In this in depth thought piece, our Head of HR Advisory, Lirette Mill, tackles the thorny issue of priority annual leave for parents and offers some key takeaways for organisations to consider.
I was recently asked to be a guest on a radio show to answer this question and as you would expect I gave a very legalistic HR response.
The statutory position is that all employees are entitled to 5.6 weeks’ holiday per annum. This equates to 28 days’ holiday for an employee who works full-time. Organisations can, however, decide to grant more holiday leave than the statutory minimum and this is likely to be set out in an employee’s contract and/or terms and conditions of service.
So, you would think the answer to the question should parents get priority leave is therefore simple and set out by statute with the simple answer being ‘No’.
As a parent of young children, it is crucial for me to take time off to care for my children during the school closure periods not only to be able to enjoy a family holiday and spend quality time with my children but also to provide care and supervision to them whilst their respective schools are closed. If my employer had to deny my request for leave what position would that leave me in? How does that make me feel towards my organisation?
On the flipside I have a legal entitlement to leave, and I want to request to use that when I want, whether I have dependents or not.
We all know that holiday leave is crucial for employees as it significantly contributes to overall well-being and productivity. Taking time off allows us to rest and recharge, which helps prevent burnout and reduces stress levels. A break from work can lead to improved mental health, increased creativity, and better job satisfaction. Moreover, such leave provides the opportunity to spend quality time with family and friends, fostering stronger personal relationships. Therefore, prioritising holiday leave is a win-win for both employees and employers.
This however still does not answer the question… should parents be given preferential treatment with regards to booking and taking leave over those without dependants?
The answer is there is no simple answer.
At HR Connect we have a flexible approach and will try to accommodate requests as far as reasonably practicable considering both the business and employee needs. In our organisation we naturally find that parents book leave during the school closure periods, and other employees purposefully choose to book leave outside of such times often to capitalise on the lower cost of holidays during these periods.
As organisation we need to acknowledge and consider that parents will want to take annual leave during the school holidays. On the other hand, always giving parents priority could cause unrest and reduce the morale for other employees who do not have children. At worst, you could have employees leave the organisation as a result or submit a grievance citing the unfairness of the rule.
To avoid losing staff or causing upset it will be about considering the sector which you operate in and the culture of your organisation to ensure that fair allocation of holidays forms part of the internal strategy.
Things to consider:
Fundamental to ensuring an equal environment as an employer is to have a clear procedure in place that employees should be aware of when requesting to take holidays. Of course, it is important to bear in mind that whilst employees can request to take holidays, it is for the employer to determine whether such a request has been accepted or not.
Will having both those employees off in the same two weeks in August be so detrimental to the business to deny one of the requests? You may want to consider implementation of a hybrid approach. Priority to parents during the summer six-week closure period with all other school closure periods all staff being equal to book leave as and when without priority being given to parents. It will be a decision for your organisation as to the positives and negatives with such a hybrid approach with the underlying question do we really need to mandate this?
We may see a shift in the future, and we have certainly already seen political moves to have more family friendly legislation and policies in the workplace, so who knows what the future holds! The key take-away is parents do not by law have a right to be prioritised when booking and taking leave and if this is an organisational issue you are currently facing then consider all your employees and the impact of such change and how this aligns with your organisation culture and vision.