HM Queen Elizabeth II's State Funeral - managing extra bank holiday

Most employers will do what they did for the jubilee

I concur, they will add it to the entitlement or allow it off that day if the business supports it.

Just for clarification legally are businesses required to give the day off

Legally probably not but it will be dependant on how your contracts are written.

But I wouldn’t let that be my deciding factor.

Hi Marnie... and welcome to the Community. 

The GOV.UK website says this is all "a matter for discussion between individuals and their employer", so a good question. For reference, here are a couple of discussion threads from the summer re the jubilee.

 Jubilee Holiday 

2022 Bank Holiday - Platinum Jubilee query on part time workers

...and from 2010

RE: The Royal Wedding: a day off and related issues

Technically, it may depend on how you frame you contracts. If they are, for example, that holiday is "24 days, plus public holidays" then you will be contractually obliged to honour public holidays, no matter how many there are.

If, on the other hand, it was "32 days including all public holidays" then any additional public holidays just end up being pre-booked days off out of the existing allowance.

In either case, they still get the day off, but in the former it's a bonus, whereas in the latter, it's just another day out of the allowance.

Finally, if you say "32 days" without any mention of public holidays, you're not contractually obligated to allow the day off at all.

But as Keith points out, this should not really be the deciding factor. Your employees will judge you, culturally, based on how you decide to handle it and this will say something about your organisation and your leadership. You just have to decide whether that something is OK or not.

Hi Marnie, We have 20 days plus bank holidays in our contract so we're just treating it as another bank holiday much like the jubilee. I have been asked though by someone who has annual leave booked that day if they can have a day off in lieu for it. I've not come across TOIL because leave falls on a bank holiday before - I wondered what other people thought of this?

I wouldn't amend the start day to be honest... but what do others think?

Hi Louise

We've got a new starter on that day too and we're not planning to amend the start date, just have him come in on the Tuesday instead of the Monday