2022: 

• 03/01/2022 - Bank Holiday (New Year’s Day)*
• 15/04/2022 - Bank Holiday (Good Friday)
• 18/04/2022 - Bank Holiday (Easter Monday)
• 02/05/2022 - Bank Holiday (Early May)
• 02/06/2022 - Bank Holiday (Spring)
• 03/06/2022 - Bank Holiday (Platinum Jubilee)
• 29/08/2022 - Bank Holiday (Summer)
• 22/12/2022 - Additional Closure Day**
• 23/12/2022 - Closure Day
• 26/12/2022 - Bank Holiday (Boxing Day)
• 27/12/2022 - Bank Holiday (Christmas Day substitute)*
• 28/12/2022 - Closure Day
• 29/12/2022 - Closure Day
• 30/12/2022 - Closure Day

2023: 

• 02/01/2023 - Bank Holiday (New Years' Day)

*If a bank holiday is on a weekend, a ‘substitute’ weekday becomes a bank holiday, normally the following Monday.

**Additional Closure Days

 In recognition of colleagues’ continued hard work and all that we have achieved together this year, we are pleased to confirm an extra closure day on Thursday 22 December 2022. 

Most of our operations will cease at the end of the day on Wednesday 21 December 2022, and will re-open on Tuesday 3 January 2023.  Next year, we will return to the normal closure arrangements.

We will have some students who continue to live in our residences over the Christmas period, and there will be students living locally who want to use our facilities. In addition, there will be critical research experiments that need to continue.  Some staff may therefore need to work through the closure period.

The HR team has compiled a set of questions and answers below to help answer any questions that you may have in relation to the additional closure day. Should you have any further questions, please contact the HR Employee Relations Team. http://hr.qmul.ac.uk/contact/whoswho/

Questions and Answers

1. I have already booked annual leave for 22 December; can I claim back my annual leave?

 You can cancel any annual leave which you have previously booked for 22 December.  This will now be an additional closure day to extend the Christmas and New Year closure period. If you have already booked this day off, please cancel it on MyHR, or if you are unable to do this please ask your manager to cancel it for you. 

Any leave recouped should be used before the end of the current leave year, July 2023.

For staff who work in areas that remain open for essential support services: If you were not expecting to work on 22 December, for example, due to leave previously approved by your manager, you will not be expected to work.

2. Can I work on 22 December and take the additional closure day off at another time?

The additional closure day has been given as a one-off on 22 December, to be used specifically to extend the Christmas and New Year closure period.  Unless you are required by your manager to work on 22 December (see questions 3,4,5 and 6 below), you cannot take the day off at another time. 

The purpose of the additional closure day is to recognise the incredible work of all our staff and how much we have achieved by working together. 

3. My role requires that I attend campus to work over the usual University closure days. Will I be required to work over the additional closure day?

If you are required to come to campus to work over the usual University Christmas and New Year closure period as a requirement of your role, then it is likely that you will also be required to work over the additional closure day (depending on your working pattern). You should liaise with your line manager to find out if this will be the case.

 4. If I am required to work during the additional closure day, will I receive an enhanced payment and will I be able to claim time back in lieu?

All staff who are required to work during the additional day and / or the usual Christmas and New Year closure period will receive enhanced pay if they typically receive enhanced pay on a closure day.

For those staff who are required to work on 22 December 2022, in addition to enhanced pay (where applicable), staff will receive a day back in lieu at plain time.  Staff should liaise with their line manager to arrange a suitable time to take time off for the day(s) that they have worked during the extended closure period.

5. My role requires that I come onto campus for a few hours a day throughout the extended closure period to ensure the continuity of research. Will I be able to have this time back in lieu?

Staff who are required to come onto campus for a few hours each day over the extended Christmas and New Year closure period, to ensure the continuity of research, should liaise with their managers in advance of the closure period to agree the number of hours that they are required to work.  Relevant health and safety and lone working protocols/SOPs will continue to apply.  Information on safe lone working can be found here

The School/Institute/Department’s normal practice for recognising attendance during the usual Christmas and New Year closure period will apply, to ensure the continuity of research.

Staff who are required to work on 22 December will receive the hours back in lieu at plain time. In circumstances where enhanced pay is also applicable to the hours worked, this will be applied.

6. I am a clinical consultant and I may be required to work on 22 December. Will I be entitled to take time back in lieu?

A department’s usual practice would apply when managing the requirement for clinical consultants to work during the usual Christmas and New Year closure period. If you are required to work on 22 December, then you would also be entitled to receive time back in lieu.

 7. I work part time. Am I entitled to the additional closure day?

22 December falls on a Thursday.  If you would normally work on a Thursday as part of your normal part time working pattern, you will be entitled to receive this additional closure day.   

The additional closure day on 22 December is an exceptional closure day; part time staff who do not normally work on a Thursday would not receive additional day back at another time.

8. The University has provided additional closure days at Christmas / New Year over the last few years; is this something which will be happening on an ongoing basis?

Over the last couple of years, the University has used its discretion to provide additional closure day(s) for a number of exceptional circumstances.  This concession again in 2022, however, does not change the existing terms and conditions of employment and policy for staff in relation to annual leave / University closure days.