Bank Holidays and Religious Holidays

There are 8 bank holidays that are recognised by UK law. Some of these bank holidays are associated with traditionally Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter. What should you do if a non-Christian employee approaches you to request that they do not take these Bank Holidays, and instead allocate this holiday to their religious holidays or festivals?

If your place of work shuts down for Bank Holidays then you are able to require your employees to take this time off. If your contract specifies that Bank Holidays are considered normal working days, then your employees may take a different day off in lieu.

Although you can require non-Christian employees to take bank holidays associated with Christian holidays, good practice would be to allow them to use their holiday entitlement for the religious holidays that they celebrate. You may prioritise holiday requests for religious holidays over those made by other employees. If you are aware that one of your employees holds religious beliefs that are not Christian, then it is a good idea to ask them if there are any alternative holidays they celebrate, so you can plan their holiday in advance.

See our previous blog on Eid al-Fitr for guidance on what steps you can take if it is not possible to offer employees this holiday.

For further HR advice or guidance in relation to the topic above, get in touch with the Lansbury HR Consultants. We are here to support businesses nationally and locally in Burton-on-Trent, Swadlincote, and Derby.