Monday 19th September 2022 has been officially declared a bank holiday by our government so that we can mourn the passing of Her Majesty The Queen and many businesses, including some large retailers, have confirmed they will be closing for the day.
But legally, where do employers stand on whether they need to allow an additional paid day of leave for their teams?
There’s no statutory right in the UK for employees to have time off for bank holidays, and it all boils down to how your contract of employment is worded.
Your contract may specify a number of days inclusive of bank holiday, or it may separate out a number of days plus bank holiday. It may even specify the number of bank holidays or the actual names of the bank holidays.
You may also have information in your staff handbook about bank holidays and what happens if the government do announce additional days.
If your contract allows you to not give an additional day off, we’d suggest considering the same approach that you took for the jubilee bank holiday – to change your approach could be seen as unfair and may also demotivate the team.
Whatever you end up doing, its worth taking into account the human consideration – this is an extremely emotional time for some people and there is no doubt it is an historical moment for our nation. Denying your team the opportunity to commemorate it may not be taken well.
If you’d like some advice on whether you legally have to give an additional day to your team, please don’t hesitate to call or email us.
Do you have questions about holidays?
Give us a call at CUBE HR, we’ll be happy to advise you and we have policies and templates available to meet every HR need.
Why not check out our blog on a similar topic Saying No To Holiday Requests – 3 Things You Need to Know
We also have a YouTube channel with loads of handy videos
