Posted: 9th September 2023
Posted in: Bones Blog, Fair Work Commission, General HR
Planning to close down over Christmas this year? New shutdown rules for employers have now kicked in.
From 1 May 2023, many awards will have updated rules on taking annual leave during a shutdown.
A shutdown is when a business chooses to temporarily close down all or part of a business for a particular period, such as Christmas and New Year. A shutdown is also known as a close down.
During a shutdown, employees can be directed to take annual leave if:
The new rules mean:
i) using accrued time off
ii) annual leave in advance, or
iii) leave without pay.
The employee will be paid for any public holidays during the shutdown period that fall on days they would normally work.
Information on shutdowns as they apply to your particular industry is available from the Fair Work Ombudsman’s Direction to take annual leave during a shutdown page.
First you’ve heard of the new shutdown rules? Not surprising; you’re busy running your business, right? There’s plenty of things in the Fair Work Act you probably don’t know but unfortunately, not knowing isn’t going to be a valid excuse when one of your employees (or more likely, a disgruntled ex-employee) reports you to the Fair Work Ombudsman. And the penalties for a breach of the Fair Work Act can be significant. One solution? Partner with someone who does know. Someone with genuine experience as a HR Manager to give you right advice. Our suggestion? Click here and all will be revealed.
Give Bare Bones Consulting a call to discuss our range of HR services to help your business succeed.
Even if you elect to not proceed after our first complimentary consultation you’ll be in a better position to know what’s possible.
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