As Christmas approaches, I am once again left pondering life, the universe and everything HR-related. Where is my wandering star, I think to myself. Just when I thought I’d spotted it, it turned out to be a Boeing 757.
However, this divine piece of aeronautical inspiration did get me thinking: how much holiday is too much holiday? London Underground staff have won a holiday deal that gives them a whopping 52 days off every year. This is double the number given to the average Brit.
Now, I’m no fascist, but whatever the job, this seems absurd. The RMT says the work is dangerous and the hours are anti-social. Well try being a nurse. Or how about a social worker?
I think people should be rewarded and the more the merrier, as long as it can be sustained by your business. It looks to me like the unions are massing and will soon be back in a manner that would make Arthur Scargill proud. I feel like I’m in Lord of the Rings.
Employers are not the industrial despots of the past but the wealth creators of today, and we can’t do that if we’re forced to give our workforce the entire year off, preferably with a pay rise. Let us know how you feel.
HR Hartley is an HR director at large
