| I've heard a lot of misconceptions about | | | | industries. Basically, the change to |
| what the new UK employee holiday | | | | minimum holiday entitlement means that |
| entitlement laws will involve, so here I | | | | anyone who is currently failing to get |
| shall do my best to explain who is | | | | the bare minimum of 24 days off |
| affected, and what the changes to the | | | | (including bank holidays) will be given |
| law mean for businesses in the United | | | | four more to play with by law, while |
| Kingdom. | | | | those who already get 24 or more will |
| Firstly, before you (or your employees) | | | | see no change to their holiday |
| go out and start celebrating, it should | | | | entitlement, in all likelihood. But |
| be pointed out that the laws, which | | | | those who are expected to work bank |
| increase the number of paid statutory | | | | holidays in those industries do have |
| holidays employees are entitled to from | | | | extra holiday to look forward to: their |
| 20 to 24, are unlikely to be of much | | | | employers will have to provide 24 days |
| benefit to the vast majority of business | | | | holiday, rising to 28 in 2009. Having to |
| workers. This is because the changes to | | | | give each employee this extra time is |
| the holiday entitlement law are mainly | | | | going to affect retail, hospitality and |
| to tie up the loop hole that some | | | | service industries a great deal and they |
| employers were using which meant that | | | | may find themselves needing to hire |
| the United Kingdom's 8 annual public | | | | extra members of staff to supply backup |
| holidays could come out of employee's | | | | for when the existing workers take out |
| paid holiday allowance. In 2009, the | | | | their allocated holiday time. |
| number is due to increase to 28 days to | | | | I've heard a lot of the United Kingdom's |
| allow the standard 20 days minimum | | | | workers are getting very excited about |
| holiday entitlement in addition to the 8 | | | | the changes to the employee holiday |
| public holidays for all workers in the | | | | entitlement law, because of the commonly |
| United Kingdom. | | | | accepted urban myth that workers are |
| So the good news for employers is that, | | | | guaranteed public holidays on top of |
| unless you've been scrimping on paid | | | | their 20 day statutory paid holiday |
| holiday entitlement anyway, you won't | | | | allowance. The truth is that there is |
| need to change the way your business | | | | nothing in the law about this, and |
| operates. So who will it affect? Well | | | | employers who previously did give their |
| according to the Employment relations | | | | workers additional bank holiday |
| minister, Pat McFadden, around six | | | | entitlement were either doing it as an |
| million workers in the United Kindom. | | | | act of good will, or were unaware that |
| But where are they all? | | | | the law would have protected them until |
| Well, the majority of the United | | | | the 1st October. It really is great news |
| Kingdom's work force who are affected | | | | for those estimated six million workers |
| are likely to be found in sectors that | | | | who currently don't get very much |
| are required to work bank holidays, | | | | holiday, but the majority of the country |
| namely hospitality, retail and service | | | | is, sadly for them, unaffected. |