Published Nov 2021

There’s only 6 weeks until Christmas 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 5:

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). 

2. Shut down period – if your business is closing completely for any period (other than public holidays), you should notify your team urgently, if you haven’t already. Be sure to comply with any Award or Enterprise Agreement requirements for providing notice of your shut down. 

To find out more about shut down periods and your obligations to notify employees, you can read our recent 

 ‘Christmas Shutdown’ article. 

3. Public holidays – 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. 

• 24 December 2021 (Fri) – part-day public holiday on Christmas Eve from 6pm to midnight (does not apply to all states)

• 25 December 2021 (Sat) – Christmas Day

• 26 December 2021 (Sun) – Boxing Day

• 27 December 2021 (Mon) – Christmas Day observed

• 28 December 2021 (Tues) – Boxing Day observed

• 1 January 2022 (Sat) – New Year’s Day

• 3 January 2022 (Mon) New Year’s Day observed

More information can be found on the Queensland Government page here.

For public holiday 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. 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.

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 after some inspiration to help you decide what to do for your next Christmas party, read our latest article ‘What should we do for our Christmas Party?’.