Page 28 - Thomas Franks Handbook

7. HOLIDAYS & OTHER LEAVE
7.1 Holidays i. Your entitlement.
Your paid holidays entitlement is detailed in your contract of employment or on the statement of terms and conditions of service given to you when you started with the company. From April 2009, all Thomas Franks contracts will show annual holiday entitlement inclusive of bank holidays as a minimum of 28 days (pro rata) per annum.
ii. Booking Leave.
You should complete a Holiday Request Form and agree any holiday dates with your line manager at least one month in advance and prior to making any travel bookings. Holidays will be agreed on a first-come first-serve basis and will not be authorised if there is insufficient cover at your site or from the Relief Team on the requested dates. If a holiday request has been reasonably refused and you fail to attend work on those same dates without an acceptable reason, the matter will be treated as unauthorised absence and considered to be serious misconduct. For managers & relief management staff/head chef please avoid requesting holiday during June and December due to business demands.
iii . Shut-down Periods
If your location operates a ‘shut-down’ period, you will be advised of this as soon as possible or during your induction training. In these circumstances, you will be expected to take your holiday during these periods.
iv. Holiday Year
The Thomas Franks holiday year runs from 1st of January to 31st of December and you must take your holiday entitlement during the year in which it is earned. You will not ordinarily be permitted to carry holiday entitlements from one year to the next, or be permitted to take extended or unpaid leave, unless in exceptional circumstances. As a fair organisation should we allow one individual to take extended or unpaid leave, we would be bound to agree to the same principles for all our colleagues. This is not practical within the service environment within which we work therefore it is highly unlikely that any such request will fairly be able to be granted. Leave of up to 10 consecutive days is the maximum permitted period
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