PDA

View Full Version : Marriage Leave



Elaine Li
26-03-2012, 05:42 PM
HR Professional,

in HK , it is quite common for a company to offer 3 days marraige leave to the employees, how about in Sydney ? any market practice can share with me, Many thanks

SuzanneC
27-03-2012, 09:02 AM
From my experience, this is not common practice in Australia. Staff intending to take leave for marriage use their annual leave entitlement.

Moz
27-03-2012, 09:16 AM
From my experience, this is not common practice in Australia.

Of course that doesn't mean you can't do it, but realistically it will only be an incentive for those people who intend to get married :)

HeyPete
23-04-2012, 10:07 AM
Does HK support same sex marriage?

I would be cautious that this could raise discrimination concerns (as same sex marriage is not legal in Australia)

Elaine Li
23-04-2012, 12:54 PM
no HK, don't support same sex marriage.

Cottoneyes
23-04-2012, 01:21 PM
Of course that doesn't mean you can't do it, but realistically it will only be an incentive for those people who intend to get married :)

Or get married often (one in my team is on their 4th marriage). One previous company had 'moving house leave' which really was an incentive for the Gen Yers moving from share house to share house every 6 months and getting a couple of paid days off to do so.
Cultural leave is also another one I've seen that could catch on over time, eg someone of Chinese origin gets time off for Chinese new year, Muslims get time off in Ramadan etc.

HeyPete
23-04-2012, 01:26 PM
Or get married often (one in my team is on their 4th marriage). One previous company had 'moving house leave' which really was an incentive for the Gen Yers moving from share house to share house every 6 months and getting a couple of paid days off to do so.
Cultural leave is also another one I've seen that could catch on over time, eg someone of Chinese origin gets time off for Chinese new year, Muslims get time off in Ramadan etc.

If the company wanted to provide the extra incentive, it would be best just to extend annual leave and not label it something else that could cause argument... unless EVERYBODY in the business was entitled to take time off for Ramadan (example).

Moz
23-04-2012, 02:42 PM
I think one has to be careful about trying to cater for different religions, for a number of reasons.

For starters, where do you draw the line? If you cater for one religion do you then have to cater for them all, no matter how obscure?

And do people of a non Christian faith, working in Australia, get to have a day off on Christian holy days as well as holy days in the calendar of their non Christian faith? (I have seen this happen and the resentment it causes)

Needless to say it could get very complicated!

Neb-Maat-Re
24-04-2012, 09:06 AM
"Cultural Leave" in the Public Sector is usually a euphism for Indigenuous obligations rahter than a general entitlement.

People from other cultures are sometimes offered the opportunity to swap standard Pub Hols with their own cultural holy days.

Moz
24-04-2012, 09:18 AM
People from other cultures are sometimes offered the opportunity to swap standard Pub Hols with their own cultural holy days.

I think that's a reasonable thing to do, so long as;

a) reasonable notice is given of their wish to do that, for workforce planning purposes, and

b) it is actually feasible for them to work on the gazetted public holidays.

For example, if they are in a customer service role and the department or business is completely shut down for the public holiday, then they wouldn't have much to do!

Neb-Maat-Re
24-04-2012, 03:22 PM
I think that's a reasonable thing to do, so long as;

a) reasonable notice is given of their wish to do that, for workforce planning purposes, and

b) it is actually feasible for them to work on the gazetted public holidays.

For example, if they are in a customer service role and the department or business is completely shut down for the public holiday, then they wouldn't have much to do!

The all important "subject to operational requirements", of course.