bank holiday question...

[LittleLegsCM]

question for you please ladies & gents ...

If a parent requests to take bank holidays as 'holiday' (as in they book them as holiday) do you take this off their holiday 'entitlement' OR do you give them bank holidays as extra holiday (Obviously this is only relevant if you work/charge for B/Hs)

For example, I give my parents 4 weeks half pay holiday. I now have a parent requesting 4 weeks h-p holiday PLUS the option to take all B/Hs as 'extra half pay holiday'. As far as I am concerned (at the moment) I am available for work but if parents want to take it as holiday, thats their choice & fine by me however I dont think I should give them extra half pay holiday to do so, it should come out of their normal entitlement but the parent is saying this is unfair on them.

WYO???

[miffy]

I charge in full for parents holidays and BH's.

If I've understood your post correctly then parent wants 4 weeks holidays at half fees plus a further 8 BH's at half fee? I think that's cheeky but it depends what you have written into your contract.

Miffy xx

[cathtee]

Well, I charge full fee for all parents holiday and don't charge for mine, I do charge for bank hols and all my parents have them off anyway
so I get them off paid, so i have never limited how many weeks they take, not much help to your question but thought you may like to know how
someone else works out hol pay.

[LittleLegsCM]

If I've understood your post correctly then parent wants 4 weeks holidays at half fees plus a further 8 BH's at half fee? I think that's cheeky but it depends what you have written into your contract.

Thats exactly what they're asking! My contract states normal fee if child doesnt attend but is a contracted day and double fee if they do attend. I dont stop a parent taking them as holiday if they want to but as far as Im concerned that should be taken within their holiday entitlement but this is what they're saying is unfair.

[appleblossom]

I also allow 4 weeks holiday at half pay but don't work Bank Hols and don't charge for them. But if I was prepared to work them (which it seems you are) and they don't need to use the service I would expect either full pay or for the half pay days to come out of the four weeks they are allowed. I wouldn't give them the Bank Hols at half on top of the four weeks. Have you actually specified tht payment for Bank Holidays is at full rate if the service is not used?

[LittleLegsCM]

Have you actually specified tht payment for Bank Holidays is at full rate if the service is not used?

Yeah, they were aware of it which is why the last few b/h's they requested to take them as holiday. I let them do it as obviously holiday is there for them to take as they please but now they've finally got the point (after me telling them a few times) that they now haven't got enough (half pay) holiday to take the 2 weeks over Christmas off which they wanted, they're demanding I should do b/h's separately as "they are government set holidays" ???

[miffy]

Thats exactly what they're asking! My contract states normal fee if child doesnt attend but is a contracted day and double fee if they do attend. I dont stop a parent taking them as holiday if they want to but as far as Im concerned that should be taken within their holiday entitlement but this is what they're saying is unfair.

Then your contract is clear and they have signed their agreement to it. If they now want to change things then they must give you notice of however many weeks it says in the contract - you either agree the changes or the contract is terminated and they have to find another childminder who will accept their terms.

Personally I would stand firm on this one because if you give way then I think other demands will follow!

As for BH's being treated separately, I believe that employers can count BH's as part of the annual holiday entitlement they do not have to give them on top. Whatever, you are self-employed and set your own rules.

Miffy xx

[winstonian]

Tell them that it is too complicated to work out so from now on all holiday is full pay!

[buildingblocks]

I don't charge for my time off or BH as I am not available to work and full fee for the child's time off

Previously though I used to allow 4 weeks holiday or the equivalent so if child a attended 5 days a week parent was entitled to 20 days and another whose child attended 2 days a week was entitled to 8 days. Holiday

I used a simple table with 4 rows of 5 cells with any not to be used blacked out so second parent had 12 squares blacked out and 8 left usable when they were used I put the dates in so there was no mistakes remembering how many they had used

As for your parent the bank holidays come out of their entitlement for holidays they are trying to pull a fast one plain and simple