Like many of you, all of us at View HR have been deeply saddened about the passing of Queen Elizabeth II at her Balmoral Estate in Scotland.  She was a constant in our lives and it will be strange for a while getting used to life without her.  She was such a dignified leader and dedicated her life to the service of others.

Her death follows 10 days of national mourning before the funeral takes place on Monday, 19 September for which King Charles III has announced a bank holiday.

So, how will businesses manage this extra bank holiday?

We believe most employers will grant this extra bank holiday to their staff, but for some, it may not be possible, either due to financial constraints already in these difficult times or just because of the type of work they undertake.   

Firstly, you will need to check your contract of employment.  If the contract states “20 days paid holiday in addition to the usual bank and public holidays”, you can decide whether to grant the extra bank holiday as additional leave, or by insisting employees take it as part of their existing entitlement.

If, however, the contract states “20 days paid holiday plus bank holidays”, this fails to stipulate which bank holidays are included, therefore, as an employer, you will have to fund these days for your employees.

In our experience, many employers have chosen to grant the extra days to their employees as a motivational/engagement opportunity. 

But, what about exceptions?

For employers who do grant the extra day, you will also need to consider how to manage exceptions, such as employees who are not scheduled to work on that day, employees who are required to work due to the nature of the role.

Examples of exceptions are:

• Part-time employees

Part-time employees who do not normally work on a Monday may ask for an additional day of holiday if they see their full-time counterparts (or part-timers who do work Fridays) being granted one.

• Employees off on long term sickness absence

Employees who are ill, either self-certified or under a doctor’s certificate, may say they were too sick to enjoy the ‘holiday’ and therefore, they should be granted an extra day at another time.

• Employees on maternity leave

Employees continue to accrue annual leave when on maternity leave and may ask for the extra day for the extra bank holiday.

• Employees required to work the day

If employees are required to work, they may request an extra day of holiday to take at another time.

What if you decide NOT to grant the extra day and you have employees who have already used all of their holiday?

This one is tricky, there are several things you could do though:

• Grant them the day and ask that they make up the hours
• Grant them the day and bring a day forward from their next leave year
• Grant them the day and deduct the days’ leave from their salary (ensuring you gain their written consent to this)

If you need help with this topic, please get in touch with View HR.