It is generally common knowledge that full time employees will usually be entitled to four weeks (20 days) holiday per working year. This obviously varies depending on your profession (eg academic staff members will typically receive eight weeks as they will be unable to work during the school/colleges annual summer break).
Employers are required to honor an employees right to annual holiday. The employee is entitled to their average wage whilst away from work as well as their average wage for any day that they are entitled to but do not take.
It is the reasonability of the employer to provide the employee with wage compensation for undrawn leave. This is where the employee was unable to take his/her holiday leave by the end of the calendar year. This could happen for many reasons. Some of these include; the employer having not set the date for the holiday or having set the wrong date or time, the employee having obstacles in his/her work or the employees contract being terminated before taking their leave.
If however an employee took some of his/her annual leave without the authorization of their superior, the employee is not entitled to any wage compensation.
The employer and employee will generally come to a mutual decision regarding the employees annual leave. Sometimes the employee will request certain days off and occasionally the employer will ask the employees opinion about when they would like best to use their holiday leave. If no decisions have been made, the employer should allocate the employees leave for them. This is satisfactory as long as the employee is made aware 14 days prior to the first day of the annual leave.
This publication is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Consequently
accountingjobs Ltd cannot accept any liability for any action taken or not taken in reliance upon this information.
