According to economists (OK, dull opener, but bear with me) the royal wedding might end up curtailing growth as opposed to giving the economy the much needed boost it needs. I thought that the increased interest and tourism into the country would have helped?
But no, apparently the feel good factor will have a positive knock-on but the effect on GDP will be negative. This is due to the fact that the UK will virtually close for business for two weeks at the end of April. Hmmm, although I admit the timing isn’t great it doesn’t happen often this way so I say give us all a break. Well not me obviously, because I’ll be working throughout!
According to a survey carried out this week by online dating site Zoosk: 66% of us are more concerned about getting the day off than the actual wedding itself anyway, with only 31% opting to watch it on the TV. (But I don’t believe for a moment those naysayers won’t be swept up in wedding fever at the last minute and join in in some way!)
So what are you doing for the big day? Have you been given the time off as paid leave or will you be working? Or can you be flexible? I liked this report from cereal firm Kellogg’s that staff can have the day off but can choose when to take it. The best to you every morning too!
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As an employee you should check your employment contracts now to see what you are entitled to. According to Sue Evans of UK law firm Lester Aldridge: “there is no additional or separate right to paid leave for bank or public holidays. However, the 28 day entitlement is often interpreted as meaning 20 days plus the 8 bank and public holidays.” So the best thing to do is have a look at your original holiday entitlement to see where you stand and if you can get paid for having the royal wedding day off!
Sue gives some suitable examples that could apply:
- “If your contract states that you are entitled to 20 days leave plus all public and bank holidays in England and Wales, then this is very likely to mean that you’re entitled to paid leave in respect of these additional public holidays”
- “On the other hand, if the contract states that you are entitled to a set number of days leave in addition to the usual public and bank holidays there is an argument that this extra public holiday should not be included since it does not form one of the usual 8 days. In this case you might need to take this day as part of your annual leave if you want the day off to go celebrating”
- “Similarly an entitlement of 28 days holiday including bank and public holidays would not give any opening for additional days leave and you would have to take the leave out of your 28 day allowance if you want to take a day’s paid holiday for the Royal Wedding.”
Obviously, the best course of action would be to encourage your employer to just give you the day off paid anyway, because the boost in morale would have such a positive impact. Although apparently you never make up for any days you take off, which does have a negative impact on productivity and therefore the economy – which is where I came in!
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