Holiday entitlement

This is an extract from the firm's General Statement of Terms and Conditions of Employment:

4 HOLIDAY ENTITLEMENT

Holiday year

4.1 The Firm's holiday year begins on 1 April and ends on 31 March in each year.

4.2 No holiday may be taken in the first three months of employment although entitlement accrues from the first day of employment.

4.3 In addition to public holidays, you are entitled to 20 days paid annual holidays in each year. After 5 years continuous service you will be entitled to an additional 5 days paid holiday per year.

4.4 During the holiday year in which you join or leave the Firm you will be entitled to 1/12th of your annual entitlement for each month during which you are employed in the holiday year, rounded up to the nearest whole day.

4.5 The entitlement of part time employees to paid annual holidays is pro-rata to the days normally worked unless otherwise stated in the individual Statement of Terms and Conditions.

4.7 Only with written prior approval of the staff partner will holidays be carried over into the next holiday year. The amount of holidays to be carried forward is limited to a maximum of 1 week and if not taken within three months will be lost. In no circumstances will payment be made for annual holidays not taken.

4.8 Unless otherwise agreed with a partner, an employee is only permitted to take two weeks holiday entitlement at any time and there must be at least two weeks between each period of holiday entitlement.

4.9 All staff requiring holiday leave, time off in lieu or unpaid study leave must submit an Authorised Standard Application Form to the staff partner or his/her appointed deputy as soon as possible.

4.10 Staff must give as much notice as is possible of their holiday and TOIL arrangements. Unless otherwise agreed, in all cases at least six weeks' notice must be given. The Firm is not obliged to agree to holiday requests when travel or other bookings have been made before the dates concerned have been agreed.

4.11 Except in agreed circumstances staff are requested not to take holiday or TOIL during their office's or department's busy periods.

4.12 If an employee has been booked on a client in the period in which he wishes to take holiday or TOIL, he/she must inform the person with managerial responsibility for that client of his/her intentions and obtain his/her approval prior to obtaining the authorisation required in 4.9 above.

Prior holiday commitment

4.13 If an employee joins the Firm with a prior commitment to holidays in the year of joining all reasonable endeavour will be made to honour that prior commitment up to a maximum of two weeks.

Holiday entitlement on resignation or dismissal

4.14 Holiday entitlement may not be taken as part of notice of termination of employment unless by arrangement with the staff partner.

4.15 If an employee resigns or is dismissed, other than for gross misconduct, he/she will be entitled to receive holiday pay for any holiday entitlement not taken at the date of leaving.

4.16 If an employee's holidays taken exceed entitlement, he/she will be required to refund the Firm an amount equivalent to the number of days by which he/she has exceeded his entitlement. This sum may be deducted from any money owing to him/her at the time of leaving the Firm.

4.17 If an employee is dismissed for gross misconduct, or if an employee leaves without giving or working his/her proper notice, he/she will lose his/her entitlement to accrued holiday pay.

Public Holidays

4.18 All full time employees are entitled to be paid for the following public holidays:-

New Year's Day Spring Bank Holiday

Good Friday Late Summer Bank Holiday

Easter Monday Christmas Day

May Day Holiday Boxing Day

4.19 Payment in respect of a public holiday may be forfeited where absence immediately before or after the holiday occurs without a reason acceptable to the partner or manager to whom an employee is responsible.

4.20 An employee is only eligible for payment for a public holiday provided he has worked for the Firm both before and after the public holiday in question.

4.21 If during any holiday year paid study courses or the Firm's in-house courses coincide with bank or public holidays by more than two days in total, the excess over two days may be taken as holiday in lieu of the bank holiday.

4.22 Part time employees are only paid for public holidays if they fall on a day on which they would normally work.