In the UK, bank holidays or public holidays are days that the majority of people have off work and that is generally observed as a holiday. There is no statutory entitlement to leave or paid leave on public holidays. This means that employees’ entitlement to paid time off for bank holidays depends on the wording of contracts of employment.
Some employers will require employees to take bank holidays as part of their annual leave, while others will give employees time off on bank holidays in addition to their annual leave entitlement. Difficult areas for employers include how to treat extra bank holidays (for example, for some royal events) and bank holidays for part-time workers.
Personnel Today maintains a guide for employers on bank holidays, which includes guidance on pay, the right to time off and what to do when there are additional bank holidays.