Few questions now I've switched.

[smok3y666]

I will have to find out for sure how the holidays work but i'm sure i was told that they print the list off staff off and it goes in order of seniority and they go down that list top to bottom asking people what holidays they want. If that is the case then isn't that the same thing as letting those who have been there the longest have first choice? They get pick of the holidays? Surely it should just be when you can start booking holidays you just approach the manager and request leave, then if too many off, on that day/week then some arragement has be agreed upon?

Also the coach guy sorts holidays in our depot? Isn't it a managers job to sort leave out?

[Zicomurphy]

In our office leave is split into 2 picks. Everyone picks their first choice, up to 3 weeks but must be consecutive dates if you want more than one week. When this is finished your leave card is returned and you choose your remaining weeks. At least that way nearly everyone gets their first pick.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Surely an office can have a system where people request what holidays they want on a first come first served basis?

You could but the problem is current agreement say that all leave for the following year should be planned and resourced by October. If you left people to book the leave as and when they wanted then your a likely to have more requests at certain times of the year than others. The current system means the requests are made early so people can adjust and plan accordingly.

The other, and probably the biggest reason why they do it this way is to make sure everyone, with decent management and procedures, gets their full entitlement. The ad-hoc system would undoubtedly mean that as the leave is ending there are more requests than can be fulfilled and people would need to carry leave over, exacerbating the problem for the next year.

Most places where I have worked you get to take leave with only a few weeks notice. But with Royal Mail, it just isn't possible because they run so tight on the hours.

I will have to find out for sure how the holidays work but i'm sure i was told that they print the list off staff off and it goes in order of seniority and they go down that list top to bottom asking people what holidays they want. If that is the case then isn't that the same thing as letting those who have been there the longest have first choice?.

Yep that's the definition of seniority and is not allowed.

Also the coach guy sorts holidays in our depot? Isn't it a managers job to sort leave out?

It is, but they can delegate. In my office the Line Managers sort annual leave for their area, and the DOM for ad-hoc. In other offices it can be the book room, the Union Rep and I suppose now a Coach. As long as the system has been agreed between the Union and RM any way of organising it is okay.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

In our office leave is split into 2 picks. Everyone picks their first choice, up to 3 weeks but must be consecutive dates if you want more than one week. When this is finished your leave card is returned and you choose your remaining weeks. At least that way nearly everyone gets their first pick.

Yep, that's how we do it.

Oversubscribed weeks are posted on the notice board and volunteers are asked to switch if they want. If they are still oversubscribed then all names go into a hat, regardless of seniority.

[awesomepenguin]

Surely an office can have a system where people request what holidays they want on a first come first served basis?

You could but the problem is current agreement say that all leave for the following year should be planned and resourced by October. If you left people to book the leave as and when they wanted then your a likely to have more requests at certain times of the year than others. The current system means the requests are made early so people can adjust and plan accordingly.

The other, and probably the biggest reason why they do it this way is to make sure everyone, with decent management and procedures, gets their full entitlement. The ad-hoc system would undoubtedly mean that as the leave is ending there are more requests than can be fulfilled and people would need to carry leave over, exacerbating the problem for the next year.

Most places where I have worked you get to take leave with only a few weeks notice. But with Royal Mail, it just isn't possible because they run so tight on the hours.

I will have to find out for sure how the holidays work but i'm sure i was told that they print the list off staff off and it goes in order of seniority and they go down that list top to bottom asking people what holidays they want. If that is the case then isn't that the same thing as letting those who have been there the longest have first choice?.

Yep that's the definition of seniority and is not allowed.

Also the coach guy sorts holidays in our depot? Isn't it a managers job to sort leave out?

It is, but they can delegate. In my office the Line Managers sort annual leave for their area, and the DOM for ad-hoc. In other offices it can be the book room, the Union Rep and I suppose now a Coach. As long as the system has been agreed between the Union and RM any way of organising it is okay.

I hear what you are saying. But I know people who work in councils with over 200 staff in a workplace and they can manage to run the system of requesting holidays. Also my partner is head of HR in a private company with over 150 staff and she can manage to run a system that works.

But then Royal Mail just seems to be a complete enigma on all fronts. They can't do even the simplest of things right with out making a complete horlics of it. So I guess expecting them to run a system that requires them to actually think is too much to ask.

[buntin]

dont know about everyone else but no one knows what their first 2 weeks holiday is in our office yet !!! its an absolute joke , as some one pointed out correctly in this thread the whole list was supposed to have been completed by end october 2016 !!! ridiculous !!