Scrapping bank holidays?

Re: Scrapping bank holidays?

Kim Buckley — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 10:52:29 GMT

I've booked the 3 days off in-between. Hello 11 days off! Yay!

Re: Scrapping bank holidays?

Gemma Harrison — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 09:25:15 GMT

My boss said to me last night that he didn't mind closing. He said he didn't think that he would loose any money, as animals will still be ill, and so still need to be seen. They will either come in and pay a surcharge or they will come in another day. I think he might be right.

Re: Scrapping bank holidays?

Deemus — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 09:07:50 GMT

Hmmmm. I'm still yet to get a decision from the boss as to whether we're closed or not on that day. The surrounding practices are closed but the emergency guys are there as usual. I can imagine everyone else's clients ringing us to avoid the OOH fee. Not that I mind being busy, it's the potential bad debt quota that worries me.

The trouble is, he's now on holiday for a week and then I'm off the following week, returning on the Weds before the royal wedding. Fun times! As an aside, it'd be lovely to book 3 days holiday to get 10 days off - who wouldn't love that? It's just that in this game it's not so easy!

Re: Scrapping bank holidays?

Phrin Vernon RVN — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 01:06:21 GMT

[quote user="BengalcatRVN"]

7 days in a week isn't enough for some of us!

To be honest I do think, in some cases, it is more cost effective to be closed on that day. I agree with you comments, but then thats when they want to get married, can't say "hey, that's really not conveniant to be honest, change the date"

[/quote]

Ahh but Bengalcat, I think we can all rest assured that this was the day they were advised to get married on!

Probably to get public support thanks to another long weekend! they probably wanted to get married on a Wednesday in March

Re: Scrapping bank holidays?

BengalcatRVN — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 00:57:17 GMT

7 days in a week isn't enough for some of us!

Re: Scrapping bank holidays?

Gillian Mostyn — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 22:41:38 GMT

[quote user="Steph Worsley"]Unfortunately Gillian it has been declared a public holiday by the government[/quote]

Just in name, with no legal rights attached. People are still only entitled to 28 days off this year.

Don't get me wrong - my staff will either be off or get a day off in lieu - I just dislike how some employees seem to have missed that it is their employer who is taking the cost of this extra day off, not the government or the royal family!

The problem isn't the extra day off - at any other time of year it would be a nice bonus for my staff. But putting it in a 4 day week, surrounded by other 4 day weeks, was badly thought out. When you only operate mon-fri it is just impossible to fit in all the work you need to fit in in 3 days!

bah humbug!

Re: Scrapping bank holidays?

Vicky RVN — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 21:57:23 GMT

[quote user="Nick Shackleton"]

If practices are planning on scrapping bank holidays all together then they have to give you extra holiday entitlement. Full time workers (ie those working 5 days per week) are entitled to 28 days, so if they plan on scrapping bank holidays they will have to increase you leave entitlement to at least 28 days per year

[/quote] I don't know about anyone else but i'd rather have no bank hols and take 28 days when I choose, can then go places when it's quiet rather than the normal bank hol busyness.

Re: Scrapping bank holidays?

Sal the 1st — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 19:20:00 GMT

[quote user="Laura James"]

[quote user="Sal the 1st"]

[/quote]

Your lucky! My practice is usually busy on a bank holiday, Christmas day was no exception and the nurse was on duty was in the building pretty much all day (and they werent true emergencies that had to be seen that day) so on the wedding day we are pretty much running normal services (but with 5/6 vets instead of 11, 1 receptionist instead of 5 and pretty much all the nurses!) - we are just shutting the branches. But we will get a day off in lieu - no extra pay (we dont get paid extra on normal bank holidays)

[/quote]

I did say unless you were a busy practice if you work for a practice with a single vet that doesnt have your degree of busy -ness and certainly nothing like your number of staff you tend to find that public holidays barring emergencies are very quiet and even if you are open a good few clients will assume you are not so wont bother to book in

Re: Scrapping bank holidays?

Steph Worsley — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 18:49:27 GMT

[quote user="Gillian Mostyn"]

You misunderstood me. The royal wedding isn't a bank holiday/public holiday etc at all. If employers chose to shut, or grant a day off in lieu, it is purely their choice.

[/quote]

Unfortunately Gillian it has been declared a public holiday by the government

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/DG_192663

Re: Scrapping bank holidays?

Gillian Mostyn — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 18:44:23 GMT

You misunderstood me. The royal wedding isn't a bank holiday/public holiday etc at all. If employers chose to shut, or grant a day off in lieu, it is purely their choice.

Re: Scrapping bank holidays?

Laura James — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 18:41:35 GMT

[quote user="Sal the 1st"]

[/quote]

Re: Scrapping bank holidays?

BengalcatRVN — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 17:26:35 GMT

A bank holiday is a public holiday in both the United Kingdom and Ireland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population not employed in essential services (e.g. utilities, fire, ambulance, police, health-care, public transport workers) receive them as holidays; those employed in essential services usually receive extra pay for working on these days. The first official bank holidays were the four days named in the Bank Holidays Act 1871, but today the term is colloquially used for public holidays which are not officially bank holidays, for example Good Friday and Christmas Day.

Copy and pasted from Wikipedia

Re: Scrapping bank holidays?

Gillian Mostyn — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 15:35:27 GMT

[quote user="Nick Shackleton"]But, also see it from the point of view of the employee. Its a bank holiday which we are in theory entitled to.[/quote]

Actually it isn't. You have no legal right to it at all.

Re: Scrapping bank holidays?

lskm 23 — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 14:02:05 GMT

We are open as normal on the wedding day. I must say I dont mind as we do close for all the others.

Re: Scrapping bank holidays?

Sal the 1st — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 13:57:03 GMT

A lot of factories did away with bank holidays a very long time ago. I have worked a few places where the only gauranteed holidays were christmas day and boxing day - the rest were just added onto your holiday entitlement and for some places your holiday was dictated by 'shutdown' ie you could only take holiday during shutdown and no other time and yes that is legal. I wouldnt have a problem working bank holidays because there is only myself to consider but as I am dependant on public transport I would expect a higher wage to compensate for my higher transport costs on these days. I really dont think a royal wedding warrants a day off - sorry but thats how I feel about that.

As for what the practice would gain? well unless its a busy hospital with lots of inpatients not a lot from what i observed - you find most people who have the bank holiday off have better things to do than trollying off to the vets unless its an emergency. I used to work for a corporate where Good Friday was a normal working day - the place was dead because the majority of normal people had buggered off to Alton Towers, Thorpe Park or the like

Re: Scrapping bank holidays?

BengalcatRVN — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 13:39:39 GMT

We have lots of bank holidays, altho I offered to work 29th at the emergency clinic as my other half is working. Picked my shift, sorted!

Hope they don't get rid of them :/

Re: Scrapping bank holidays?

Nick Shackleton — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 13:14:40 GMT

I used to work for a practice where the boss said that Good Friday was a normal day as he couldn't afford to be shut for 4 days! We got an extra day off.

I now work for the NHS and our trust has locally agreed to treat the Royal Wedding Bank Holiday as a normal day. Anyone who works will get a day off in return for working. My lieu day lands on that friday so looks like I've got 4 days off!

I can understand why practices and other organisations are not wanting to be shut for 4 whole days. Especially in larger organisations where they have more than one member of staff on site. Think its far more cost effective to give ppl time back rather than pay them extra.

But, also see it from the point of view of the employee. Its a bank holiday which we are in theory entitled to.

Re: Scrapping bank holidays?

Nicola Smith — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 12:46:07 GMT

So what is everyones practices doing - we are open as normal for the wedding one, and also good friday.

Re: Scrapping bank holidays?

funkyfish — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 11:00:16 GMT

I wish I got paid extra for Bank holidays! no chance!

Re: Scrapping bank holidays?

Katie Mansfield — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 10:50:37 GMT

The way Easter/May Bank Hol has worked out this year is a bit much - we finished college yesterday for the Easter break and our next lecture isn't til May 5th!!!!!!!

I dunno about Wills and Kate running their own business but they may have thought differently if they had kids - mine are off for 2 wks and a Bank Hol, in for 3 days then off for another 2 days (wedding and Bank Hol), then off for the election/referendum, back in for 2 wks then it's half term again!!

Next year it probably won't be so bad (good from a kids point of view!!!!)

K x