So you have started your new role of work, and you are wondering how the holiday entitlement works?
The Statutory Minimum
In the UK, every employee is entitled to a minimum amount of paid holiday. This is the statutory minimum. Most employees receive 5.6 weeks of paid holiday per year. This will be 28 days for someone working full time, 5 days a week, but this can vary depending on the employer.
How Entitlement Builds Up
Holiday is accrued throughout the year. For example, someone who joins a company in July for example will have accrued a proportion of this by the end of the first leave year.
Part-Time and Shift Workers
Your statutory minimum holiday entitlement is 5.6 weeks, but this will be calculated on a pro-rata basis of your contracted hours, if you are part-time and work variable hours.
Requesting Leave
When requesting time off for a holiday, it’s common for employees to be asked for reasonable notice, which is usually around twice the length of the holiday that they are intending to take. It’s also worth checking whether bank holidays are included in your holiday allowance, as this can vary from contract to contract.
Leaving and Unused Holiday
As an employee, you are entitled to be paid for any accrued but untaken leave at the date of your departure, and for any leave that you have taken but for which you have not accrued sufficient leave (and which the employer will therefore require you to repay). For Selco Jobs, see https://bmcareers.com/employer/selco-builders-warehouse/.
Remember, understanding your holiday entitlement before you start work will mean you can avoid any problems once you are in the role.
