Royal wedding

Help for employers when managing requests for time off

The Cabinet has agreed that the marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on Friday 29 April 2011 will be marked by a public holiday.

However, the announcement of an extra bank holiday does not increase any entitlement to holiday under the Working Time Regulations, so whether an employee will benefit from the additional bank holiday will be entirely dependent on the wording of their contract.

For example, a contract which entitles a worker to 20 days annual leave in addition to all statutory, bank and public holidays, would potentially give the worker an extra day’s paid holiday.

However, since the wedding will be a significant public occasion, you will also need to consider whether it will negatively affect your employees’ morale if your business doesn’t join in with the celebrations.

For more information on your legal obligations when managing holiday requests, see the page on pay and time off on public and bank holidays in our guide on know how much holiday to give your staff.

Find out about bank holidays in the UK on the Directgov website – Opens in a new window.

If you need additional help and guidance, contact the Acas Helpline on Tel 08457 47 47 47.