Conditions of employment
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8 - Holidays

Note: the total hours are calculated using 7.3 hours x number of days.

Note: the allocation of the annual leave entitlement in paragraphs (a) and (b) between public holidays and leave days which the employee can take at their discretion may differ for staff based outside the United Kingdom. For more information contact globalemployment@exeter.ac.uk

  1. The annual leave entitlement for full-time staff in grades E to H is 299.3 hours comprising:
    • 219.0 hours (30 days); plus,
    • 58.4 hours bank/public holidays (8 days); and
    • (subject to paragraph (c) below) 21.9 hours (3 Closure Days) designated by the University.
    The University reserves the right, following consultation with trade union representatives, to convert up to 21.9 hours (3 days) of the 219 hours (30 days) entitlement into Closure Hours/Days designated by the University.
  2. The annual leave entitlement for full-time staff in Grades B to D is 284.7 hours comprising:
      • 204.4 hours (28 days); plus,
      • 58.4 hours bank/public holidays (8 days); and
      • (subject to paragraphs (c) and (d) below) 21.9 hours (3 Closure Days) designated by the University.
    The University reserves the right, following consultation with trade union representatives, to convert up to 21.9 hours (3 days) of the 204.4 hours (28 day) entitlement into Closure Days designated by the University.
  3. The University reserves the right to determine when one day of this leave is to be taken by notifying staff no later than the preceding 31 December (e.g. through Weekly Bulletin or all staff email). (In practice, the University will only exercise this right when Christmas Day falls on either a Tuesday or a Thursday, to avoid campuses being open for a single day ie either Christmas Eve or 2 January.)
  4. To meet operational requirements, the University may require staff to work on a designated Closure Day, in which case alternative paid leave will be provided, to be taken by agreement with management, and no additional payment will be made. Staff in Grades B to D may qualify for additional payment in accordance with paragraph 6(h) above when they are required to work on a Closure Day in addition to their normal working week.
  5. Staff may book leave in half days or full days. For staff working non-standard working arrangements, the amount of leave entitlement used for each day or half day of holiday will reflect the number of hours they were scheduled to work that day, according to their working pattern. Note: Further details and examples are set out in the annual leave webpages https://www.exeter.ac.uk/staff/employment/leave/personal/annual/
  6. For part-time staff working fewer days or hours, leave entitlement is pro rata.
  7. The annual leave year, for both the accrual and taking of leave, is 1 January to 31 December.
  8. The annual leave entitlement for staff joining or leaving the employment of the University during the course of the year is proportionate to their completed service during the leave year.
    Note: See additional note for staff starting later in the year on the HR Web pages. https://www.exeter.ac.uk/staff/employment/leave/personal/annual/#a2
  9. If an employee whose employment ends during the year has taken more hours/days of leave than they have accrued up to their final date of employment, then a deduction will be made from their final salary payment.
  10. Staff are expected to take their leave in the leave year in which it is accrued. While there is no entitlement to carry forward leave, where it is not possible (eg for operational reasons) for employees to take all their leave entitlement, they may carry forward up to 5 days' leave to the following year, with the permission of their Pro Vice Chancellor/Divisional Director or designate. Any leave carried forward must be taken by 30 April in the following year or it will be lost. If a member of staff has more than 5 days' leave outstanding at the end of a year, the excess over and above 5 days will be lost. There is no entitlement for payment in lieu of untaken leave.
  11. Staff employed on a fixed term basis are expected to take annual leave accrued in the year in which their employment ends before the expiry of their contract.
  12. The timing of leave is by agreement with the relevant manager/Head who will take into account both individual preferences and operational requirements. In the case of staff in the Education and Research and Education and Scholarship job families, leave will normally be taken during University vacations.
  13. For staff working term-time only, their annual salary includes their pro-rata paid leave entitlement, to be taken on unspecified days during the vacation periods. Leave may not be taken during Term-time.
  14. Where attendance on a bank/public holiday is required, the University will in the first instance seek volunteers, subject to the right of the University to require staff to work on bank/public holidays to meet its operational requirements of the University where insufficient volunteers are available. Where staff are rostered to work on a bank/public holiday, the University will manage the rosters so that bank/public holiday working is evenly shared among staff. Where staff are required to work on a bank/public holiday within their normal working week, alternative paid leave will be provided, to be taken by agreement with management, and no additional payment will be made. Staff in Grades B to D may qualify for additional payment in accordance with paragraph 6(h) above when they are required to work on a bank/public holiday in addition to their normal working week.