We have prepared a Covid-19 Travelling Abroad Holiday Policy for you to use as more employees consider taking breaks abroad this summer.
As Covid restrictions start to be lifted, employees may decide to holiday abroad, often with little thought as to quarantine or countries being added to the red list. This can obviously affect their ability to work and there may be uncertainty as to whether such time off work should be paid or unpaid.
To provide clarity and to help manage this type of situation, employers are advised to have a policy in place. We have prepared a travelling abroad holiday policy below that you can copy and paste for use in your own organisation.
Covid-19 – Travelling Abroad Holiday Policy
It is important to be aware as to how holidaying abroad during a pandemic may affect your pay:
As lockdown eases, holidays abroad become available again and some people will decide to take the opportunity to travel abroad for a break. While it is lovely to get away, there is also the risk that you could either have difficulty returning to the UK or have to quarantine on your return.
The countries affected by the red list are constantly changing and the rules surrounding quarantine and management of the Covid pandemic are unpredictable. When travelling abroad during the pandemic, you are therefore taking the risk that you may be unable to return when anticipated and/or you have to quarantine on your return. You should therefore think carefully about the consequences before holidaying abroad at the moment.
It is important for you to be aware as to how an inability to return to the UK, or a requirement to quarantine after a holiday, will affect your pay.
- If the Company decides that you can work from where you are based, then you will continue to be paid as normal for the hours you work.
- If you choose to go on holiday knowing you have to quarantine afterwards (and the Company decides that you cannot work while under quarantine),you will be on unpaid leave during the quarantine period.
- If you choose to go on holiday to a destination which is not subject to quarantine at the time of travelling there, but then becomes subject to quarantine and you are required to quarantine as a result, or you have difficulty returning to the UK (and the Company decides that you cannot work from where you are based), you will be on unpaid leave during this period. This is because you have taken the risk of being required to quarantine/being delayed in another country, by choosing to travel abroad at this time.
- The Government has not extended SSP entitlement to those who are required to go into quarantine on their return home.
You should also be aware that if you are in breach of government restrictions e.g. going on holiday when international holidays are not permitted, and this affects your work, you may be subject to disciplinary action which could result in your immediate dismissal for gross misconduct i.e. without notice.
Contact our team
Should you need any assistance in relation to managing a travelling abroad holiday policy within your organisation, please do not hesitate to contact our employment law team. Call us on 0161 969 3131 or fill in our contact form and we will be in touch.