GUIDANCE ON APPLICATION OF ADDITIONAL LEAVE DAY
In recognition of the effort and commitment of staff over the last two years in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic and ensuring the delivery of essential services, it was agreed at a meeting of the Council on 9 June 2022 to grant all employees, who were in employment at this date, an additional day’s leave. This leave is separate from normal annual leave provisions and must be taken by 31 December 2023.
Main points:
- The day’s leave will be based on an employee’s normal working day to ensure that they get the benefit of a day off work.
- The leave must be taken as a full day and not part of a day
- The leave must be taken by 31 December 2023. Anyone who has not taken the day by this date, will not be entitled to take it later or have any form of extension to this date applied.
- There is no financial compensation if an employee does not use the day’s leave.
- The leave must be book on mySelf by the employee, under ‘Other Absence’ and by selecting the code ‘Covid19-Recognition Day’.
- For term-time staff working in schools, who are not employed by Facility Support Services, discussions are still taking place with the trade unions on whether an in-service day will be offered as the day’s leave.
- For teaching staff in schools, separate arrangements will apply which are still being discussed and agreed with the trade unions. However, at the current time it is proposed that an in-service day will become the day’s leave.
- Services are asked to manage the additional day’s leave using the same principles as with all leave when considering cover and practical arrangements.
For more information, check out our Covid Recognition Day FAQs
For guidance on how to book this leave on mySelf, please refer to the How To Guide below