Managing Christmas Workloads and Annual Leave – HR Guidance for UK Employers
📘 Tuesday Blog – HR Fact
HR Fact: Managing Christmas Workloads & Annual Leave Fairly
The festive season brings joy, celebration, and often… HR challenges. With increased annual leave requests, reduced staffing, and seasonal demands, employers must manage Christmas workloads fairly and legally.
Under the Working Time Regulations, employees are entitled to 5.6 weeks’ paid annual leave, and although employers can decline specific dates for genuine business reasons, they must still ensure employees can take their full entitlement within the leave year.
Tips for employers this Christmas:
Set out a clear holiday policy and apply it consistently
Communicate early about busy periods or restricted leave windows
Avoid discrimination by ensuring decisions are fair and transparent
Use tools like Breathe HR to automate and streamline leave requests
At Consensus HR, we help businesses reduce festive stress by creating compliant, easy-to-manage annual leave structures.
Comment from Matthew Chilcott – Owner:
“Christmas should be a positive time for everyone. Good planning and clear communication ensure fairness for your team and stability for your business.”
👉 Need help managing festive HR challenges? Visit: https://www.consensushr.com
🎄 Season’s Greetings from Consensus HR:
We wish everyone a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year 2026!
Please note: We will be closed Tuesday 23rd December – Monday 5th January.
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