Work colleagues

[Doctor]

It's a bizarre situation with my work at the moment, things have slowed to a crawl, we were already a fairly up-to-date department before lockdown and were anticipating things getting busier in the months before Covid halted everything. I was furloughed for 3 weeks in April but asked to come-back to work after that despite the regulations in Scotland meaning we can't actually do the on-site things that would generate my work.

Right now theres work to do but only enough for maybe 2 hours a day, my boss is keeping fairly distant other than the odd weekly phonecall just for a chat and a catchup. I'm kind of anxious about job losses because I essentially share 50% of a overall job with someone else and if people do get made redundant things like that will be the first target. The person I do share the job with is much more dedicated than I'll ever be despite having more life commitments than I can count.

I have desperately enjoyed a lot of aspects of the lockdown, the same tank of fuel I put in my car in March has 200 miles left, although I miss going to restaurants or even getting takeaways (which stills feels oddly wrong) I'm making more of an effort in cooking meals and doing a bigger variety than spaghetti bolognese and mince n' chips. Just not having to drive and commit 9 hours a day to travel and sitting in an office has changed the pace of life for the better. 

The only thing causing me real anxiety is whether my job will continue long-term, and if so, will this change of working culture be a permanent one. Its really opened my eyes that its never been working I dislike, it's the environment around it and the expectations that come with it. 

 

 

[D.A.F.C]

I take it you mean pre-booked to tie in with furlough? Your employer cannot force you to take a holiday. 

We were forced to take a weeks holiday for the first week of lockdown.

[Derry Alli]

11 minutes ago, D.A.F.C said:

We were forced to take a weeks holiday for the first week of lockdown.

What did your union say? 

[Spring Onion]

1 hour ago, Mr. Alli said:

What did your union say? 

We are being threatened with taking some of our floaters at the end of the month, union are consulting but apparently they can do it whether we like it or not. Could get ugly as they have been working flat out during this pandemic to fill our warehouses and now they are talking about reducing hours and forcing holidays. 

[D.A.F.C]

What did your union say? 

What union?

It sucks and theres little we can do about it. Did get paid 100% for being furloughed though but still seems odd.

[Robin.Hood]

If people at our work had been off for 12 weeks they had 2 of the weeks used as holidays. ( our holidays run from April to April). Many return next week but a handful will still have to stay off but they will still get fully paid

However majority of my colleagues are still arseholes. 
Social distancing has been a good laugh, people wearing masks has been a good laugh and the one way system is evening more amusing.
Other than that i am glad i still have a job.

[GordonD]

2 hours ago, Mr. Alli said:

Your employer cannot force you to take a holiday. 

Tell that to Ally McCoist.

[Theroadlesstravelled]

1 hour ago, Mr. Alli said:

What did your union say? 

Probably something along the lines of “We’re powerless to do anything.”

[NJ2]

Of course they can. It's not a pleasant thought but employers can 100% dictate when holidays are taken.As long as they give you 2 days notice for every day you are asked to take.  
Clearly some people will have contractual agreements that would not allow employers to take this route.
 
 

Can you show me the legislation stating this please? Not only because I don’t think it’s true but my employers are encouraging we take at least a third of our holidays before end of July. They can f**k off, they’re my holidays, I’ll decide when I take them and it’s un-fuckin-likely I’ll be taking them when I can’t do anything.

[Robin.Hood]

3 minutes ago, NJ2 said:

Can you show me the legislation stating this please? Not only because I don’t think it’s true but my employers are encouraging we take at least a third of our holidays before end of July. They can f**k off, they’re my holidays, I’ll decide when I take them and it’s un-fuckin-likely I’ll be taking them when I can’t do anything.

Cant they say no to a certain week you may want off? Don't you have to put holidays in from the start of the year?

[NJ2]

Cant they say no to a certain week you may want off? Don't you have to put holidays in from the start of the year?

Aye, they could just deny any we put in but it’s unlikely that’d happen. Allocation is from start of Jan to end of Dec.

[Robin.Hood]

Just now, NJ2 said:

Aye, they could just deny any we put in but it’s unlikely that’d happen. Allocation is from start of Jan to end of Dec.

So you already have your allocation of what holidays you have this year? I have one coming up end of June, i'm not going anywhere ( was meant to be) but i need to take that week off unless i get it on another week where nobody else is off, we can not carry holidays over ( following April)

[NJ2]

So you already have your allocation of what holidays you have this year? I have one coming up end of June, i'm not going anywhere ( was meant to be) but i need to take that week off unless i get it on another week where nobody else is off, we can not carry holidays over ( following April)

Nah, we get 28 days to take when we want over the year. Now they’re ‘encouraging’ us to take 10 days off before the end of July. I had a long weekend in April for something that was cancelled and same coming up, I won’t be booking any other days to do f**k all.

[Moomintroll]

34 minutes ago, G_Man1985 said:

If people at our work had been off for 12 weeks they had 2 of the weeks used as holidays. ( our holidays run from April to April). Many return next week but a handful will still have to stay off but they will still get fully paid

However majority of my colleagues are still arseholes. 
Social distancing has been a good laugh, people wearing masks has been a good laugh and the one way system is evening more amusing.
Other than that i am glad i still have a job.

Are your guys back next week G_Man? Our sheltered colleagues have had their lockdown period extended to the 1st of July.

[Robin.Hood]

1 minute ago, NJ2 said:

Nah, we get 28 days to take when we want over the year. Now they’re ‘encouraging’ us to take 10 days off before the end of July. I had a long weekend in April for something that was cancelled and same coming up, I won’t be booking any other days to do f**k all.

I get certain amount of days to take within 12 months that i book in to make sure others don't take that week off. I do keep a few days in case i need them for something or usually just take a weekend off in March. 
If you dont book any other days do you just lose them?

[Robin.Hood]

1 minute ago, Perkin Flump said:

Are your guys back next week G_Man? Our sheltered colleagues have had their lockdown period extended to the 1st of July.

Some are back next week, some are sheltered until 29th June, An email came down to say roughly who is coming back, phone calls should of been made beforehand (today or yesterday).
 

[NJ2]

I get certain amount of days to take within 12 months that i book in to make sure others don't take that week off. I do keep a few days in case i need them for something or usually just take a weekend off in March. 
If you dont book any other days do you just lose them?

Unless I’ve something to book them for, I’m not booking days off. I don’t really plan ahead unless it’s a stag do or wedding to attend, other things will come up and I’ll book it as I go.
If I don’t book them at any point in the year I’ll lose them unless there is a reason for it (ie I’ve been working away from home, or management refused without reason).

[Derry Alli]

34 minutes ago, Theroadlesstravelled said:

Probably something along the lines of “We’re powerless to do anything.”

I'm massively against unions as, in the past, they've been useless for me personally. My work is pushing big time against a certain group and it's hilarious seeing the "I am God" being downgraded two days later then pushing another way, before bottling it again. 

If your union say they're powerless, go elsewhere.

[Honest_Man#1]

14 minutes ago, NJ2 said:

Nah, we get 28 days to take when we want over the year. Now they’re ‘encouraging’ us to take 10 days off before the end of July. I had a long weekend in April for something that was cancelled and same coming up, I won’t be booking any other days to do f**k all.

I do understand why businesses are encouraging people to take days off (as annoying as it is). If everybody doesn’t take holidays until November-December time then there would be no way of everyone getting their time off.

[Bully Wee Villa]

The government have said employers should allow people to carry over ten days into next year's leave entitlement. Unless it is different in Scotland, but I'd be surprised if the SNP were more anti-employee than the Tories.

It's perfectly reasonable that people might want to wait until they can do something they really enjoy to take their holidays.

Edited June 6, 2020 by Bully Wee Villa