The passing of Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral on 8th September has, of course, been global news. While certain elements of the protocol that determine what happens now were already decided many years in advance, the question of national holidays was unanswered.
That was until King Charles III announced, over the weekend, that the funeral date (19th September 2022) will indeed be a National holiday.
So with a Bank Holiday confirmed, what does mean for employers?
Do I have to close my business on the day of the Queen’s Funeral?
No, you don’t. Schools up and down the country will be closed.
However, there is no legal requirement for you to close your business premises.
Do I have to give my employees the day off?
Government guidance on this is clear. Bank Holidays are not automatically holidays for all employees.
And while it may seem a sensitive question to ask, the reality for employers is that a fairly last minute day off company wide might not be feasible in a year that has already seen an additional bank holiday.
So it’s perfectly legitimate for employers to have questions and concerns.
Here’s what you need to know:
- The day of the funeral (19th September 2022) is now a Bank Holiday
- Employees are not automatically entitled to Bank Holidays off or to extra pay for working them
- So ultimately, whether or not your staff have the day off will most likely come down to a combination of their contract with you and some employer discretion
If your contact with your employees (as many do) entitles them to a certain amount of days off plus Bank Holidays, then they’ll likely be entitled to the day off given this is now a Bank Holiday.
Employers are also entitled (again something that would be laid our contractually) to include Bank Holidays as part of statutory leave entitlement.
The statutory leave entitlement hasn’t changed. So if you allocate a set number of days inclusive of Bank Holidays, then the total days allocated to staff is unchanged.
Should I give staff the day off?
If you’re not contractually obliged to, then this really is a personal decision.
Employers are always best handling the requests of staff sensitively. And for many, the passing of the Queen could be a sad time and potentially a trigger for their own grief.
These are conversations to have within your business.
