The Board of Deputies has received an unusually high number of requests for help this year from Jews having trouble taking time off for festivals.
To date 12 people have approached the Board. One reason may be because all seven Orthodox Yomtovim, from Rosh Hashanah to Simchat Torah, fall on a weekday this year.
Marcelle Palmer, public affairs officer for the Board, said: “Normally, people have tried to sort it out first with their employers. In most cases, we have intervened directly.
“We have been successful in all cases bar one — and that is ongoing. That person is not actually from a school or college, but is a public sector worker.”