Allowing time off work

Time off for magistrate duty

Magistrates are the backbone of the criminal justice system and deal with over 95 per cent of all criminal cases in England and Wales, including crime against businesses.

Many magistrates are full-time employees and make this contribution as committed volunteers. It's therefore important to understand your obligations to any employees who are magistrates and how your business can benefit.

You are legally required to allow employee magistrates time off to complete their duties. Employees who volunteer as magistrates commit to serving a minimum of 26 half-days per year, which is the equivalent of just over one day per month.

Duty rotas are finalised well in advance, so absences can be planned for. Download guidance on how to support magistrates in the workplace from the Business in the Community website (PDF) - Opens in a new window. 

While you are not legally required to pay employees on magistrate service, many employers choose to do so. This is in recognition of their important contribution to the community and in the skills development that directly benefit you as an employer.

Magistrates receive highly valuable training in:

• decision-making
• teamwork
• communication skills
• time management
• acceptance of responsibility
• presentation skills
• leadership and mentoring
• legal issues and regulations

By supporting employee magistrates, you show commitment not only to flexible working and work-life balance, but also to your corporate social responsibilities. See our guides on flexible working - the law and best practice and corporate social responsibility.

Allowing employees to pursue this type of activity has been shown to improve retention, job satisfaction and productivity levels. It is also likely to improve your company image, which may help to attract high-calibre people to the business.

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• Time off - paid or unpaid
• Time off for information and consultation purposes
• Time off for certain training and job-related duties and activities
• Statutory time off for parental reasons
• Time off for personal commitments and emergencies
• Time off for public service and duties
• Time off for magistrate duty
• Employees in the armed forces
• Managing your staff's time off
• Here's how we support our people who require time off work for public duties

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