Did you know that bank holidays were first introduced in the UK in 1871 under the Bank Holiday Bill by Sir John Lubbock? Ever since, bank holidays have been a much-loved tradition for employees, giving them an extra few days off each year to catch up with friends, family and their community.
Although bank holidays are a great chance to rest and relax for most people, managing bank holidays can be complicated for a business owner (especially if you’re not aware that one’s coming up!). Let’s unpack how bank holidays impact your business, and what you can do to make sure everyone takes time off to recharge. After all, a happy team is a productive team.
Is everyone entitled to a bank holiday?
Although bank holidays are widely taken in the UK, it is up to the business owner to decide whether or not employees have to work on bank holidays.
It is best to be transparent with your employee within their contract, whether or not the bank holiday will be deducted from their annual leave, or counted as additional holidays.
Any personal or financial information that changes such as hours needed or payment delays due to a bank holiday should also be documented in the contract.
Download this Employer’s Guide to UK bank holidays in 2022/23 now.
How many bank holidays are there in the UK?
Usually, there are an average of eight bank holidays a year. This year, the UK had an extra bank holiday to mark the national mourning of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
For England and Wales, there are a total of eight bank holidays in 2023. For Scotland, there are a total of nine and ten in Northern Ireland.
An employer can choose to include bank holidays as part of statutory annual leave. All workers are legally entitled to 5.6 weeks paid holiday a year, the equivalent of 28 days. If an employee is working part time, they are also entitled to at least 5.6 weeks paid holiday, but this will amount to fewer than 28 days. Learn more about holiday entitlements here.
Below are the public holiday dates for 2022 and 2023 to help you organise your calendar.
Bank holidays in 2022
There are two bank holidays left this year.
- Monday 26 December Boxing Day
- Tuesday 27 December Christmas Day (*substitute day)
Bank holidays in 2023
- Monday 2 January New Year’s Day (*substitute day)
- Friday 7 April Good Friday
- Monday 10 April Easter Monday
- Monday 1 May Early May bank holiday
- Monday 29 May Spring bank holiday
- Monday 28 August Summer bank holiday
- Tuesday 26 December Boxing Day
- Monday 25 December Christmas Day
Additional bank holiday in Scotland;
- Thursday 30 November Saint Andrew’s Day
Additional bank holidays in Northern Ireland;
- Friday 17 March St. Patrick’s Day
- Wednesday 12 July Battle of the Boyne
*When a bank holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the ‘substitute day’ is normally the following Monday. It is not to be viewed as an extra bank holiday.
Why is it important for business owners to stay on top of bank holiday dates?
Paid annual leave is a legal right that an employer must provide.
It’s important for business owners to stay on top of this because if an employee believes that their right to leave and pay are not being met, this could lead to a dispute.
A bank holiday does not have to be given as paid leave – an employer can choose to include a public holiday as part of a worker’s statutory annual leave.
Often, an employer will give staff extra pay if they work on a bank holiday but there is no legal requirement to do so.
How can you best manage leave around bank holidays?
It’s not unusual for employees to clock a bank holiday coming up, and see the opportunity for an extra-long weekend. Managing this leave can be tricky, especially when you want to make sure that your team takes the time off they deserve – and end up booking similar dates.
Fortunately, there are a few ways to stay ahead of the game.
1. Use an HR software system
Are you still using an Excel spreadsheet to keep up with who’s going on leave?
That can be time consuming, and draining for you and your team. You don’t want to dread that moment when so and so takes a time off, after all.
Using an effective HR software system like Employment Hero can help make leave management easier for everyone on your team and help your business prepare ahead of time. Our built in payroll function helps you automatic leave balances saving you a lot of admin time.
This can be game changing if you have to plan rotas and change up shifts, or organise a large team to ensure that everyone takes some well deserved time off. It also makes requesting leave easier for your team!
You might want to check out our guide on how to digitise HR. Say good-bye to spreadsheets and hello to all those priorities that you’ve been deprioritisng because of all that time gone into admin.
2. Ask team members to get their requests in early
Making sure that you have a process in place for this is key. After all, you want to ensure that anyone who is off has a clear handover for any outstanding tasks – and that person who is helping out knows who to go to in case of emergency.
This way, your business can continue running smoothly while your staff member recharges without a worry.
Manage holidays effectively as a business
Being a business owner doesn’t mean that you expect your team to work every day of the year – without a break. That will only lead to burn out and disgruntled employees, as well as a high possibility of a high turnover rate.
We’re glad that you’re taking the time to look over exactly how to manage your team and ensure that they get the break they deserve.
And if this happens to be the first team you’re managing, we’ve got you covered with a guide on how to manage leave effectively.
Download this Employer’s Guide to UK bank holidays in 2022/23 now.
