Managing Annual Leave During The Festive Period
- Robinson Grace HR
- Nov 17, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 5
There are numerous challenges to overcome when managing annual leave over the Christmas and New Year period, especially if your annual leave year runs from January to December.
Christmas often brings an unprecedented number of annual leave requests, so here is some helpful guidance to help you prepare and manage leave fairly and compliantly.
Managing annual leave
Christmas may be your busiest time of year, so it’s important to plan ahead. Talk to staff early and encourage them to book leave at regular intervals throughout the year.
Whether you have a self-service system, paper forms, or a central spreadsheet, managers should monitor how much annual leave employees have left to take and prompt them to book unused entitlement.
Carrying over annual leave into future leave years
The statutory holiday entitlement in the UK for a full-time worker is 5.6 weeks (28 days for a full-time employee) an allowance for bank holidays, divided into two parts:
1.6 weeks – can be carried forward into the next leave year if this is agreed in writing (e.g. in a leave policy).
4 weeks – generally must be taken in the leave year it relates to and cannot be carried over.
Additional contractual holiday (above 5.6 weeks) may have its own rules for carryover, depending on your policy.
However, there are exceptions. Employers must allow up to four weeks to be carried forward if:
The worker was unable to take holiday due to long-term sickness (to be used within 18 months of the leave year it was accrued), or
The worker was unable to take holiday because of statutory family leave (e.g. maternity, adoption, or shared parental leave).
Employers also risk carryover being required if they fail to:
Give workers a reasonable opportunity to take leave, or
Inform workers that untaken leave will be lost at the end of the leave year.
Do employees have the right to take annual leave over Christmas?
Not necessarily. Unless contracts state otherwise, annual leave requests are just that, requests. Employers can refuse requests, particularly where demand is high, but should do so fairly and in line with their leave policy.
It’s important to ensure employees understand your approach to festive leave well in advance. Some businesses are especially busy at Christmas, while others experience a natural slowdown. Both scenarios are valid reasons to manage leave carefully.
Can employers require employees to take leave over Christmas?
Yes. Employers can instruct employees to take leave at specific times, such as between Christmas and New Year.
Best practice is to give this information at the start of the holiday year and ensure it is written into contracts or communicated clearly. By law, employers must give at least double the notice of the leave being taken (e.g. 10 days’ notice for 5 days’ leave).
Need some assistance?
Simply pick up the phone to discuss what you might need on 01793 311937 or email us via clientservices@robinsongracehr.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can employees insist on taking Christmas off?
No. Employees are entitled to 5.6 weeks of statutory holiday per year, but employers control when it can be taken. Leave requests can be refused if business needs require, provided decisions are fair and consistent.
2. How much notice must an employer give if they want staff to take holiday?
Employers must give at least twice the length of the leave period as notice. For example, to require staff to take 5 days of holiday, 10 days’ notice must be given.
3. Can unused holiday be carried over into the new year?
Generally, only 1.6 weeks can be carried forward if this is agreed in writing. The 4 weeks of EU-derived statutory leave must usually be taken in the year, except where the employee was on long-term sickness, statutory family leave, or where the employer failed to provide a reasonable opportunity to take holiday.
Need some assistance?
Simply pick up the phone to discuss what you might need on 01793 311937 or email us via clientservices@robinsongracehr.com.
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The content of our blogs is intended for general information and not to replace legal or other professional advice.
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