A north west business helpline has seen a rise in the number of calls from small business over the plans to give employees additional bank holidays in 2012 to mark the Queens Diamond Jubilee.
Commemorative brick for the Queens Diamond Jubilee
Business owners must plan for the 2012 bank holidays as the late May bank holiday is planned to move to Monday the 4th of June as part of the Queens Diamond Jubilee celebrations, with Tuesday 5th June also designated as a bank holiday.
Dr Brian Sloan, head of business and economic policy at Greater Manchester Chamber, said:
“As we anticipated with the recent Royal Wedding bank holiday, with people off work there was a boost to some sectors of the economy, such as retailers, hotels, bars and restaurants, but unfortunately this comes at a cost to other firms in sectors such as manufacturing and construction that will take a hit in terms of lost production and costs.
Important point to remember when making your decision on how to deal with the extra Bank Holiday for the Queens Diamond Jubilee, that if you have previously given additional one off bank holidays, like the Royal Wedding in April 2011, but you do not intend to give the additional bank holiday in 2012, your employees might claim that taking additional one off bank holiday, has become custom and practice within your company. So think carefully about how your small business intends to cope with the 2012 celebrations.
