Travel companies report a surge in bookings as the royal wedding, an exceptionally late Easter and spring bank holiday combine to tempt employees to take a longer break.
However, employment law experts say workers will need to check the exact wording in their contracts before booking any last minute flights.
Rob Cavill, an employment solicitor at Langleys said: “The date of the upcoming royal wedding is Friday 29 April 2011 which, from a business perspective, is unhelpfully sandwiched between the Easter bank holidays and May Day. Its important employees have a little sympathy with their bosses about how this extra bank holiday could impact on their bottom line – especially for small businesses who may already be struggling with the current climate.”
Figures from the Department of Business and the Federation of Small Businesses suggest the cost to British businesses could be anything from £2 to £6 billion. The average nine-to-five employee will have to book just three days to enjoy an 11-day break.
“From an employment law perspective, the right to paid or unpaid time off for the royal wedding depends on two factors. Firstly, the employee’s contract of employment and secondly, if this is not favourable, the discretion and generosity of the employer.”
Employees will need to refer to the wording in their contract before assuming the day is a default holiday.
Rob added: “In these difficult economic times and in light of the likely cost to the employer, if contracts provide a get out clause for the extra bank holiday it is far from certain that all employers will sacrifice the needs of the business.”