Covid-19: Holiday During Coronavirus - New Beis Guidance

On 13 May 2020, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) published new guidance, 'Holiday entitlement and pay during coronavirus (COVID-19)'.

The new guidance is intended to be an explanation of how holiday entitlement and pay operate during the coronavirus pandemic, particularly for workers furloughed under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS).

The new Guidance makes it clear that:

• Workers on furlough continue to accrue holiday while on furlough
• Workers on furlough can take holiday without disrupting their furlough
• Employers can require workers to take holiday and cancel a worker's holiday if they give enough notice to the worker (including bank holidays). This may include workers on furlough but "the employer should consider whether any restrictions the [furloughed] worker is under, such as the need to socially distance or self-isolate, would prevent the worker from resting, relaxing and enjoying leisure time,