HR Snapshot #24: Furlough and Holiday Pay June 2020

 

 

 

A worker should receive holiday pay when they are on holiday to reflect pay that they would have received had they been at work and working. Holiday pay for all staff – including those on furlough - should be calculated in line with current legislation and based on a worker’s usual earnings. 

 

For furloughed employees taking annual leave, the employer must still calculate and pay holiday pay in accordance with legislation. If this is above the amount that employees receive whilst on furlough, then the employer must pay the difference but can continue to claim the 80% grant from the government to cover some of the cost of the holiday pay. 

 

Workers on furlough can take holiday without disrupting their furlough. The notice requirements for their employer requiring a worker to take leave or to refuse a request for leave continue to apply. If you need a worker to take holiday whilst on furlough, you as their employer should consider whether any restrictions the worker is under, such as the need to socially distance or self-isolate, would prevent the worker from resting, relaxing and enjoying leisure time, which is the fundamental purpose of holiday. 

 

 

Workers are still entitled to the statutory holiday entitlement for the year, so you need to consider this. For workers on furlough, where a bank holiday falls within their period of furlough and the worker would have usually worked that bank holiday, their furlough is unaffected by it. If the worker would ordinarily have their bank holiday as annual leave, then there are two options: 

 

 

 

The 5.6 weeks of statutory holiday is split out into four weeks and 1.6 weeks and there are differences in the rules that apply. 

 

 

In some scenarios, employers must allow the four weeks entitlement to be carried into future leave years, for example, if a worker cannot take annual leave as they are on maternity leave or off sick. These rights remain irrespective of whether a worker is furloughed or not. 

 

 

The government passed new emergency legislation meaning a worker can carry forward holiday where the impact of coronavirus means it has not been ‘reasonably practicable’ to take it in the leave year to which it relates. Where it has not been ‘reasonably practicable’ for the worker to take some or all of the four weeks’ holiday due to the effects of coronavirus, holiday not taken can be carried forward into the following two years leave. What is ‘reasonably practicable’? When defining ‘reasonably practicable’ government guidance suggests an employer should consider: 

 

• whether the business has faced a significant increase in demand due to coronavirus that would reasonably require the worker to continue to be at work and cannot be met through alternative practical measures 

• the extent to which the business’ workforce is disrupted by the coronavirus and the practical options available to the business to provide temporary cover of essential activities 

• the health of the worker and how soon they need to take a period of rest and relaxation 

• the length of time remaining in the worker’s leave year, to enable the worker to take holiday later within the leave year 

• the extent to which the worker taking leave would impact on wider society’s response to, and recovery from, the coronavirus situation 

• the ability of the remainder of the available workforce to provide cover for the worker going on leave 

 

Employers should do everything reasonably practicable to ensure that the worker is able to take as much of their leave as possible in the year to which it relates, and where leave is carried forward, it is best practice to give workers the opportunity to take holiday at the earliest opportunity. 

 

 

Workers who are on furlough are unlikely to need to carry forward statutory annual leave, as they will be able to take it during the furlough period. However, to do so they must be paid the correct holiday pay which is likely to be higher than the rate of pay that will be covered by government grants, with the employer making up the difference. 

 

If, due to the impact of coronavirus on operations, the employer is unable to fund the difference, it is likely that this would make it not reasonably practicable for the worker to take their leave, enabling the worker to carry their annual leave forwards. In this situation, the worker must still be given the opportunity to take their annual leave, at the correct holiday pay, before the carried annual leave is lost at the end of the next 2 leave years. 

 

This information is offered as guidance only and was updated on 05.06.2020.  

Latest UK Government Guidance can be found here: https://bit.ly/2XNlUf5 

 

For specific advice relating to your legal obligations, we recommend you consult a qualified HR professional. Humber HR People offer 30 minutes free advice to support regional businesses at this time. To book a slot, email hello@humberhrpeople.co.uk