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RETAIL: Do You Know the Holiday Rules?
Listed under: News
Published: Thursday, November 29, 2007
An online tool has been launched to help retailers calculate how much holiday staff have left after the total annual entitlement was increased in October. But one member of the craft industry says this will not be enough to counter the confusion caused by the new legislation.
“I really think the Government could have been clearer when they brought in this increase,” says Nicola Fickling, marketing executive for Trimcraft. “A lot of people were in doubt as to whether the new rules affected them and this could have been solved by the Government releasing more information on the whole issue.”
To help work out how many days leave staff have left, members of The Forum of Private Business (FPB) can use the organisation's new holiday entitlement calculator at http://www.fpb.org/page/391 Phillip Moody, the FPB's Senior Member Services Representative, says the changes in holiday legislation – which raised annual entitlement from four weeks to 4.8 – have been seen by many as an extra burden. “Questions on employee holidays have become some of the most frequently received by the FPB's member helpline,” he explains. “The calculations for part-time workers and employees working variable hours are often beyond the ability of many to work out so we have therefore dedicated a whole section in our new employment guide on how to calculate holiday entitlement.”
Ms Fickling believes the FPB needs to raise the profile of the calculator in order for it to be effective. “It's an OK tool, but it can be a lot of effort for people to try and find it,” she explains. “It definitely needs to be marketed successfully for retailers to even realise it's there.”
“I really think the Government could have been clearer when they brought in this increase,” says Nicola Fickling, marketing executive for Trimcraft. “A lot of people were in doubt as to whether the new rules affected them and this could have been solved by the Government releasing more information on the whole issue.”
To help work out how many days leave staff have left, members of The Forum of Private Business (FPB) can use the organisation's new holiday entitlement calculator at http://www.fpb.org/page/391 Phillip Moody, the FPB's Senior Member Services Representative, says the changes in holiday legislation – which raised annual entitlement from four weeks to 4.8 – have been seen by many as an extra burden. “Questions on employee holidays have become some of the most frequently received by the FPB's member helpline,” he explains. “The calculations for part-time workers and employees working variable hours are often beyond the ability of many to work out so we have therefore dedicated a whole section in our new employment guide on how to calculate holiday entitlement.”
Ms Fickling believes the FPB needs to raise the profile of the calculator in order for it to be effective. “It's an OK tool, but it can be a lot of effort for people to try and find it,” she explains. “It definitely needs to be marketed successfully for retailers to even realise it's there.”
