Time off for reservists: UK employer guide

No. GOV.UK says employers do not have to allow time off for training, but may choose to. Reserve training usually involves one evening a week, several weekends throughout the year and a 15-day training course each year.

Most training happens outside normal working hours, so the 15-day annual course is usually the main request you will see. You can treat it as paid special leave, unpaid leave, holiday or a mix, as long as your policy is clear and applied consistently. GOV.UK says reservists cannot be made redundant because of training or mobilisation.

Reservists give their employer's details to their commanding officer, and GOV.UK says employers then usually get a letter from the Ministry of Defence within 5 weeks of an employee signing up. The MOD does not contact employers in Northern Ireland.

Reservists only have to tell their employer themselves if it is a condition of their job that they do not take any other work. A reservist can ask for an employer notification waiver for a good reason, which lasts 12 months.

If a reservist is needed for full-time service, they are sent a call-out notice. This is known as mobilisation. In most cases reservists get 28 days' notice, but it can be less if they are needed urgently. They should tell their employer as soon as possible.

While they are mobilised you do not pay their salary or pension contributions; GOV.UK says the MOD pays these costs. Reservists can claim the difference between their civilian pay and their service pay from the MOD, up to £400 a day in total.

An employer can apply if mobilisation would seriously harm the business, for example by causing financial harm or making it difficult to produce goods or provide services. You can apply to defer mobilisation for up to a year, get an exemption for a year or more, or revoke a mobilisation that has already happened.

The deadline is tight: reservists and employers must apply within 7 days of getting the call-out notice. If you miss it, you need permission from the adjudication officer to make a late application. Ending a reservist's employment because of mobilisation is not an option; GOV.UK says employers can be fined in court and made to pay compensation if they do.

GOV.UK lists the costs an employer can claim from the MOD when a reservist is mobilised. You cannot claim for loss of profits, turnover or goodwill, or for salary and pension contributions if you choose to keep paying them.

You can claim before the reservist leaves, but you will not be paid until they have started service. GOV.UK says you cannot claim later than 4 weeks after the last day of their service. Claims for the cost of training the reservist on their return must be made within 8 weeks of the end of that training.

Yes. Reservists should write to their employer as soon as they know when they can return, and no later than the third Monday after their last day of service. Employers must re-employ them as soon as they are able to, in the same type of job, on the same terms and conditions. If the job no longer exists, you must offer a reasonable alternative.

Under section 1 of the Reserve Forces (Safeguard of Employment) Act 1985, the duty is to re-employ at the first opportunity at which it is reasonable and practicable, and it does not extend beyond six months after the end of the reservist's full-time service. A reservist who is not re-employed can apply to a tribunal, which can order re-employment or award compensation.

A short policy saves a fresh negotiation every year and shows reservists what support to expect.

Record reserve training as its own leave type rather than as holiday or unpaid leave, so annual leave balances stay accurate and you can see at a glance how much time each reservist has used.

In Leavely you can create a reserve forces leave type with its own yearly allowance, apply it only to selected employees, and see it on the team calendar alongside holiday and sickness, so cover for training weeks and mobilisation can be planned early.