Assistant staff

See HR Division webpages.

For assistant staff, holiday entitlement currently runs from January to December. If you start work after the beginning of the leave year your entitlement for that year will be calculated pro rata to the proportion of the leave year remaining. Please note: from October 2024 the assistant staff leave calendar will run from October 1st 2024 - September 30th 2025.

Holiday entitlement for full time assistant staff is 36 days annually including 8 public holidays, pro rata’d for part time staff. You are entitled to additional long-service leave of one day after nine years of unbroken service and subsequently one additional day for each period of three years of unbroken service up to a maximum of four days after eighteen years of service. A maximum of five days can be carried over and must be used within three months of the new year. 

The Department normally closes over the Christmas and Easter periods with the required holiday deducted from your leave record at the beginning of each year. Although annual leave entitlement for assistant staff includes bank holidays, assistant staff are normally required to book these days and the preference is that assistant staff take public holidays off outside term time.

On occasion leave may not be granted if it does not meet the Department’s needs. During the busy summer holiday period, technical and secretarial staff need to ensure that there is adequate cover in order that the Department can remain open and fully functional.

If you have leave owing to you at the end of your employment you may be able to receive payment in lieu of the untaken leave, but this must be agreed prior to leaving the Department. Similarly a deduction will be taken from your final salary payment if you have already taken more leave than entitled to.

Online Leave Calendar 

• You must request and book all leave through the online leave calendar.
• To access this click on the above link, log in using your Raven password and click on 'manage leave' for yourself.
• A pdf user guide is also available.
• Survey results May 2021 regarding online leave calendar system.

Academic-related and Contract research staff

Holiday entitlement runs from 1st October to 30th September and is 41 days for those working full-time (based on a five-day working week, and pro-rata for part-time) inclusive of public holidays (see above for additional bank holiday 2023). For contracts issued for new part-time employees from 1 October 2022, annual leave will be pro rata’d based on days worked. Please click here to access the calculator for pro rata annual leave. This entitlement is pro rata in the holiday year of commencement of employment and in the year your employment terminates. Periods of University closure, other than public holidays will be taken as part of the annual leave. The remaining leave is taken at times that suit both the individual and the department. 

You are required to keep a record of your annual leave. This can be done using the online leave calendar - a user guide is available. The Annual Leave Record Chart can also be used if preferred. 

A maximum of five days can be carried over by full time academic related staff and pro rata’d according to the number of days worked per week for part time staff. This must be used within three months of the new year.

Contract research staff are not entitled to carry over any holiday from one academic leave year to the next, unless a separate agreement has been made with their PI.

Leave after termination of employment

If your employment terminates and you have not taken your accrued entitlement, you will be entitled to take the balance of holiday due before your service ends. In circumstances where your head of institution finds it impractical to grant you this entitlement before your service ends, you will be paid salary in lieu of annual leave under the Working Time Regulations. However, payment is not offered as an alternative to taking your holiday.

• Further information: your contract of employment

All staff

The Department normally closes over the Christmas and Easter periods and details are set out on your leave sheet/calendar with the required holiday deducted from your leave at the beginning of each year. Although annual leave entitlement for assistant staff includes bank holidays, assistant staff are normally required to book these days and the preference is that assistant staff take public holidays off outside term time.

On occasion leave may not be granted if it does not meet the Department’s needs. During the busy summer holiday period, technical and secretarial staff ensure that there is adequate cover in order that the Department can remain open and fully functional.

You must request and agree all holidays in advance with your manager.

If you have leave owing to you at the end of your employment you will be entitled to receive payment in lieu of the untaken leave. Similarly a deduction will be taken from your final salary payment if you have already taken more leave than entitled to.

Public and Bank Holidays

The days of public and bank holidays in England and Wales are:

With the exception of the public holidays around Easter and Christmas, the Department is open every public holiday as a normal working day.

If you are asked by your line manager to work on a public holiday you will be compensated in accordance with the rules set out in the online assistant staff handbook.

Maternity and Paternity Leave - for all enquiries please contact Kathleen Pickett or Marita Walsh and/or see the university maternity and paternity policies. 

Please see Leave information for University Staff for detailed outlines of policies and entitlements.