As Easter approaches, businesses across Australia start preparing for one of the busiest (and often trickiest!) times of the year. While the long weekend brings a welcome break for many employees, it can also present challenges for business owners and managers. From public holiday entitlements to rostering and penalty rates, it’s crucial to ensure you’re compliant and organised.
Here’s what you need to be aware of this Easter—and how ForgeHR can support you to stay on track.
1. Public Holiday Pay Obligations
In Australia, Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Sunday, and Easter Monday are all public holidays in most states and territories. Under the Fair Work Act 2009 and relevant Awards, employees required to work on a public holiday are entitled to penalty rates—often 150% or 250% of their normal pay rate.
What you need to check:
- Your employees’ applicable Award or Enterprise Agreement
- Whether you have the correct penalty rates set up in your payroll system
- If you have part-time and casual staff, be mindful of different entitlements
2. Can You Require Staff to Work?
While many industries (like hospitality, retail, and healthcare) require staff over Easter, you cannot automatically roster employees without considering their rights. Employees can refuse to work on public holidays if they have reasonable grounds (family commitments, religious beliefs, etc.).
Make sure you:
- Provide reasonable notice of rosters
- Consult with staff and accommodate requests where possible
- Document any agreements or refusals to work
3. Minimum Shift Hours and Breaks
Be careful not to overlook minimum shift lengths—especially for casuals—and required break periods. It’s easy to accidentally breach Award conditions when filling in gaps at the last minute. Double-check rostering compliance.
4. Annual Leave Requests
With Easter often tied to school holidays, many employees will request annual leave.
Have a clear policy on:
- Cut-off dates for leave requests
- How you’ll handle conflicting requests fairly
- Whether you’ll shut down operations for the period (and the process for directing leave)
5. Business Continuity Planning
- If you’re closing for the long weekend, ensure:
- Client expectations are managed
- Critical systems and security are monitored
- Your team knows the procedure for emergencies
How ForgeHR Can Help
Public holidays shouldn’t be stressful! ForgeHR can:
- Review your payroll setup to ensure correct penalty rates and entitlements
- Assist with compliant rostering and workforce planning
- Develop clear leave policies and processes
- Conduct a quick audit to ensure you’re Fair Work compliant this Easter
Don’t get caught out this Easter—let ForgeHR support your business to stay compliant and confident.
