There are eight bank holidays a year in England and Wales, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Early May Bank Holiday, Spring Bank Holiday, and Summer Bank Holiday. In 2022, due to Her Majesty the Queen celebrating 70 years on the throne, there will be a further Bank Holiday on 3 June.
If you are unsure about whether or not you have to pay your employees if they do not work on a bank holiday, our Employment Law Solicitors have provided this brief guide to help you.
In this article, we explain everything you need to know about bank holidays.
Working on bank holidays
You might be wondering if employees have a legal right to take bank holidays off. You may be surprised to learn that it is up to you whether or not your employees have to work on a bank holiday. Furthermore, if you choose to close your workplace on a bank holiday you can insist that your employees take the time off as part of their annual leave entitlement. However, many employees have the right to bank holidays written into their employment contract with their employer.
Extra bank holiday in 2022
Do you have to pay staff if they take the extra bank holiday in 2022? As with normal bank holidays, there is no statutory right for employees to have a paid day off or be paid extra if they come into work on 3 June next year.
Watch out for ‘statutory entitlement plus bank holidays’ wording in your employment contracts
Your employment contracts will dictate whether or not you have to pay extra to staff who work on a bank holiday and if they are entitled to a paid day off if your business is closed. Many employers choose to pay bank holidays in addition to the 28 days annual leave that employees are entitled to as a gesture of goodwill and to retain talent. It’s important that the wording in your employment contracts is clear as to whether you include bank holidays within that 28-day allowance or if you offer them in addition. This is, however, entirely at your discretion.
As an employer you will need to look at how you will approach the additional bank holiday. If you have any questions about your employees’ bank holiday entitlements or if you need to draft an employment law contract for your staff, please talk to one of our Employment Law Solicitors.
Get legal assistance from LawBite
At LawBite, our expert Employment Law lawyers are ready to help you and answer all your questions regarding commercial and employment law. They can give you legal advice, review your contract of employment and draft new agreements for you. If you have doubts about your staff paid holiday entitlement, do not hesitate to contact us!
