Here are 4 things you need to know.
- Check the Awards and Agreements
Forcing staff to take Christmas-New Year leave will depend on their Award or Agreement and in case you aren’t aware, you may have staff under different Awards. Some Awards and Agreements have specific rules or processes for compulsory leave, while others may not mention it at all. We recommend you contact us for guidance to avoid unpleasantness at this busy time of the year.
- What can you do if staff don’t have sufficient accrued leave?
Under some Awards and Agreements, staff may be able to take annual leave in advance – even if they have insufficient leave accrued to cover the whole Christmas closure period. Alternatively they may be willing to take unpaid leave for all or part of this time. If you have staff in this situation, you will need to negotiate with them and we are happy to guide you through this process.
- Don’t forget public holidays
Public holidays are not counted as annual leave. Your staff are entitled to their base rate for every public holiday occurring while you are closed – even if they have insufficient leave to cover the whole closure period.
- What do you do if someone won’t take leave?
Believe it or not, occasionally our clients have a staff member who doesn’t want to take Christmas leave. You can’t allow them to work alone because of WHS regulations. If you ever experience this problem, get in touch with us. We will help you remain compliant while negotiating a solution that will work for both you and your staff.
Closing over Christmas can be tricky but the End2end team are here to help
Whether it’s checking your staff’s Awards and Agreements or negotiating with individual staff members, we are here to help you comply with all your HR responsibilities. It starts with a call or email so get in touch with us here.