Although many holiday plans will have been disrupted, staff are encouraged to continue taking their annual leave.

The government has relaxed regulations about carrying forward untaken holiday. However, this is aimed at essential workers who are needed to stay at work during this emergency period.

At York, staff will be able to take their leave and are encouraged to do so. It's important to make sure we all have time when we can properly switch off from work, especially when home working.

Staff should take at least 28 days of their allowance, plus the two additional days at Easter, by the end of September. Up to ten days can be carried into the new leave year but these should be taken by the end of 2020.

Managers should help staff manage their leave, checking that they have plans for time off. This will also help avoid a rush of annual leave being taken when restrictions on movement are lifted. Requests to cancel leave should be discussed with the employee to ensure that the leave will be taken at another time.

Go to https://www.york.ac.uk/admin/hr/leave-and-absence/annual-leave/covid19-guidance/ for more information.