It's hard to believe it's nearly December already! Here's a quick overview what you need to be thinking about when it comes to how Closedowns and Public Holidays impact pay and entitlements for your team this festive season.
Closedowns
At least 2 weeks notice in writing needs to be factored into your planning. This makes Monday 4th December the final week for confirming a closedown over Christmas where staff will be required to take annual or unpaid leave.
Public Holidays
The public holidays this festive season are Monday 25th December, Tuesday 26th December, Monday 1st January and Tuesday 2nd January. Staff are eligible to payment if they would normally have worked these days. Payment for public holidays is;
- Relevant daily pay – what the employee would have earned had they worked or;
- Average daily pay over the last 52 weeks (or since commencement) if relevant daily pay cannot be calculated.
Payment for staff who work on any of the public holidays
Payment is dependent on which days would have been otherwise working days. For eligible days, payment is time 1.5 for actual time worked. If a shortened day is worked for any reason, the balance of any contractual hours for that day still needs to be paid, albeit at ordinary rates. A day in lieu also needs to be given if the public holiday is a normal day of work.
The Employment NZ website has some useful examples for working out which days would be payable.
If you need any assistance with planning your closedowns or calculating payments and entitlements for your team, please get in touch.
Note: The Grow HR office will close on Friday 22nd December, with Imogen and Yvette back in the office from Monday 8th January, and the team returning in full on Monday 15th January. Mandy (mandy@growhr.co.nz) will be contactable via mobile and email for any urgent queries or assistance whilst the office is closed.