Jacinda Ardern has made good on the promise to increase sick leave to a minimum of 10 days per year, stating that this will be in place by Christmas, bringing us in line with Australia.This makes sense in a COVID world in which the government encourages workers to stay home if they have symptoms resembling those of COVID. It also means that hopefully, there will be less transmission of the common cold and similar viruses. This will come as a relief to parents who must take care of their children’s health as well as their own – particularly given the many schools are cracking down on sending children to school who are ill.However, this clearly comes at a cost to businesses, and could be felt acutely by small businesses already struggling following the impacts felt by 2020.Businesses need to start thinking about how this should be managed from a contractual perspective as variations may be required and contracts for new employees will need to be updated.Contact us if you require assistance and or advice with the changes to sick leave that will shortly come into force.
