No annual leave for a year after I start work?

[overscan]

I've been told that in New Zealand I won't be entitled to any annual leave until I've worked for a whole year.

Is this correct? I'm resigned to less leave (used to get 28 days, plus Christmas week off, plus bank holidays in England) but it seems a bit of a raw deal to have to work for a whole year without any time off....

And here I was thinking New Zealand was all about a better work/life balance

[Milliemoo]

Yup, not all companies do this, but it's fairly common.

You accrue a years worth of holiday in your 1st year, but you can't take any paid leave until after the 1st year. Seems bonkers to me cause if you leave the company they have to pay you a whole heap of holidays in one go.

My employer let me take unpaid leave though in the 1st year.

Milliemoo

[cappuccino]

I had that with the first company I worked for here and another thing they put in the contract was NO sick leave for the first 6 months!!

[Kerry and David]

That is the policy for the Company that David works for, although he can take unpaid leave.

[peebles16]

Yup pretty standard although some let you take what you have accrued month on month if that makes sense (OH organisation did). Thank goodness for time off in lieu and unpaid leave

Karenx

[BadlyDrawnGirl]

When I was there I was working through an employment agency (Hudson) and I was allowed to take my paid holiday/sick leave as soon as I'd accrued it…but then things might be different on the permanent side of things.

[chocolate cake]

I've been told that in New Zealand I won't be entitled to any annual leave until I've worked for a whole year.

Is this correct? I'm resigned to less leave (used to get 28 days, plus Christmas week off, plus bank holidays in England) but it seems a bit of a raw deal to have to work for a whole year without any time off....

And here I was thinking New Zealand was all about a better work/life balance

Crikey, that's ridiculous. I get less hols than had in UK, but I certainly wouldn't have accepted that if it was rigidly enforced.

[M-Squared]

I can take my time off up to 2 weeks in "debt" to my employer, and get the statutory 4 weeks off per year. Depends on the company.

[CJ22]

My employer said that that was 'technically' the case, but he didn't know anybody who actually enforced that. He said most places let you take leave as you accrue it, as it wasn't in anybody's interest to let it pile up. My company has an enforced shut-down over xmas anyway, so we have to take 6 days leave, accrued or not.

[dharder]

And here I was thinking New Zealand was all about a better work/life balance

Certainly not for me, quite the opposite in fact.

Apart from that, I can take leave as soon as I have accrued it, and have taken all that plus unpaid in the first six months, but have asked for that before signing the contract.

Does anyone have a website equivalent to the DTI site in the UK where one can look these things up?

Daniela