Maths problem re pro rata leave...

[quimcunx]

A related question.

I recently saw a job add which offered the opportunity to work a 9-day fortnight. You worked the same number of hours as everyone else, but fit 10 days worth of hours into 9 days and got one day at home every two weeks. But here's the thing: you got less annual leave than everyone else. 20 days instead of 28 days (for example. I can't remember the exact figures).

How does that work? How does having flexible hours diminish your right to days off?

Presumably you should always find the lowest common denominator (hours worked?) and work out the pro rata holiday or it's just not fair. Terribly unbritish.


*waits for kabbes*

 

[kabbes]

Presumably you should always find the lowest common denominator (hours worked?) and work out the pro rata holiday or it's just not fair. Terribly unbritish.


*waits for kabbes*

Yeah.

In short, you are (for example) working 7.77-hour days instead of 7-hour days and doing them in 9 instead of 10 days. That way you are still doing 70-hour fortnights.

However, every time you have a day off, you are getting 7.77 hours off instead of 7 hours off. It's like you are getting one normal day plus 1/9 of an extra day.

So if the normal holiday allowance is 28 days then this translates to 196 hours, which is 25.2 "long days". So you should have about 25 days off instead of 28 days off.

 

[Biddlybee]

Ah... that'll be why I don't work in HR anymore

 

[kabbes]

That and a desire to save your soul, I would imagine.

The past tense of pro rate is pro rated, by the way. Pro rata is the adjective.

 

[Santino]

Yeah, that all makes sense. I guess.

 

[Biddlybee]

That and a desire to save your soul, I would imagine.

The past tense of pro rate is pro rated, by the way. Pro rata is the adjective.

That too was a tiny charity and I wasn't trained in HR, so was a bit of a shambles. Still like to know about employment law though.

I had an inkling that it might be pro-rated, but didn't sound right.

 

[Ms T]

Yeah.

In short, you are (for example) working 7.77-hour days instead of 7-hour days and doing them in 9 instead of 10 days. That way you are still doing 70-hour fortnights.

However, every time you have a day off, you are getting 7.77 hours off instead of 7 hours off. It's like you are getting one normal day plus 1/9 of an extra day.

So if the normal holiday allowance is 28 days then this translates to 196 hours, which is 25.2 "long days". So you should have about 25 days off instead of 28 days off.

Exactly. Which is why I only get 19 days holiday or similar, in theory.

 

[RubyToogood]

Managed to end up having a huge row with my colleague over this yesterday as he dug his heels in and refused to see any logic in the way I was working it out... Still hoping to wangle a bit of extra leave somehow as it's a rude awakening being full time again.

So... whilst part time I was working half days every day except Fridays (full day). Does that mean I've done myself out of bank holiday time by not taking bank hols into account?

 

[kabbes]

So... whilst part time I was working half days every day except Fridays (full day). Does that mean I've done myself out of bank holiday time by not taking bank hols into account?

If you were doing half days EVERY day then it would make no difference.

The fact that you were working a single full day means that it theoretically makes a small difference. However, Fridays tend to work out fairly neutrally because Good Friday is always on a Friday and one of Christmas Day or Boxing day has a 40% chance of being a Friday (and New Years Day if the former). So given your precise working pattern, it probably happened to balance out. Maybe the odd half-day one way or other, but I wouldn't worry about it.