CSC staff in the US have been forced to take a compulsory, temporary pay cut, and now staff in Europe are being told they must take five days leave before 1 April to help the company hit its targets for the financial quarter.

In an internal email – seen by the Register – Andy Williams, CSC's president and CEO, wrote: "We are asking all employees to take at least five days of their annual leave by 1st April 2011."

In return, staff who take the five days will get an extra day of holiday added to their allowance for the year.

The email asks all line managers to ensure their direct reports have booked their week off before 11 February.

The mail said that it might be impossible for staff to take all five days before 1 April but: "In such cases, the employee should be encouraged to book as many days as they are able. Such exceptions will require approval from the relevant member of the UK Board for your part of the business."

The message ends by promising the compulsory holidays will have "a substantial positive effect on our financial performance this quarter", which is nice.

A CSC spokeswoman in the UK refused to comment on this story. ®