Take a leave day and do the company a favour
Tomorrow is the perfect time to take leave, not sickies.
With Waitangi Day falling on Tuesday this year, loads of New Zealand’s two million workers are taking the opportunity to elongate their weekends.
Wellington Chamber of Commerce chief executive John Milford said that from his experience, it was more likely that businesses would have used Tuesday’s public holiday to get staff to take holidays.
Leave was a liability for businesses, and owners would welcome any opportunity for staff to take time off and ease the burden of unused leave, he said.
‘‘Some may even have suggested that staff take Friday and Monday to reduce the leave liability.’’
He understood many companies were more upfront about days off and would have arranged them in advance with the workforce.
‘‘You don’t really hear businesses talking about sickies being pulled anymore.’’
First Retail managing director Chris Wilkinson said despite it not being a long weekend, many retailers were describing it as such in their advertisements to maximise sale potential.
He believed recent public commentary had created a mentality of a long weekend for some people, which had been on the back of good summer weather. ‘‘It’s fascinating to hear how many people are saying that Monday will be an unproductive day anyway.’’
He did not believe many retail staff would be pulling a sickie.
Employers and Manufacturers Association president Kim Campbell said anyone considering doing just that, to take advantage of a four-day weekend, should think twice.
If they did they should expect to have to produce evidence of illness or face the consequences.
‘‘It is foolhardy in the extreme to beg for forgiveness later,’’ Campbell said.
‘‘Some people are dumb enough to do that, people who do that obviously don’t care too much about their jobs.’’
Doctors were likely to be on the lookout for fake illnesses, he said.
‘‘Unless they’ve got their doctor in their own pay there’s a good chance they won’t get a medical certificate.’’
Employees flouting sick leave policy could expect to face disciplinary procedures, he said.
Public holidays falling on a Tuesday was a problem employers had to deal with on an annual basis. ‘‘This is an annual perennial sore, it comes up at various times every single year.’’
The association had been training its members to ask their employees for their leave intentions and to reiterate sick leave policy in advance of the holidays.
Schoolkids should also be wary of playing truant, with New Zealand Principals Federation president Whetu Cormick saying there was an expectation that children would attend.
‘‘If the child were to stay home the parent would have to be able to communicate to the school the reason why.’’
It was particularly important to attend at the start of the school year.
‘‘If you’re not at school at the early time of the year you’re going to miss key, routine-setting learning.’’