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Christmas is coming! Here is 6 things employers should action now:
Christmas will be here before we know it and while we know everyone is looking forward to a well-earned break, there are a few things all employers should be considering and planning for right now.
Here’s our top 6 tips to get yourself ahead of the Christmas craziness:
1.
Annual Leave – if you or your team will be taking annual leave, be sure to confirm dates, review leave requests against rosters, and let people know if they have an insufficient balance to cover their leave period (usually, you would treat this as unpaid leave or come to an agreement on a negative leave balance – be sure to contact the Edwards HR team for guidance if you wish to allow negative balances or are unsure of the Award provisions that apply to your team).
2.
Shut Down Period – if your business is closing completely for any period (other than public holidays), you should notify your team now, if you haven’t already. You should check the relevant Awards/Enterprise Agreements for the specific requirements for providing notice (it is often at least 28 days written notice).
You can direct employees to take paid annual leave during a shutdown (as long as their Award or Enterprise Agreement allows it and the requirement is in writing and reasonable) but you cannot always direct them to take unpaid annual leave during a shutdown. If an employee doesn’t have enough paid annual leave to cover the shutdown, you can agree with them other options to cover the days, eg:
- time off in lieu
- annual leave in advance
- leave without pay.
You should ensure that any agreement reached, is confirmed in writing to the employee.
You can use the Fair Work’s handy shutdown tool to check the relevant Award : FW – Direction-to-take-annual-leave-during-a-shut-down
3.
Public Holidays – Employees have a right not to work on a public holiday, so they should be given the choice. You (employers) can request employees to work on a public holiday but the request has to be reasonable or the employee can refuse. The employee can also refuse if they have reasonable grounds for refusing.
An employer can require an employee to work a public holiday if the:
- employer has made a reasonable request for the employee to work the public holiday;
- employee has unreasonably refused that request.
If the above situation arises you can contact Edwards HR for further guidance.
The following dates/times are public holidays in Queensland and must be paid accordingly.
Generally, this means permanent employees are paid for the day (if it is a day they usually work), or penalty rates will apply if they work on the public holiday. You should refer to the applicable Award or Enterprise Agreement for the correct penalty rates and substitution provisions.
- 24th December 2024 – Tuesday – part-day public holiday on Christmas Eve from 6pm to midnight (does not apply to all states).
- 25th December 2024- Wednesday – Christmas Day
- 26th December 2024 Thursday – Boxing Day
- 1st January 2025 – Wednesday– New Year’s Day
For more information on the Queensland public holiday dates and dates in other states and territories, check this page by the Fair Work Ombudsman.
4.
Payroll Processing – assess whether your regular payroll processing day falls during the festive season, or any shut down period. If it does, particularly if it falls on a public holiday, consider whether you need to make alternative arrangements (for example, processing the day prior). Be sure to communicate any changes with your team ahead of time and have all leave requests approved in advance.
5.
Christmas Parties – Christmas parties are a great time to get everyone together and celebrate the year. While many people are keen to let their hair down, you should remember that work-related functions are an extension of the workplace no matter when or where they are held. Your team should be reminded of this along with your expectations about appropriate behaviour.
If you are in need of some inspiration to help you decide what to do for your Christmas party, stay tuned for our annual ‘What Should we Do for our Xmas Party’ article (watch this space!).
6.
Training For Your Team – The festive season is arguably one of the best times of the year, but for business owners, managers, HR and payroll, it also comes with lots of planning and risk management. This year Edwards HR are running a Xmas Special training workshop that will guide you on how to safely navigate the festive season without being the fun police! Check it out and book online here.
Get our free HR and payroll planning checklist for Christmas now and start preparing today.
Perfect for HR professionals, payroll specialists, managers, and employers!
Edwards HR is here to assist you in complying with your obligations and creating a safe, respectful workplace. If you need help with policy updates or team training, please do not hesitate to reach out.
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For more guidance about this update, or to find out how Edwards HR can support your business, contact our team today on 07 3568 0866.
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