As we progress through the Recovery Phase of Covid-19, revised arrangements have been developed to provide guidance on annual leave during 2020 and 2021. This will ensure that a consistent approach to annual leave continues to be applied and that employees take appropriate breaks from their working role through their annual leave entitlement.
The new Annual Leave Arrangements 2020 and 2021 build on the principles set out in Employee News 26, which was issued on 2 April 2020. Key points to note include:
- Employees should continue to request Annual Leave throughout the current arrangements, subject to the needs of the service.
- Employees who do not currently have any annual leave booked should speak with their line manager about what can be accommodated. All annual leave requests will be considered in line with the requirements of the service.
- There is an expectation that employees will continue to take annual leave during this period to ensure that they are not working for long periods without a break. This applies to all employees even if they are working from home, where services are not operational and/or where employees are at home shielding.
Arrangements for quarantine as a result of international travel are covered in the guidance and it is important that:
- Individuals who are likely to be affected by the quarantine period as a result of planned travel should discuss this with their manager at the earliest opportunity.
- Employees who choose to travel abroad and are required to self-isolate in line with Government Guidance on quarantine arrangements will be required to either use their annual leave entitlement or to take unpaid leave for the duration of the self-isolation period.
Please familiarise yourself with these arrangements and discuss your annual leave requests with your line manager.
Thank you
Ann Davie
Depute Chief Executive – Education, People & Business
Wednesday 29th July 2020