Managing Leave During The Christmas Shutdown Period
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By this point, businesses should have already communicated to their employees if they plan to implement a shutdown period during Christmas and New Year. In light of the revisions made in May 2023 to numerous Awards, including the Plumbing and Fire Sprinklers Award 2020 and Clerks-Private Sector Award 2020, employers should assess the leave balances of each employee to make sure they have adequate annual leave to cover the shutdown period.
If an employee lacks sufficient annual leave, as a result of the amendments introduced in May 2023, the following scenarios may unfold:
- Employers and employees can mutually agree, in written form, for the employee to take unpaid leave once the employee's paid annual leave has been exhausted.
- In instances where an agreement cannot be reached, and the employee does not possess enough accrued paid annual leave to cover the entire shutdown period, they may opt to take paid annual leave in advance, adhering to the existing "annual leave in advance" clause stipulated within each Award.
If you have any questions relating to shutdown or any other HR query, please contact the MPAQ Advisory Team on 07 3273 0800 or email advice@mpaq.com.au.
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