Working Hours, Holidays, Leave and Absence

Working Hours, Holidays, Leave and Absence

Information on Working Hours, Annual Leave, Absences and other types of leave can be found below.

Related Policies

There are also a number of family friendly policies aimed at supporting staff to achieve work/life balance and meet demands faced when caring for dependants e.g.:

Holidays

Leave Year

The University's leave year runs from 1 October to the following 30 September. Holidays are arranged in agreement with the Line Manager, taking into account School/Administrative Sectional requirements, in accordance with School/Administrative Sectional procedures.

Additional guidance for staff and managers in relation to annual leave is available here.

Harmonisation of Terms and Conditions of Employment – including annual leave

The University and the Campus Trade Unions reached final agreement and signed the Collective Agreement on Harmonisation of Terms and Conditions of Employment in 2024.

As part of the Agreement with regard to annual leave entitlement, staff in Grades 1-4 were given 2 additional days' leave, to be used in the remainder of the 2023/24 leave year. Taking this into account, the Agreement also included changes to the public holiday payments for the remaining public holidays in the 2023/24 leave year. Enhanced payments did not apply to these, therefore, if staff  required to work on the July and/or September public holidays were paid at plain time and able to take a day's leave at another time in the 2023/24 leave year.

From 1st October 2024, the new Annual Leave Regulations for Academic and Academic Related Staff apply to all staff. 

All Staff

The Annual Leave arrangements applying to all staff can be found in the document below:

Staff are entitled to, in any one leave year, 41 days (Monday – Friday) as holidays with pay. The 41 days entitlement shall normally include:

  • 34 days for annual leave
  • 4 days when the University is closed for public/statutory/local holidays as follows
    • Christmas Day
    • Boxing Day
    • New Year’s Day
    • 2 January
  • 3 University closed days to be taken during the Christmas and New Year vacation

(or days in lieu if these fall on a Saturday or Sunday)

Calculating Annual Leave Entitlement

A part-time member of staff who is employed throughout the whole year shall be entitled to holidays with pay, the rate of pay being proportionate to their shorter working period. Staff (either whole or part-time) who are employed regularly for only part of a year shall be granted holidays proportionate to their total period of actual service in the leave year.

The pro rata calculation to establish entitlement will be based on the overall holiday entitlement (41 days).

You can calculate your entitlement using the Annual Leave Calculator.

Purchase of Annual Leave Scheme

The Purchase of Annual Leave Scheme has been introduced as a benefit for staff to increase the degree of flexibility in planned time off.

For more information go to to the Purchase of Annual Leave Scheme page.

Sickness Absence

The University places a high value on the health and wellbeing of all its staff. We are keen to ensure that appropriate arrangements are in place to maximise the welfare of staff, limit the consequences for staff and the University when absences due to illness occur and to support staff through such periods with the aim of securing their return to work and ensuring appropriate support after that return.

Please refer to the Sickness and Attendance Management Procedure for full details.

Reporting Absence

Should you be prevented by illness from attending work, you should contact your line manager/Head of School as early as possible on the first day of your absence, ideally before your normal starting time or within 60 minutes of it. The reason for your absence should be given, with an estimate of its probable duration, in order that alternative arrangements within the School/Section can be made where necessary. If you cannot give an indication of your estimated date of return to work, initially you should contact your Line Manager every morning within the timeframe noted above to advise them of your continuing absence or to provide a probable return date when you have a clearer view of when this might be.

For all periods of absence, including part days of absence, you are required to provide your line manager with a completed Self-Certification Form. In addition, a doctor's medical certificate is required from the 8th calendar day of absence.

For further information on reporting absence please contact your HR Adviser.

Sick Pay

Entitlement to payment for a period of absence due to illness is calculated on a rolling twelve-month period.  This means that any paid sickness absence in the previous twelve months will be taken into account when calculating your entitlement to University sick pay.

For Support Staff (Grades 1-4) entitlement to payment for a period of sickness absence in accordance with the University Sick Pay Scheme will be on the following Scale:

Service Full Pay Half Pay
Up to 6 months Statutory Sick Pay only Statutory Sick Pay only
6 months to One year 2 months 2 months
Second/Third Year 3 months 3 months
Fourth/Fifth Year 5 months 5 months
After Fifth Year 6 months 6 months

For Academic and Academic Related staff (Grades 5 and above) the following entitlement will apply:

Full salary for any period up to six months; followed by a further consecutive period of up to six months on half salary, during any rolling 12 month period.

The calculation of sick pay is the responsibility of the Payroll Office. Every Monday, each Section must return a report on sickness in respect of the previous week. Reports should list all staff within the Section and can now be submitted electronically by authorised personnel.

If you require further information regarding the calculation of sick pay, please contact Payroll.