Outstanding Days

Annual Leave & Holiday Guidelines

Your Annual Holiday Allowance

Everyone receives a yearly holiday allowance that includes bank holidays. This allowance is yours to plan time off, rest, and recharge.

Buffer Days (Holiday Held in Reserve)

Sometimes, especially around busy periods like Christmas, a small number of holiday days may be temporarily held as Buffer Days.

• These days are still part of your allowance
• They may appear on the shared calendar as reserved dates
• They may be released closer to the time, depending on how the business is running

These Buffer Days help us plan ahead and make sure things run smoothly at peak times. Once the situation becomes clearer, we'll release any appropriate days back into open booking.

Bank Holidays

Bank holidays are already included in everyone's allowance and are planned as non-working days.

In rare circumstances, business needs may mean some people are asked to work on a bank holiday.

If that ever happens:

• You'll always receive plenty of advance notice
• You'll be offered an alternative day off
• That replacement day will be mutually agreed by you and the company

We really want this to stay fair and flexible for everyone.

Booking Your Holiday

To help everyone plan fairly and keep departments running smoothly, here are a few guidelines we all follow:

How Much to Book

Ideally, holidays are booked in full weeks of 5 working days, whenever possible. This helps with planning, cover, and workload continuity.

Holiday Frequency

A great pattern is to book one week of holiday per quarter, though you can talk to your manager if you need something different.

Holiday weeks that include a bank holiday should only be booked if:

• It has been discussed beforehand, and
• Management has approved it

This helps make sure holiday time isn't accidentally doubled-up.

Taking a Longer Break

If you'd like to enjoy two consecutive weeks of holiday, you're welcome to request it. If approved:

• It counts as your main holiday block for that half of the year (Jan–Jun or Jul–Dec)
• That means no further holiday—of any length—will be requested in the same half of the year, unless agreed in special circumstances

This helps ensure fairness and good cover for all teams

Avoiding Overlaps

To keep things running smoothly, holidays shouldn't overlap with colleagues in the same department. This helps guarantee that everyone gets to enjoy their time off without causing stress for others.

If there's a conflict, we'll work together to find the fairest solution.

Requesting Time Off

All holiday requests go through the usual process and should be made with reasonable notice. Approval depends on:

• Team availability
• Business needs
• What's already booked

We always aim to handle requests fairly, consistently, and with plenty of communication.

Quick Summary

• Buffer Days are still part of your allowance and may be released later
• Bank holidays are already included, with alternatives if business needs change
• Ideal holiday planning is one week per quarter
• Two-week holidays are allowed, but no further holiday in that same half-year unless agreed
• Avoid overlapping holidays within the same department
• Try to book full weeks (5 days) where possible