Mondayised public holidays

**Oakie** · 28th December 2016, 16:22

Originally Posted by Virago

It hurts even more when you've got staff "on call", as they're not actually generating income unless they're called out.

On call staff are deemed to be working. I pay my staff ordinary time for the public holiday, plus ordinary time during a call-out (effectively double time for the time actually worked), and they then get a day off in lieu.

It's essentially a bit of a perk, and as such there's no shortage of volunteers to be on call, which makes it easier to manage.

Not suggesting you should do it but legally if one of those one call peiople is called into work and does say three hours instead of say the 8 hours they'd get for the public holiday, you are only obliged to pay the three hours (at time and a half) and not pay for any other part of the public holiday (because they haven't had a holiday because they worked). They do still get the alternative holiday of course.

**Virago** · 28th December 2016, 17:28

Originally Posted by Oakie

Not suggesting you should do it but legally if one of those one call peiople is called into work and does say three hours instead of say the 8 hours they'd get for the public holiday, you are only obliged to pay the three hours (at time and a half) and not pay for any other part of the public holiday (because they haven't had a holiday because they worked). They do still get the alternative holiday of course.

Yep, I'm aware of that. For me though it's an issue of financial fairness. Full-time workers who only work for a short time on a public holiday and who are paid for time worked only, are essentially forced to take the remainder of the day as unpaid leave - they end up with a smaller pay for that week. Sure they get another day off in lieu, but another holiday doesn't pay the bills. It's an unfair consequence of the Holidays Act, and I would rather wear the cost of an extra day's pay to keep staff happy.

**jasonu** · 28th December 2016, 18:20

Originally Posted by Oakie

Not suggesting you should do it but legally if one of those one call peiople is called into work and does say three hours instead of say the 8 hours they'd get for the public holiday, you are only obliged to pay the three hours (at time and a half) and not pay for any other part of the public holiday (because they haven't had a holiday because they worked). They do still get the alternative holiday of course.

and end up with a bunch of disgruntled employees that don't give a fuck anymore.

**Oakie** · 28th December 2016, 19:41

Originally Posted by jasonu

and end up with a bunch of disgruntled employees that don't give a fuck anymore.

Yep. For people who have done a small amount of work on a day that should have been a public holiday we have in the past always paid the worked hours at T1.5 and then made up the balance of the hours that they would have got for the public holiday at the normal rate ... e.g. 3. hours T 1.5 and 5 hours ordinary time if it was supposed to be an 8 hour day off.