The Green Party has announced that it wants to increase annual leave to five weeks.
Co-leader Marama Davidson told a crowd at a E Tū election launch in Māngere today that it would provide organisations with plenty of notice and ensure the full five weeks is available for everyone by the end of 2025.
This wouldn't make NZ an unusual outlier globally, though perhaps it would be in this hemisphere - and that could be an attractive aspect as we continue to lose talent to Australia.
I'd like to see them carve out an exception for businesses that opt for a 32-hour 4-day week - either one works towards a better work-life balance and a 4-day week is a lot more personal days than just one week extra. Providing an exception for 4-day week businesses would avoid slowing uptake of the 4-day model for businesses that can make it work. The question is, how to balance the exception and leave changes for non-full-time employees?
Can NZ afford it? How many businesses are too fragile from the recent years of challenging operation. I suspect many can afford this, and that some have been pocketing the rewards of improved revenues in this inflationary environment without readily passing on those rewards. There could be more businesses struggling than we'd hope, that are too fragile from the challenges of recent years to wear the new costs.
Then again, maybe some negative impact is worthwhile for the improvement to the portion of the workforce that lacks the negotiating position to get such a deal - some executives and upper management certainly do enjoy such arrangements, including reduced days on massive salaries.
As an employee I like it.
While I very much like the idea, I don't think this is a good time to be implementing this at all.
We're on the edge of recession, inflation is out of control, I certainly can't afford to go on holiday anyway. This is something you enact when the economy is actually doing well.
Best time is now. However I don't see how green would manage this. Are they going to pay companies while we are away ? How's that going to work for non profits ? This just screams bullshit propaganda.
Would love to see them voted in just for them to turn around and say. Actually that's not feasible. Similar to every other politicians bullshit manifesto.
It would be a cost to bear for the employer, just like the annual leave we currently get.
Exactly. Don't think most would be happy at that
Aren't the workers in the majority? I think most would be happy with that.
Most companies
Until they become the unemployed, because their job gets offshored or the company closes.
Or the company gets record profits
because the productivity sky rockets
because the workers are actually healthy.
See, I can play the "What if" game as well.
So you're saying the best time is now, yet also saying its not actually manageable.
Of course. Then I get 5 weeks. Why wouldn't it be ? Do you think your company would give you 5 weeks off ?
I just asked for an extra week of annual leave instead of a tiny annual payrise back in the early days of COVID and they didn't even bat an eye.
Assuming you have the ability to unpaid leave once your four weeks are used up, five weeks is the equivalent of a ~1.9% pay rise. It's a trivial cost in and of itself, though that is ignoring those jobs which are difficult to find cover for and might need hiring a temp or similar overheads.
Great your company is flexible.
Unfortunately I think I'd still go for the pay increase. Haven't had one of those. Desperately need one of those during this food inflation cycle