Do yours get days off on bank holidays or statutory holidays? Just wondering, mine has been here for less than 3 months anyway.
Do yours get days off on bank holidays or statutory holidays? Just wondering, mine has been here for less than 3 months anyway.
Domestic helpers (like anybody else) are legally entitled to statutory holidays (or days in lieu therof) but of course as an employer you can make any arrangements you like with your employees over and above the statutory minimum.
The three public holidays at Easter are general ones not statutory, ergo they do not have them off, unless a kindly employer gives them that time off. They still have Sunday off (or their usual day).
There are no bank holidays in Hong Kong.
If your DH's come from the (very Catholic) philippines, you might want to be kind to them and give them Easter. It's the most important Christian holiday of the year for Catholics.
This really surprises me, I didn't know that = I thought that they got all public holidays off. Just another thought, as the Filipina ones are usually Catholic, would have thought they would want the Good Friday off at the very least.
You can go to http://www.labour.gov.hk/eng/public/wcp/FDHguide.pdf and download the guidelines. Here is the relevant excerpt.
Q4.5 How long should a helper work before he/she can enjoy the statutory
holidays in a year?
A All foreign domestic helpers, irrespective of their length of services, are
entitled to the following 12 statutory holidays in a year –
The first day of January;
Lunar New Year’s Day;
The second day of Lunar New Year;
The third day of Lunar New Year;
Ching Ming Festival;
The first day of May;
Tuen Ng Festival;
The day following the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival;
Chung Yeung Festival;
Chinese Winter Solstice Festival or Christmas Day (at the option of
the employer);
The first day of July; and
The first day of October.
If the helper has been employed continuously by the employer for three
months preceding any of these holidays, he/she is entitled to the holiday
pay.
My policy has always been if my company gives me a public holiday off then I also give it to my helper. I don't think it is about statutory or otherwise it comes down to what kind of employer you want to be :-). I also give my helper Saturday afternoon and Sunday off.
this is the same as for people working in the service industry for example F&B people who work in bars and restaurants are entitled to the Statutory holidays but most dont get to take the actual day off and only the nominated rest day. They get to take the Statutory holidays off later which most do by adding with their Annual Leave so that they can take a longer holiday.