Updates to Annual Leave Policy
Tuesday, 02 June 2020
The University Executive Board have agreed a change to the current annual leave policy to increase the amount of leave that colleagues can carry forward to the 2020/21 leave year from five days to a maximum of ten days, or the pro-rata equivalent of two working weeks.
The University is aware that the changed circumstances this year mean that many colleagues are unable to take holidays as they had planned either in the UK or overseas. This, combined with the workload demands of recent weeks, expectations of increased marking over the resit period and work on a phased return to campus may continue to limit some colleagues ability to take leave over the summer months.
The change only applies to the 2020/21 academic year, and will allow colleagues the use the carried forward leave at any time up until 30th September 2021.
Some of you may have read reports of the Government amending the Working Time Regulations in respect of annual leave. These changes were focused on those in the frontline of the Coronavirus response e.g. for NHS organisations; so whilst the University changes do not mirror the Government amendments, they do recognise the exceptional circumstances this year and the flexibility to carry forward more annual leave is part of our wide-ranging support for colleagues. Booking and taking annual leave continues to be important, allowing colleagues a break and to relax away from the demands of work helps us maintain our focus as we work remotely over a longer period of time.
Colleagues who have taken a period of furlough leave will be required to manage their leave arrangements to ensure that they take some of their annual leave during or around the period of furlough leave. The revised arrangements for carry forward will equally apply to colleagues who have been on furlough leave.
Leave should be booked in the usual way through Employee Self Service and agreed in advance with line managers.