Monochrome Holiday Policy
Monochrome Holiday Policy
At Monochrome, we believe that time away from work is essential for maintaining well-being and productivity. To ensure transparency and consistency, this document outlines the company’s holiday policy for all employees.
Annual Holiday Entitlement
Each Monochrome employee is granted a set number of holiday days per tax year, which runs from April 5th to April 5th of the following year. For example, if your annual entitlement is 20 days, this is the maximum amount of holiday you are permitted for the year, subject to accrual and usage rules outlined below.
Holiday Accrual System
Holiday time is accrued in hours, meaning you earn entitlement as you work throughout the year. You cannot take more holiday than you have accrued at any point in time.
Example 1 – Standard Accrual:
If you are entitled to 20 days annually, you accrue approximately 5 days (1 week) every 3 months.
By July 5th, you would have accrued 5 days, allowing you to take a 1-week holiday.
By October 5th, you would have accrued 10 days. If no holiday has been taken yet, you could take 2 weeks (your maximum at once).
Example 2 – Mid-Year Starter:
If you begin employment on October 1st, halfway through the tax year, you are only entitled to half of the annual leave, which is 10 days.
From October 1st to April 5th, you will continue to accrue hours based on your part-year entitlement.
If by January 1st, you've accrued 5 days, you may take a 1-week holiday. The full 20-day entitlement will refresh on April 5th.
Booking a Holiday
To ensure sufficient planning and coverage, all holiday requests must be submitted at least 4 weeks in advance.
Submitting a request does not guarantee approval. Management reserves the right to approve or reject any holiday request based on operational needs and staff availability.
Example:
If you plan to go on holiday from August 1st, you must submit your request no later than July 1st. Requests made after this may be declined regardless of accrual.
Usage Limits
Employees can only use the number of hours they have accrued at the time of requesting the leave.
The maximum length of holiday that can be taken in one go is 2 consecutive weeks.
Example:
If by October 5th, you've accrued 10 days, you may use them to take 2 full weeks.
However, if you’ve only accrued 7 days, you would only be allowed to take 7 days and not a full 2 weeks.
Use It or Lose It Policy
Holiday entitlement does not carry over into the next tax year. Any unused holiday will be forfeited if not taken before April 5th.
Example:
If you’ve accrued 20 days but only taken 14 days by April 5th, the remaining 6 days will be lost unless used before the tax year ends. They will not be transferred into the next year.
This policy encourages employees to plan and use their time off throughout the year rather than waiting until the end.
Summary
Holiday is accrued and cannot be used in advance.
Requests must be submitted 4 weeks in advance.
Approval is not automatic.
No more than 2 weeks may be taken consecutively.
Holidays do not roll over beyond April 5th.
Entitlement resets annually and is prorated for mid-year starters.
