Due to the Covid-19 pandemic many colleagues had holiday plans disrupted or cancelled during the 2020/2021 leave year. In light of that uncertainty, staff were able to carry forward up to ten days of annual leave into the current leave year.

It is essential that all staff are supported and encouraged to take regular annual leave days to rest and recharge away from work. Line managers and staff are encouraged to discuss annual leave as part of regular 1-1 discussions to ensure that everyone is putting in holiday requests and feeling supported in taking it.

The normal University policy allows for carry over of up to five annual leave days. Now we have past the peak of the pandemic and travel restrictions have eased, the normal policy will apply going forward. Therefore it is important that colleagues make arrangements to use their carry over days and majority of their annual leave entitlement, by the end of the leave year. For most staff this means using leave entitlement by 30 September 2022. For colleagues whose leave year starts in January, this means using leave by 31 December 2022. 5 days leave may be carried forward to the following leave year by agreement with the Line Manager as per the annual leave policy.