annual leave , not gettting 4 weeks

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2118 posts

Uber Geek

#3313984 28-Nov-2024 23:24

SepticSceptic: If the management are running that thin, and staff are stressed,
then I suspect an insolvency or similar coming soon.

What happens if some one has taken a week of sick leave?

Cash in as much annual leave as you can, because that's real money in the hand.

That's what I'd worry about too. Having a large annual leave accrual and having it vanish.

nzkc

1572 posts

Uber Geek

#3314046 29-Nov-2024 07:21

mudguard:

That's what I'd worry about too. Having a large annual leave accrual and having it vanish.

Companies are supposed to keep the cash available for leave not taken in case the person leaves and it must be paid out. Which is why lots of companies dont like you carrying much of a leave balance as thats money they cannot invest into the business. However; even with the scant information provided I suspect thats not happening either and I too would be asking to have some paid out.

Goosey

2829 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#3314047 29-Nov-2024 07:23

If you are intent on taking leave February, then put it in writing and give notice of the February dates.
At least that gets a paper trial.

paper trails are vital…. Don’t be emotional, just factual and reasonable.

cddt

1553 posts

Uber Geek

#3314054 29-Nov-2024 08:04

nzkc:

Companies are supposed to keep the cash available for leave not taken in case the person leaves and it must be paid out. Which is why lots of companies dont like you carrying much of a leave balance as thats money they cannot invest into the business. However; even with the scant information provided I suspect thats not happening either and I too would be asking to have some paid out.

I don't think they necessarily have to keep cash available, rather it's a liability on the balance sheet.

^^ I am not an accountant.

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muppet

2568 posts

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#3314055 29-Nov-2024 08:06

I hope you are pooping 100% on company time.

Audiophiles are such twits! They buy such pointless stuff: Gold plated cables, $2000 power cords. Idiots.

OOOHHHH HYPERFIBRE!

geek3001

63 posts

Master Geek

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#3314058 29-Nov-2024 08:11

You may wish to consider anonymous correspondence with MBIE to report the situation.

I have been away from the office for a few years, however the way things used to work was that employers were required to give their staff time off as part of ensuring that that the staff had time away from work for rest and recuperation.

Expecting staff to work all year and only have the twelve statutory holidays scattered through the year and a short break during the Christmas - New Year period was considered insufficient resulting in stressed staff, especially with health and safety in mind.

Most well-run companies usually have a specific date each year (annualisation date I think we called it), by which all staff must have reduced their outstanding annual leave entitlement to no more than say twenty days paid annual leave. Accruing leave above that figure needed to have a very good reason.

The old Dept of Labour that is now part of MBIE used to have people to review companies payroll records, in terms of how much accrued leave staff had as that implied both stress-related issues for staff as well as financial implications for the employer as the need to allow for the payroll cost for the accrued leave where too much leave was being accrued.

A very good explanation was required by the employer to the payroll inspectors to explain staff with high accrued leave, as well as an explanation for why many staff were no being paid annual leave.

Your situation sounds like a real problem. Among other thoughts, perhaps ask the boss how big a mess he would find himself in if most if not all the staff walked out en masse and left him to it.

Certainly if some staff decide to leave, the situation and stress for the remaining staff will be even worse.

sidefx

3711 posts

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#3314062 29-Nov-2024 08:35

I just wondering the best way to handle not getting my 4 weeks annual leave .
Ive been there 2 years , and have accrued just over 5 weeks of paid holiday leave due.

My work recently switched to "awarding" leave annually instead of monthly in our payroll system. Kind of sucks as it looks like I'm way down on my leave balance, but will be getting a bunch on my start anniversary date next January. Could that be the case for you and that's why leave balance looks low?

Though I guess regardless of the answer to that, this would be a massive red flag for me and probably make me shop around for a new job:

Today the boss told us the days we will be closed for xmas , and said because of the weeks closed that we have off, he wouldnt expect anyone to ask for time off for the following 3 months : ie the time summer months .

"I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there." | Octopus Energy | Sharesies
- Richard Feynman

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cddt

1553 posts

Uber Geek

#3314080 29-Nov-2024 09:50

geek3001:

Most well-run companies usually have a specific date each year (annualisation date I think we called it), by which all staff must have reduced their outstanding annual leave entitlement to no more than say twenty days paid annual leave. Accruing leave above that figure needed to have a very good reason.

Meanwhile I've seen leave balances of over 100 days. Including at some big name companies (listed and unlisted).

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trig42

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#3314082 29-Nov-2024 10:06

sidefx:

I just wondering the best way to handle not getting my 4 weeks annual leave .
Ive been there 2 years , and have accrued just over 5 weeks of paid holiday leave due.

My work recently switched to "awarding" leave annually instead of monthly in our payroll system. Kind of sucks as it looks like I'm way down on my leave balance, but will be getting a bunch on my start anniversary date next January. Could that be the case for you and that's why leave balance looks low?

Though I guess regardless of the answer to that, this would be a massive red flag for me and probably make me shop around for a new job:

I took the OP as the over 5 weeks of accrued leave is what they currently have after having taken some leave (including the close down days they had last Christmas). Therefore, they have 5 weeks of A/L 'remaining' that they can't use as the boss won't grant A/L when the employee wants it.

I just checked mine - I work in the NZ arm of an AU listed company. Our annual leave is calculated pro-rata and I currently have 330 hours (over 8 weeks). In a normal year, I probably use 2-3 weeks A/L a year (mostly 1 or 2 days at a time extending public holidays into longer weekends). Luckily for us, there is never any stress about when A/L is taken. We don't shut down over Christmas, but we do run in low-staff mode. I'm taking 4 weeks in a row next March - I've pre-warned my managers and we are planning for it. It's good to feel valued and have a job where it feels like the company values you and your 'away from work' time.

To the OP - I don't know what field you work in. I'm assuming not retail as they wouldn't be shutting down over the break? There are always people looking for good staff though - recession or not.

sen8or

1789 posts

Uber Geek

#3314090 29-Nov-2024 10:07

Not exactly your responsibility as an employee, but you could help your cause if you reduce the barriers / arguments against leave -

The period you are looking at taking time off, what will happen to your workload? Can you talk to others about temporary cover / redistribution on the basis that you will do the same when they take leave.

Is the period you are wanting off likely to be a high demand period?

Is there any time critical tasks that will be missed when you are away, organise backup / a plan for how these will be done.

Again, this is usually something a manager would have to organise or think about when approving leave for a staff member, but if someone came to me with those points already covered, it would make it much harder to say no

sidefx

3711 posts

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#3314095 29-Nov-2024 10:22

trig42:

I took the OP as the over 5 weeks of accrued leave is what they currently have after having taken some leave (including the close down days they had last Christmas). Therefore, they have 5 weeks of A/L 'remaining' that they can't use as the boss won't grant A/L when the employee wants it.

Ahhh yes, I read it slightly differently initially, but that makes more sense.

PS: I'm underpaid at my current job, but work somewhere where they are very flexible with annual leave and have recently tried to avoid extended enforced shutdowns. TBH it's the only reason I stay where I am...

"I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there." | Octopus Energy | Sharesies
- Richard Feynman

mudguard

2118 posts

Uber Geek

#3314162 29-Nov-2024 13:05

geek3001:

Most well-run companies usually have a specific date each year (annualisation date I think we called it), by which all staff must have reduced their outstanding annual leave entitlement to no more than say twenty days paid annual leave. Accruing leave above that figure needed to have a very good reason.

When I was working for a bank a decade ago, they started emailing you once your balance was over two weeks to encourage you to keep an eye on it and actually take it. The issue we had were more senior staff in branches not taking leave then taking two months off and the whole branch would just stop.

My current employer used to have four weeks plus a fifth, but only if you took it. No one ever did so they got rid of it and just gave another 2.5 days every year. My balance is quite high now but I travel for work so have parts of my week where I'm literally just going home on Friday with nothing else to do so haven't felt the need to use leave as badly as when I had a desk job.

MadEngineer

4274 posts

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#3314169 29-Nov-2024 13:19

wellygary:
Legally you can ask your employer to "cash up" or pay you for one week of annual leave a year, If you are being prevented from taking your leave ask they to pay you part of it

https://www.employment.govt.nz/pay-and-hours/pay-and-wages/leave-and-holiday-pay/cashing-up-annual-holidays

If they point blank refuse, then I would seriously start looking around for another place to work.....

Watch for the extra tax penalty on this.

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

SomeoneSomewhere

1804 posts

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Lifetime subscriber

#3314182 29-Nov-2024 13:29

You will get the extra tax back at the end of financial year.

1101

3122 posts

Uber Geek

#3314275 29-Nov-2024 19:01

Just an update.

Today I discussed the issue of annual leave with some other workers there . Its an ongoing issue from before I started there
One of the supervisors brought all this up with the owner yesterday , he told the owner/boss he shouldnt be letting staff run up many weeks of unused holidays . Just to give stressed workers a break if nothing else .
One of the other staff is owed more than 3 months annual leave . I think that alone shows me how these things work there .

The problem is, being understaffed , there is no one to cover if someone takes a week off , expect in Jan when its very quiet .
But thats a management issue, its not a employee issue.

So I can only look at it as : I'll get paid out a few thousand when I leave (hopefully next year sometime)
Looks like its not going to change .

There are 2 other workers who have been there just over a year , so it will be interesting when they realize they cant get there 4 weeks either .

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