Excessive Annual Leave Accruals
Hi All,
Just started in a new job and have been reviewing the leave liability across the organisation (1,100 employees in WA, NT, Vic & NSW). I was mortified at the amount of people with well over 200 hours of leave accrued with some people northwards of 500. Now here's the issue I'm reviewing one state at a time starting with the largest location of about 800 employees. Over 650 personnel are covered by the Clerks -Private Sector Award 2010 and the Professional Employee Award 2010.
The clerks award allows the following:
29.5 Requirement to take leave notwithstanding terms of the NES
An employer may require an employee to take annual leave by giving at least four weeks’ notice in the following circumstances:
(a) as part of a close-down of its operations;or
(b) where more than eight weeks’ leave is accrued.
But the professional employee award doesn't so the only option we have is to stick with the standard Xmas/New Year Office closure and whatever the standard is in each client office that various employees were in permanently.
I was wanting to put a plan in place in place for those with in excess of say 300 hours to encourage them to take leave throughout the year. Unfortunately the awards don't cover this or consider an employees wellbeing and need to take breaks throughout the year.
Oh and those award free employees will be put on a plan to book leave and also offered to option to cash out some of their leave in accordance with the NES where they retain at least 4 weeks of paid annual leave balance. I'm looking at it from an OHS perspective too.
Just looking for some comments/ feedback from anyone that has had to manage a process like this and how they overcame the award restrictions.