Help with POAL Query - I'm so confused!

peshwaarinaan · Post by **peshwaarinaan** » 28 Mar 2017, 15:58

Hi can anyone help me please?

I'm on a 20 hour contract, four 5 hour shifts so my AL entitlement is 18 days. I bought POAL from April last year and received a letter from HR saying that I had purchased 7.5 days.

I've been trying to sort out my annual leave entitlement for months and months with the person who does the rosters and have managed to pin him down this week. He said he can't enter 7.5 days as the maximum entitlement is 24 days for me = an extra 6 days on top of my standard 18.

I pay £6.71 for POAL and by records and I have paid a total of £339.29 over the 2016/2017 financial year which looks over and above what I would pay for 6 days.

Please help. My brain has turned to mush!!!!!

Post by **TrueBlueTerrier** » 28 Mar 2017, 17:49

The important thing isn't the amount of hours you do, but the number of days you work per week.

18 days makes it sounds as though you work 4 days. So the book room guy is right to make it up to 6 weeks (24 days) you only need 6.

On starting at RM to get 6 weeks leave via the POL system its costs 3% of your pay. Which means your gross pay should be around £223, that is in the right area - but double check my figures with HR, and also check that what they told you about the 7.5 days just to make sure. I think they got it wrong.

Post by **97gaz** » 28 Mar 2017, 18:36

peshwaarinaan · Post by **peshwaarinaan** » 28 Mar 2017, 18:56

TrueBlueTerrier wrote:The important thing isn't the amount of hours you do, but the number of days you work per week.

18 days makes it sounds as though you work 4 days. So the book room guy is right to make it up to 6 weeks (24 days) you only need 6.

On starting at RM to get 6 weeks leave via the POL system its costs 3% of your pay. Which means your gross pay should be around £223, that is in the right area - but double check my figures with HR, and also check that what they told you about the 7.5 days just to make sure. I think they got it wrong.

Thanks TBT, that explains it much better. Yes my gross pay is £223 so 3% would be £6.69. Sounds like it's a typo from HR's end but I will check it out.

peshwaarinaan · Post by **peshwaarinaan** » 28 Mar 2017, 19:00

97gaz wrote:It's all about the hours. If you've less than five years service then your annual leave entitlement is 22.5 days. To take you up to the the max 30 days you would need to buy 7.5 days. So the letter from HR is correct but based on a five day week at 4 hours a day. 7.5days @4 hours a day is 30 hours that you've bought.

If you're doing a 4 day week it's a five hour day so your bought 30 hours will get you 6 days. Added to your 18 you already get on a four day week gives you 24 days in total or 6 weeks holiday

At a pay rate of £10.57 after a year this 30hours would be £317. Given that we are paid other things such as delivery supplement while on leave I would think those figures you quoted were pretty much in the right ball park.

Thanks 97gaz for your comment too. That does sound right when you put it like that. From what you've said about it sounds like HR have forgotten to amend the template when they've typed my letter! I just didn't want to be diddled!!!!!!!! ps yes I'm on a 4 day week

rubberbond · Post by **rubberbond** » 28 Mar 2017, 19:35

peshwaarinaan wrote:
97gaz wrote:It's all about the hours. If you've less than five years service then your annual leave entitlement is 22.5 days. To take you up to the the max 30 days you would need to buy 7.5 days. So the letter from HR is correct but based on a five day week at 4 hours a day. 7.5days @4 hours a day is 30 hours that you've bought.

If you're doing a 4 day week it's a five hour day so your bought 30 hours will get you 6 days. Added to your 18 you already get on a four day week gives you 24 days in total or 6 weeks holiday

At a pay rate of £10.57 after a year this 30hours would be £317. Given that we are paid other things such as delivery supplement while on leave I would think those figures you quoted were pretty much in the right ball park.[/quotetheir st
Thanks 97gaz for your comment too. That does sound right when you put it like that. From what you've said about it sounds like HR have forgotten to amend the template when they've typed my letter! I just didn't want to be diddled!!!!!!!! ps yes I'm on a 4 day week

Royal Mail diddling their staff,how dare you accuse them of such treachery "our people" mean nothing to,you?

Post by **wacko74** » 29 Mar 2017, 05:55

Peshwaarinaan - Can I just ask out of curiosity, you say you're on 20 hours over 4 days (so 4x5 hour days)... do you actually do a duty that can be achieved in 5 hours or are you just expected to book overtime every day?

peshwaarinaan · Post by **peshwaarinaan** » 29 Mar 2017, 17:57

rubberbond wrote:
peshwaarinaan wrote:
97gaz wrote:It's all about the hours. If you've less than five years service then your annual leave entitlement is 22.5 days. To take you up to the the max 30 days you would need to buy 7.5 days. So the letter from HR is correct but based on a five day week at 4 hours a day. 7.5days @4 hours a day is 30 hours that you've bought.

If you're doing a 4 day week it's a five hour day so your bought 30 hours will get you 6 days. Added to your 18 you already get on a four day week gives you 24 days in total or 6 weeks holiday

At a pay rate of £10.57 after a year this 30hours would be £317. Given that we are paid other things such as delivery supplement while on leave I would think those figures you quoted were pretty much in the right ball park.[/quotetheir st
Thanks 97gaz for your comment too. That does sound right when you put it like that. From what you've said about it sounds like HR have forgotten to amend the template when they've typed my letter! I just didn't want to be diddled!!!!!!!! ps yes I'm on a 4 day week
Royal Mail diddling their staff,how dare you accuse them of such treachery "our people" mean nothing to,you?

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! RM treat their staff so well!..................not

peshwaarinaan · Post by **peshwaarinaan** » 29 Mar 2017, 18:01

wacko74 wrote:Peshwaarinaan - Can I just ask out of curiosity, you say you're on 20 hours over 4 days (so 4x5 hour days)... do you actually do a duty that can be achieved in 5 hours or are you just expected to book overtime every day?

Hi wacko, I've been doing 3 days a week for about 6 months which is a 6 hour 40 shift. The DOM was getting pissed off because people were finishing way too early so it wasn't cost effective. I loved 3 days too! I've been starting at 9 this week. On Monday we got back to the office at 13.10 so I booked off at 13.30 with my break, Tuesday we booked off at 13.20 and today was 14.30. Tomorrow I'm on a new duty so I will deffo be booking OT. I'd rather do 3 longer days than 4 shorter ones but even with 5 x 4 hour shifts I won't be booking much OT.