At the end of next week 5.3 million Australians will be heading off on holiday at the request of their employers.
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While many staff in other industries will be expected to work over the festive season almost half of the Australian workforce are encouraged to take time off. According to a new analysis from finder.com.au the national figure is 44 per cent. The figure is 48 per cent in NSW which has the highest forced leave rate.
The survey of 2017 Australians found one-in-12 employees (one million Australians) will be required to take a break of three weeks or more. On average, employees will be forced to take 8.3 days off. And women will be using more leave than men, with 8.8 days compared to 7.7.
Finder’s Bessie Hassan said it is fairly commonplace for some employers to ask their teams to take some time off over Christmas. She said there were advantages and disadvantages. It can be problematic for people who who do not have leave accrued. And it removes the freedom of choosing when to travel or go on holiday.
Yvonne Walker, of HR With Ease, said many businesses in heavy industry are among those that close completely for at least two weeks in the Illawarra. “The exception is, of course, continuous operations such as mining and some parts of the steel production process. But even in continuous operations, staff who are not critical to front line production, such as corporate offices and support staff, will be encouraged to take leave”
Mrs Walker said not all Awards permit compulsory closedown periods and there are usually notice requirements. That is why employers wanting to close their operation are encouraged to check that they are meeting all of their legal obligations.
Mrs Walker said financial, legal and other professional services also tend to have a closure over the period. And many staff in the education sector take a break.
lmip.gov.au statistics show women and men are likely to be equally affected in the Illawarra. Of industries that continue to operate over the holiday season there is a significantly higher percentage of women working in accommodation and food services (73 per cent compared to 55 per cent nationally). In retail it is 60 per cent.
Mrs Walker said corporate offices may close or retain skeleton staff. The health and social care sector, which employs 72 per cent of female staff and includes many front-line carers, is one that does not take a break.
Mrs Walker said when you consider heavy industry in the region employs considerably more men than women (75 per cent versus 25 per cent) and professional services has a higher male workforce (57 per cent compared to 43 per cent) it is reasonable to conclude that the impact will be fairly balanced between women and men in this Illawarra region.
Western Australia has the smallest percentage taking forced leave at 34 per cent and South Australia employees will be taking the least amount of time off with just 5.9 days.
2014 STORY ON YVONNE WALKER
BULLYING and harassing behaviour in the workplace is the focus of a 90-minute session designed to give employers practical information at the Quality Suites in Towradgi on September 26.
HR With Ease director Yvonne Walker said it was an important topic because bullying behaviour didn't just impact negatively on employees, it could damage a business's reputation and affect the bottom line.
Ms Walker is a performance and behaviour management specialist and says the upcoming changes to the Fair Work Act will make it even more important to prevent such behaviour.
"The changes from January 1, 2014, will mean that employees can request the Fair Work Commission to stop bullying that they are being subjected to, without the employer even being aware that there is a problem," she said
The proposed changes would come into effect regardless of which government won the upcoming election, she said.
To prepare for the change to the law, businesses should ensure that they had policies in place that set out the standards of behaviour expected in the workplace, and that employees had training in what those policies meant, Ms Walker said.
"Just having a policy on the wall is not enough," she said.
Managers and frontline supervisors should also have training in how to recognise and deal with bullying behaviour.
The HR With Ease workshop is designed to increase awareness of the obligations under current laws, and help employers prepare for the changes.
Greg Ellis
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
