St. Patrick's Day 2018 - Employers; is it Saturday 17th or Monday 19th?

This year St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Saturday, leaving many businesses confused as to how the benefit for St. Patrick’s Day should be given. We’ve clarified what you need to know here:

Monday 19th March 2018 may be a Bank Holiday, in that the banks are closed, but it is a normal working day and not a Public Holiday, Saturday 17th is the Public Holiday. Many businesses that operate Monday to Friday will honour Monday 19th as the holiday and close that day, but this is not a mandatory requirement. It is a requirement that full-time employees, and eligible part-time employees, are given their public holiday statutory entitlement for Saturday 17th March.

What is the Statutory Entitlement?

An employee is entitled to their employer’s choice of the following in respect of a public holiday:

• A paid day off on that day
• A paid day off within a month of that day
• An additional day of annual leave
• An additional day’s pay

Open for business on 17th March & 19th March?

Businesses that are open for business on Saturday 17th March should treat Saturday 17th March as the Public Holiday. Employees who are scheduled to work on that day should receive one of the last three options above. Employees who are not scheduled to work on 17th March may receive any of the four options. In this situation, there will be no further requirement to offer an additional benefit on Monday 19th March, this will be seen as a regular day.

Bright Contracts | Thesaurus Payroll Software | BrightPay Payroll Software