To commemorate the Queen’s platinum jubilee year, celebrating 70 years on the throne an additional bank holiday in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is taking place on Friday 3 June 2022.
It is likely most employers will already have a process for bank holidays however this should be reviewed to factor in the additional bank holiday for this year.
Employees do not have an automatic right to paid time off on a bank holiday. Whether or not employees are entitled to an additional day’s holiday will depend on the wording of the employment contract. For example:
- If the employment contract states that the employee’s annual leave entitlement is a certain number of days plus bank holidays, they will be entitled to the additional day off.
- If the contract states that the entitlement is to a certain number of days, and is silent on the issue of bank holidays, the employee will not be entitled to an additional day’s leave.
- If entitlement is expressed as a certain number of days “plus eight bank holidays”, or if the contract specifies which bank holidays are included, the employee will not be entitled to an extra day.
Where employees do not have a contractual entitlement to paid time off on the additional bank holiday, employers should consider providing this as a gesture of goodwill, where possible, or providing time off in lieu if employees are required to work on that day.
Employment law is often subject to changes and therefore it is vital that employment contracts are reviewed periodically to remain up to date and legally compliant. If you would like professional advice on employee contracts for your business, or you have questions about staffing your business over bank holidays, please do not hesitate to contact us.