“Public holidays” usually means “time off”. But did you know that time off during public holidays is paid? With Easter right around the corner, are you entitled to time off on both Good Friday and Easter Monday? Test your knowledge to make sure you know your rights!
Time Off During Easter: Quiz
No.
Your employer can choose to give you either Friday or Monday off. They can also choose to give you both days off. As for Easter Sunday, it isn’t an official public holiday. This means that your employer doesn’t have to give you time off on that day if you normally work on Sundays.
It depends.
If your employer doesn’t give you time off on one of those days, they must pay you your usual wages for the hours you work. Additionally, they must compensate you. They have two options:
- either give you a paid day off at another time, or
- pay you the compensation in money.
The expression “getting paid double time” refers to the second option. You can get paid up to double your usual wages for that day, because you’ll receive your usual wages plus compensation for working on a public holiday. This rule applies to all public holidays.
No.
The law specifies the amount you’re entitled to. Your employer must pay you 1/20th of the wages you earned in the four full weeks of pay before the week of the holiday. This amount includes the tips you earned, but not any wages you may earned for working overtime.
If you are paid in whole or in part by commission, the amount of the compensation is 1/60th of the wages earned in the 12 weeks before the week of the holiday.
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Important!
If you work full time, this amount is approximately equivalent to one day’s pay. If you work part-time, the amount will usually be less than one day’s pay. |
Yes, under certain conditions.
If you plan on taking another day off before or after a public holiday, you need to get your employer’s permission or have a valid reason. Otherwise, you won’t be entitled to take paid time off or receive compensation on the public holiday.