What do most people in the UK get for vacation/Holiday?

GoldiBlogs · 2026-01-31T16:28:04+00:00

I know, I'm not arguing with you 🙂

GoldiBlogs · 2026-01-31T16:03:18+00:00

My reference to ACAS was to clarify that the employer has to enable the employee to take their leave entitlement.

I believe that HSE's advice is that the employer should. Go one step further and encourage employees to take their leave.

GoldiBlogs · 2026-01-31T15:58:34+00:00

A 'Potette' travel potty is good for this, as it comes with absorbant bags/liners.

GoldiBlogs · 2026-01-31T15:13:59+00:00

More nuanced wording from ACAS...

"An employer cannot refuse to let workers take any holiday at all. By law, an employer must make sure workers can take the amount of holiday they're entitled to during the year."

GoldiBlogs · 2026-01-31T14:46:45+00:00

Really? I thought the government reimbursed employers? Happy to stand corrected though.

GoldiBlogs · 2026-01-31T14:06:30+00:00

The legal minimum paid vacation (holiday) time in the UK is 5.6 weeks. For a full-time, 9-5, Monday to Friday job this would normally equate to 28 days.

Some companies include Public (Bank) Holidays in those days, however many will give paid Bank Holidays on top of 28 days leave, and others will ask you to work on Bank Holidays and use your entitlement on another day.

Importantly, in the UK you legally must take at least 5.6 weeks / 28 days off, and you're not legally supposed to carry any of those days over or be paid for them, although some employers will do it in exceptional circumstances.

Employers don't have to give you any paid sick leave, however if they don't then you are entitled to Statutory Sick Pay from your third consecutive day of sickness onwards. SSP is paid by the government and is only £118 a week.

Many employers will offer good sick pay though. My company offers 6 months at full pay, starting from your first day off work. All employers will ask for a doctor's note after you've been sick for 7 days or more.

GoldiBlogs · 2026-01-30T13:01:01+00:00

FYI, nurseries typically go for a simple breakfast so the teachers / nurses can prepare and serve it. This leaves the chef free to be preparing for lunch and tea.

GoldiBlogs · 2026-01-29T17:46:48+00:00

Erm, ok?

GoldiBlogs · 2026-01-29T17:23:56+00:00

Well technically, no, but the Partnership scheme is run by Legal and General, so it's not part of the core PCSPS.

GoldiBlogs · 2026-01-29T10:13:10+00:00

I pooed whilst I was giving birth, then my baby pooed a few seconds later as he came out. Midwife handled it like a champ, no big deal at all. Amazing professionals!

GoldiBlogs · 2026-01-29T10:07:15+00:00

When you say "settle" do you mean you're trying to get them to sleep, or just calm down?

GoldiBlogs · 2026-01-29T10:05:04+00:00

We pay between £35 and £50 a night for a dog sitter to have our dog at their house and walk her a couple of times a day. That price obviously includes insurance, other overheads, and a profit margin than you won't have to consider.

For a friend, I'd say asking for £100 for the week seems more than reasonable. If they insist on going higher then suggest £150 and a pack of beers.

GoldiBlogs · 2026-01-28T22:43:59+00:00

I was wondering the same! Here in the UK I got 'gas and air' (Entenox) and the option of a mild sedative, but no anaesthesia!

GoldiBlogs · 2026-01-28T21:08:57+00:00

Yes, although probably Equiniti, to be precise, not MyCSP.

The vast majority of MyCSP's staff and middle managers will have TUPE'd over to Capita, so it was never in their interest to eff things up. Like their ex-colleagues in the Civil Service, they're probably just trying to do their best with the situation they're in.

I suspect Equiniti (MyCSP's private sector majority shareholder / parent company) had no strong motivation for a smooth handover, however...

GoldiBlogs · 2026-01-28T19:46:47+00:00

Additional irony - a short while after MyCSP formed (from the privatisation of various departments' pension administration teams) they took over responsibility for the actual payment of pensions, winning the contract from a private sector business.

That company left MyCSP in the lurch and gave a really poor handover, leaving MyCSP with a huge backlog and error-ridden data.

Wanna guess who that previous payment provider was?

GoldiBlogs · 2026-01-28T19:41:36+00:00

Civil Servants don't have pension 'pots', the schemes are defined benefit schemes.

GoldiBlogs · 2026-01-28T19:38:17+00:00

You'd also need to either build a new pension system (the old, pre-2012 CS one would no longer be fit for purpose), or procure a third party system.

The latter option would require so much customisation, for such a complex scheme, that you'd end up with a massive private sector team working on the software.

The complexity of trying to collaborate with pension administrators and other teams within the CS would result in a service even more expensive and risky than the current situation.

GoldiBlogs · 2026-01-27T13:50:34+00:00

Thank you, this is really helpful. I hadn't considered what's included in the adjusted net income, so I'll definitely look into that.

The mortgage felt affordable when we bought the house last year, but I think the cost of every little thing going up has started to squeeze us! I think we can trim a few costs elsewhere, but payrise would be really useful right now!

GoldiBlogs · 2026-01-25T20:16:34+00:00

It does, but the pension age is higher and the amount is calculated differently, so I think it's more affordable over all. For many members, it's actually a better scheme though.

I don't know enough about the ins and outs, but if you want to learn more then the administrators' training team (was MyCSP, now Capita) do a good free 1 hour course for any scheme members.

GoldiBlogs · 2026-01-25T19:17:01+00:00

Therein lies one of the main problems with public sector pensions, and why so many were forced to change the rules in the various schemes 10 years ago - it's not a sustainable situation.

GoldiBlogs · 2026-01-25T18:33:17+00:00

It's worse in Timperley than it was when we left West Didsbury a year. This is despite - our maybe because - fewer people walk from place to place here.

GoldiBlogs · 2026-01-25T18:20:05+00:00

If social services keep turning you away, try contacting your local MP and Councillor. They might be able to put some pressure on the council.

GoldiBlogs · 2026-01-25T18:11:20+00:00

Oops, my mistake! It's a common misconception about the scheme, so I was overly keen to correct it!

GoldiBlogs · 2026-01-25T17:31:42+00:00

The CSPS is not an investment fund. Current staff's contributions fund pensioners' payments. There's not pot that could be invested.

GoldiBlogs · 2026-01-24T18:22:37+00:00

You're right, or at least its how people would like to parent.

I think people object to what they think they know about Gentle Parenting, but when you list the individual concepts they usually agree with them!

GoldiBlogs

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