Do part-time workers get paid bank holidays?

A frequent question for part-time recruitment agencies is how much annual leave you should get when accepting a new role. As a flexible professional recruiter, we know that annual leave is often a main priority for working parents.

Flexibility is important, but so too is the amount of time off you receive. After all, the maths has to add up – childcare can be costly and the long August holiday needs covering somehow.

How much annual leave do you need?

Many parents juggle annual leave between themselves, grandparents, friends and formal childcare. Children generally have 13 weeks off school per year, along with around five inset days on top. Private schools have even longer school holidays.

You may also need time off to attend school sports days, meetings, assemblies and plays during the working day. It means that for working mums on a moderate wage, returning to work after raising children can be a struggle financially. They can even find themselves with little earnings left over if there isn’t a good annual leave allowance along with a half-decent salary.

It’s why getting your annual leave requirement right at job offer stage is absolutely crucial and should form part of your contract negotiations. Any reputable part-time recruitment agency can advise you about this.

Should bank holidays be paid?

Often an area of confusion, the bottom line is bank or public holidays do not have to be given as paid leave.  An employer can choose to include bank holidays as part of a workers statutory annual leave.  All employers have to offer the statutory 5.6 weeks’ holiday allowance or 28 days or pro rata equivalent for part time hours.  Some employers offer a more generous holiday allowance, recognising its value in candidate attraction.  Your holiday allowance may be inclusive or exclusive of bank holidays and may also be pro-rated if you work part-time hours.  Employers often express this in different ways in contract wording.  If in doubt, ask your HR department or ask your recruiter if going through part-time recruitment agencies.

What happens if you don’t work on a Monday?  

There are eight bank holidays in the UK calendar year and often bank holidays fall on a Monday, so part-time employees who do not work Mondays, or days when other bank holidays fall, should double check their leave arrangements.

Employers must ensure that all employees have at least the statutory minimum holiday allowance and that part-time employees are not treated less favourably than full-time employees. To ensure that all employees are treated equally under the Part-time Workers Regulations 2000 many employers provide part-time employees with a pro-rated bank holiday entitlement in line with the hours worked.

It’s important to review any existing employment contract you may have to check for this and make sure you’re absolutely happy before you sign any new contract. Again, part-time recruitment agencies should be able to help here.

You can find out how to calculate holiday allowance here.

Register with our part-time recruitment agency

If you’re about to start a new job, good luck! Or if you’re looking for a new flexible role, please register with our recruitment agency today. We work with some great companies and it’s possible we have the perfect new challenge for you. Whatever stage you’re at, we wish you lots of luck in your career.