrase

"but in general booking block weeks should be avoided for this period."

implies that this directive is for holiday you are planning to book, not holiday you've booked already.

[zedx19]

Wording of the email is clearer than the title of this thread, you aren't being asked to cancel any annual leave, you are being asked to refrain from booking any leave off during the busy period. As you already have leave booked, you are fine, if you now try and book leave though it'll likely be rejected. It seems entirely reasonable to me to ask staff to try and not book time off during a seasonal busy spell and they seem to have gone about this in a reasonable method. They already know who has leave booked, they are simply trying to keep staffing levels up to cope with the busy period.

[24lemons]

Thanks for your replies and yeah, the title is somewhat misleading, sorry about that!

Our management are in Ireland and are notoriously unpredictable and erratic so wanted to sound it out here.

[simon_harris]

24lemons said:

Thanks for your replies and yeah, the title is somewhat misleading, sorry about that!

Our management are in Ireland and are notoriously unpredictable and erratic so wanted to sound it out here.

Then it would perhaps be a good idea to validate that already booked leave will be honoured.

Simon

[CampoTheMexicana]

Unless your holiday is linked to a specific event (wedding/birthday/anniversary/etc.) ask them that you are willing to cancel the holiday on the condition that they can pay for the total cost of your rebooked holiday (same location/accommodation/flights/etc.) at a more convenient date - and if it coincides with school holidays then tough on them for extra cost.

If this is possible then you are giving them an amicable compromise, that way you remain on good terms and you still get your holiday albeit later on?

[vikingaero]

I've had holidays cancelled and expected my employer to pick up non-refundable costs which they did. I made it clear that I wouldn't be cancelling any holiday until the money was in my bank account. Amounts have ranged from a £400 for non-refundable Ryanair and el-cheapo hotel bookings to a European holiday c£2.5k.

[hotchy]

vikingaero said:

I've had holidays cancelled and expected my employer to pick up non-refundable costs which they did. I made it clear that I wouldn't be cancelling any holiday until the money was in my bank account. Amounts have ranged from a £400 for non-refundable Ryanair and el-cheapo hotel bookings to a European holiday c£2.5k.

I'd still go. It's much cheaper to find a new job than a new wife.

[HTP99]

hotchy said:

vikingaero said:

I've had holidays cancelled and expected my employer to pick up non-refundable costs which they did. I made it clear that I wouldn't be cancelling any holiday until the money was in my bank account. Amounts have ranged from a £400 for non-refundable Ryanair and el-cheapo hotel bookings to a European holiday c£2.5k.

I'd still go. It's much cheaper to find a new job than a new wife.

I guess if it is specifically written into ones contract that you may have to cancel any booked and paid for holiday, however it will be re-imbursed and any extra cost of re-booking will also be paid, then fine as that is what you've signed up for, however if not then no chance, regardless of re-imbursement.

[ralphrj]

24lemons said:

Where do we stand if the boss tells us we can’t take our holidays? Where do we stand if we tell them we are going anyway as it’s already been authorised and paid for?

An employer does have the right to cancel holiday so long as they give sufficient notice (The Working Time Regulations 1998 Regulation 15 (2)(b)) providing that they don't breach your statutory holiday entitlement.

The amount of notice has to be at least the same amount of time as the amount of time off you had requested. For example, if you were taking a week off then they must give you at least one weeks notice to cancel. Your contract of employment may oblige your employer to give more notice than that.

The employer is not obligated to compensate you if you have already paid (hopefully you have travel insurance).

If there is no genuine reason for cancelling the holiday then you may be able to claim constructive dismissal on the grounds that the action is a breach of implied duty of trust and mutual confidence.

I've never come across this happening in 25 years of work and doing it without compensation seems like a nuclear option that would guarantee people found a job somewhere else.

[davek_964]

ralphrj said:

The employer is not obligated to compensate you if you have already paid (hopefully you have travel insurance).

I'm not an expert in travel insurance T&Cs - but is "I had to go to work" really a valid enough reason for them to payout?

[u-boat]

Glad I don’t work for any of these kind of employers. We book our leave/days off etc months (at least 6 usually) in advance and the minute it’s booked it’s absolutely set in stone.

I’m quite shocked an employer could cancel or alter your leave.

[InitialDave]

u-boat said:

Glad I don’t work for any of these kind of employers. We book our leave/days off etc months (at least 6 usually) in advance and the minute it’s booked it’s absolutely set in stone.

I’m quite shocked an employer could cancel or alter your leave.

I'd be shocked at it happening here or in the EU.

In the US? Yeah, I can see that.

[u-boat]

InitialDave said:

I'd be shocked at it happening here or in the EU.

In the US? Yeah, I can see that.

I’m amazed how little leave they get in the US also, average is apparently something like 10 paid days a year.

[vindaloo79]

u-boat said:

InitialDave said:

I'd be shocked at it happening here or in the EU.

In the US? Yeah, I can see that.

I’m amazed how little leave they get in the US also, average is apparently something like 10 paid days a year.

Apart from tech firms like Netflix with on the face of it unlimited leave. Though anecdotally my mate says 45 days off seems the average for those pushing it.

[vindaloo79]

24lemons said:

My employer has sent out a company wide email stating “planned holidays should not be taken in the next 6-8 weeks” then goes on to say “we can appreciate that days need to be taken here and there, but in general booking block weeks should be avoided for this period.”

The reason given is that we are down on the first quarter of the year and being a seasonal business, the next 6-8 weeks are predicted to be busy.

This directly affects myself and 2 colleagues who all have holidays booked and paid for between now and the end of June.

Where do we stand if the boss tells us we can’t take our holidays? Where do we stand if we tell them we are going anyway as it’s already been authorised and paid for?

In the company I work for id expect the young guns would not even have noticed/read the email! Or at least intentionally acted like they had not.