Annual leave
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1. Policy statement
- This policy supports the well-being of our colleagues, promoting an effective work-life balance, ensuring that employees return to work refreshed and ready to contribute to the University's strategy.
- This policy aims to be fair, transparent, and flexible, recognizing the diverse needs of our staff, while also supporting sustained employee engagement and productivity.
- Annual leave entitlement for full-time employees is 30 days (including 3 or 4 closure days between Christmas and New Year), plus 8 Public holidays , reduced pro-rata if less than full-time hours are worked.
- Casual Workers are entitled to 28 days paid annual leave, including public/statutory holidays, reduced pro-rata if less than full-time hours are worked.
- All employees are expected to take their annual leave in full within the annual leave year.
2. Scope
- This policy applies to all employees and casual workers at the University.
3. Procedure
- The annual leave year runs from 1 August until 31 July.
- Employees joining or leaving the University will be granted a proportion of the annual leave entitlement at the rate of 1/365th for each day of employment
- Casual workers will be paid for their annual leave at a rate of 12.07% for each hour worked
- Guidance on the calculation of annual leave for part time employees
- The 8 Public/Statutory holidays annual leave included within your allowance are:
- Christmas Day
- Boxing Day
- New Year’s Day
- Good Friday
- Easter Monday
- May Day Bank Holiday
- Spring Bank Holiday
- August Bank Holiday
- Subject to prior arrangement with your Line Manager you may carry forward up to 5 days annual leave into the next year, leave should only be carried forward on an irregular basis to ensure everyone benefits from taking their full leave entitlement.
- Any annual leave carried forward should be used within the first three months of the new leave year.
- Where a line manager does not approve that a colleague may carry over up to 5 days annual leave or a colleague has annual leave in excess of the approved carry over this will be lost
- Any leave untaken in excess of 5 days will normally be lost unless an employee has been unable to take their annual leave due to long term sickness, family leave or other significant absence within the last 6 months of the annual leave year and with the express permission from the relevant Head of Department / School / Service. Employees should ensure that they have used any additional carry forward by the end of the new leave year.
- Managers should review leave requests in a timely manner, usually within 2-3 days
- The University will not pay employees for leave not taken as an alternative to carrying it over to the next leave year.
4. Roles and responsibilities
| Role | Responsible for |
|---|---|
| Employees |
|
| Line Managers |
|
| Heads of Department |
|
Document control
- Last reviewed: 1 September 2025