From annual leave to handling staff absence: what you need to know for your salon

There are many reasons why your salon staff may need to be off work, from sickness and bank holidays to annual leave and emergency time off. Understanding the rules around holiday entitlements will benefit your business running smoothly, with limited disruption, says the NHBF.

Annual leave

In the UK, by law, all employees are entitled to paid holiday, a minimum of 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave to be specific. This means employees who work five days a week should get at least 28 days of paid annual leave, and part-time employees' annual leave will be pro-rata depending on how many hours/days they work each week. Always follow best practice and strongly encourage your employees to take all of their leave. Send out regular reminders – especially as the leave year comes to an end. This will prevent employee burnout and will be in the best interests of both your employee and your salon. NHBF Members can call the membership team for free expert help with annual leave entitlement, including working out how much paid holiday your full-time and part- time employees are entitled to.

Bank holidays

Employers can choose to include bank holidays as part of their employees’ 28 days’ holiday entitlement. For example, there are usually eight bank holiday days a year in England, including Christmas, Easter, and the May bank holidays. These would be included in the total 28 days’ holiday. Remember – employees are not legally entitled to take off public holidays (including Christmas day) as paid leave.

Sick leave

Make sure you have clear sick leave procedures in place. The NHBF’s ready to-use employment contracts and staff handbooks (free to NHBF Members) set out what your employees should do if they cannot come to work due to illness: • Call you or their manager by phone (not text) no later than 30 minutes after they should have started work. • Let you know why they need to be off and how long they expect to be off. • Call each day with an update unless you have agreed otherwise. • Complete a ‘self-certification’ sickness absence form on their return to work.

Maternity leave

A new mother must take a minimum of two weeks’ maternity leave after the baby is born. Your employee is entitled to take up to 52 weeks’ maternity leave, although they do not have to take the full 52 weeks. Your employee cannot take annual leave if she is on maternity leave as annual leave and maternity leave are two separate entitlements. Your employee’s annual leave will continue to build up during her maternity leave. NHBF Members can access the guide to recruiting & employing people guide here. Sponsored story.

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