Staff holidays

Linking two threads together, maybe I should be encouraging as much holiday as possible through late summer and take on a vet student? Preferably one who likes camping...

A thought that hadn't occurred to me until now.

Get a nice mobile home and take on multiple vet students ideally ones that are still applying for vet school rather than actually going in September the year you need them... In your advert for this mention that you will write a singing reference for them- if they measure up...
 

Dr. Alkathene

Member
Livestock Farmer
Holidays for four/five people is a piece of pish. Try 50+ with " Boss boss already booked flights to see family in Poland/Rumania/Thailand" "Need to look after kids over half term as partner has to work" Even had one guy who wouldn't book a holiday but always produced a Sick line for half term!

Having a plan shows everyone you are in control:

1 Display a holiday calendar

2 Black out calendar for periods when holidays aren't allowed (calving, breeding, Christmas) Highlight periods when holiday's must be taken

3 All holiday requests in writing please

4. You (employer) return holiday request within 14 days, marked either Approved or Denied (pref with reason) If Request not returned within 14 days , holiday is automatically granted

5. All staff expected to book all their annual holiday by 1st July

6. After 1st July you can allocate holidays if staff have failed to book (give twice as much notice as length of holiday allocated-eg two week's notice of 1 week's holiday.

PS remember holidays don't need to be full weeks!


But of a faff but it puts you in control-ensures holiday's taken at quiet times, everyone can see it's fair as can be and encourages everyone to plan time off.
Put start of holiday year on calendar ie book 2021 from 01/01/21, or 01/03/21 or whenever your holiday year runs from / to.

Block out the weeks / days on the calendar as people book them and get them approved. So others don’t try and book days / weeks at the same time.
 

Keep On

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
SW
If our guys want to go away on their weekend on, they have to sort cover with each other. It doesn’t go down too well and we try and avoid it at all costs. Last resort I’ll cover it.
 

bitwrx

Member
We have a team of 4 (incl me) on outdoor pigs.

The weekend rota is normally 1 day on every other weekend, so working 11 days in 14, but no more than 6 at a stretch.

The accepted practice is that a week's holiday starts at home time on Friday, and finishes at start time on the Monday. (The weekend day doesn't count as a day's leave, so to get 9 days off we only need to take 5 days' holiday.)
One of the team does any necessary weekend cover (1 day), safe in the knowledge that the favour will be reciprocated when they go on holiday. System works well, generally.

This year, people have clearly been reticent to 'waste' their holiday when they've not been able to go anywhere, but have nevertheless taken the odd week just to get a break from work. (I have my second ultra-local staycation coming up next week...)

As it is now, we've got some back to back holidays in August and a fair bit still to book in. As 'the boss' I'm taking last dibs, but that's also because I'm a single bloke and the rest of the team have families and school holidays to consider.

We do have a rule about taking holiday at regular intervals throughout the year, which gives us the power to decline holiday requests if required. I can't remember the details, but I'd imagine it's not been complied with this year. Do I care? No. It's been a slightly extraordinary year, so I'll just suck it up. We have a very good team here, and I'd like to keep them. They like and respect each other enough not to ask too much of their colleagues.
 
Last edited:
Location
southwest
People also need to think about holiday cover when deciding on staffing levels. Got one employee, you only have to cover his holidays, but in the case of C&G he has 4 staff plus himself, so for seven months/year, at least one person will be on holiday! Not far off the point when it might be better (and more cost effective) to have more staff, but working slightly fewer hours. If you have 4 people on 48hrs/wk, you are (or should be) paying 32 hrs O/T per week. Knock everyone back 6 hours (which I suspect they would appreciate) and you free up the money to pay 36 hrs basic.
 

Agriimark

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Worcestershire
Slightly different here as just arable, holidays are not normally taken through drilling/harvesting periods, some exceptions depending on work load/ time off needed. When me and mrs agrii, agrii juniors go on our travels it is normally a friday to monday so 3 days holiday. We get 28 days a year but 2 weeks off for christmas unpaid. Last year i booked my xmas break as holiday so still got paid. But had 14 days holiday un used when our new year started (april), cannot roll them days over to following year so my own loss. Planned a week this year but that went t*ts with covid so may just have a long break over xmas. Anybody want a worker? ?
 
Location
West Wales
we’ve managed to avoid this so far with everyone being self employed part timers and lots of them. Works quite well as normally everyone can pickup a few more milkings to cover.
where I used to work it was a semi unwritten rule that you don’t go away on your weekend on unless it’s like a wedding where you can’t set the date then we swap.
 

Martyn

Member
Location
South west
Cows & Grass arnt you a spring block calver? carnt you take a dam good holiday when dry, and maby run the cows on once a day for a while befor dry, surely that enough time to keep the wife happy and everone to recharge their batteries, I thought most block calvers work flat out for nine months, and relax for three! Never had so much time since going to once year block calving!
 
Cows & Grass arnt you a spring block calver? carnt you take a dam good holiday when dry, and maby run the cows on once a day for a while befor dry, surely that enough time to keep the wife happy and everone to recharge their batteries, I thought most block calvers work flat out for nine months, and relax for three! Never had so much time since going to once year block calving!
You've got your work balance the wrong way around. Work hard for 3 and chill for 9. Normally ends up work hard for 5 and chill for 7. Christmas to aug is our time, Aug- Christmas is cows time.
 

onesiedale

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Derbyshire
I'm not just going to just impose anything on them, just interested to see how others manage before I talk to them.
Its not uncommon in industry for employers to set factory holiday. Our neighbours, JCB, have factory shutdown for 2 weeks in summer and also over Christmas period. Employees have no choice on those dates.
 
Cows & Grass arnt you a spring block calver? carnt you take a dam good holiday when dry, and maby run the cows on once a day for a while befor dry, surely that enough time to keep the wife happy and everone to recharge their batteries, I thought most block calvers work flat out for nine months, and relax for three! Never had so much time since going to once year block calving!

Overall workload isn't really the issue, the last few years have been busy but tolerable. What's driving this now is that my eldest starts school in September and I don't want to just see her for an hour or so a day. We don't live on the farm so I'm not home for meals during the day.
 

Martyn

Member
Location
South west
Overall workload isn't really the issue, the last few years have been busy but tolerable. What's driving this now is that my eldest starts school in September and I don't want to just see her for an hour or so a day. We don't live on the farm so I'm not home for meals during the day.
that is hard going, im moved tenancys twice to make sure my family are next to me so totally understand! I feel very lucky as a Dad to say iv spent nearly as much time with my children as their mum.
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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