skip to content
 

Holidays (Rules B22–B30)

As explained in the previous section, hours of work are calculated as an annual number of hours. The standard working week is 36.5 hours, although staff in some institutions work a longer week and thus earn additional days of leave.

The leave year normally runs from 1 October to 30 September and the normal annual leave entitlement for those working the standard week is 36 working days, not including Saturdays and Sundays, but including public holidays.

If you start work after the beginning of the leave year your leave entitlement for that year will be calculated pro rata to the proportion of the leave year remaining.

You will earn long-service leave at the rate of one day after nine years' unbroken service and thereafter one additional day for each period of three years' unbroken service up to a maximum of four days after eighteen years' service.

Payment for annual leave days will be made at the basic rate.

You must take your annual holidays at times approved by your Head of Institution and which suit the workload of your institution. This means that you may be required to take, for example, five or more days' leave at Christmas, Easter, or some other period when the institution is closed. You may not be able to take leave at particular periods of the year when there is a particular need for your work, e.g. during term or at the end of the financial year. In each leave year you can normally expect to have one unbroken period of leave of not less than two weeks.

If your Head of Institution requires you to work on any Bank Holiday you will be permitted to take that day's leave on another day. In addition you will be given additional time off equivalent to the number of hours worked or an additional payment for the number of hours worked. The Head of Institution will decide whether you receive time off in lieu or payment.

You may not carry leave forward from one leave year to the next. If in special circumstances you have been unable to take all your leave by the end of the leave year your Head of Institution may give you permission to take the balance during the following three months.

You are not normally entitled to payment in lieu of holidays. If you resign and have not taken your holiday entitlement to date, you will be entitled to take the balance of your annual leave before your service ends. The amount of annual leave due is pro rata to the proportion of the year you have already worked. You may be paid salary in lieu of leave only if your Head of Institution finds it impracticable to grant you your holiday entitlement before your service ends.

If you transfer to another institution in the University in the course of the leave year you will retain your entitlement to any leave still due to you for the part of the year already worked, and you should discuss with your present and your new institution how and when this leave can be taken in the light of the needs of both institutions.

If you work part-time your leave will be calculated as follows:

  1. If you work less than five days per week, your annual leave entitlement will be calculated pro rata according to the number of days worked.
  2. If you work each week for less than the normal number of hours for your institution, and if you work five days per week throughout the year, you are entitled to 36 working days' paid holiday, and for each week you will receive your normal weekly pay. This applies even if staff working full-time in your institution for more than the standard weekly hours receive additional days' leave, because you would not be working for more than the standard weekly hours for your Division.
  3. If you work for only part of the year, for instance term time only, you will be paid for the number of hours worked over the year. Your paid annual leave entitlement will be calculated on the basis of the number of weeks actually worked, and payment for the leave you earn will be added to your salary, which you will receive in twelve monthly instalments. You will normally be expected not to take leave during the weeks you are contracted to work.

Your institution will have arrangements in place for requesting annual leave. You will normally be expected to book leave in advance, so that the institution's workload can be covered.