By Anthony El Salim

With many workplaces remaining in a hybrid working-from-home and in-office system after the past few years, the question of how to ensure the race that stops the nation doesn’t stop your business from having a productive workday has become even more complicated. In this article, we’ll cover how you can best manage the holiday while having some (safe and responsible) fun.

Have your policies in place!

Inform your employees ahead of time what’s expected of them during the working day and remind them of what conduct is and isn’t appropriate. Through our Telephone Advisory Service, one of the most common questions we get asked around this time of year is: “Can employees claim a public holiday on Melbourne Cup Day?” If your employee is outside of Victoria, don’t let them fool you! They have no right to claim a public holiday or reap the benefits. Unless they have specifically taken a day of annual leave, they need to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on Tuesday 1 November!

When someone wants to “chuck a sickie”

Here’s another common story we hear from our clients: staff members who call early in the morning of Cup Day or the day after with a sudden case of ‘party-itis’ or claim their long-lost cousin twice removed on their mother’s side just died. No matter the excuse, ask for proof. Ensure that your staff are aware of the personal leave policy and it’s a good idea to send out reminders and refreshers outlining the notice they must give when taking personal leave and what evidence they are required to produce to support this.

Remote workers

With many employees now flexibly working from home, there may be a sneaking suspicion that an employee has ‘worked’ from home to celebrate the big day instead. A return to a traditional Cup Day office party may be something you’re excited about, but you will want to ensure nobody is taking advantage when they’re meant to be working.

It’s important to recognise that the majority of people who work from home are productive and do well working in this setting – but this doesn’t suit everyone. Managing remote workers has its challenges, but there are some things you can do. Think about daily check-ins via Zoom to keep employees accountable and give your staff achievable deadlines to ensure that they are productive even when there are distractions.

If you can identify that an employee has been completely ignoring their responsibilities and is not performing work, then you may be able to consider undertaking a disciplinary process.

Keep it fun, but be responsible

Depending on your relevant state restrictions and guidelines, this may be the first traditional Cup Day office party since the start of the pandemic. While alcohol in the workplace can be a fun way to socialise with the team, as always, put a limit on any alcohol consumed and remember responsible drinking practices.

Some important things to consider:

  • What are your workplace policies?
  • What are the legal requirements?
  • If employees need to go back to work at full capacity afterwards, make sure this is communicated before the festivities begin.

Do I have to pay anything to my staff if I am based in Victoria?

As you would know, Victoria is the only state which recognises Melbourne Cup as a public holiday – maybe because it’s called “Melbourne Cup”? While this is great news for Victorian workers, businesses must ensure that they are paying their employees correctly.

Underpayment grievances are never fun to deal with and can cause a lot of stress and anxiety for both parties. To combat and avoid these issues you must make sure that you are aware of your obligations. Public holidays attract fun as well as penalty rates! If you have a full-time or part-time employee in Victoria covered by an Award, then the Award will prescribe an employee’s public holiday entitlement depending on whether they do or don’t work the public holiday.

If you have any questions relating to leave policies and alcohol in the workplace, get in touch with our Telephone Advisory Team.

How can HR Assured help?

To help you with any workplace compliance questions you might have, we’d like to offer you a FREE HR Health Check for your business. Our experts will complete a thorough evaluation of your HR that’ll help uncover any hidden risks before they become problems.

Anthony El Salim is a Workplace Relations Advisor at HR Assured. He assists clients with a range of employment relations and compliance matters via the 24/7 Telephone Advisory Service. He is currently studying for a Juris Doctor.