A British expat who moved to Australia a month ago was surprised to learn that it is common for workers to take up to two weeks off over Christmas.
Cam, a tradesman working in southeast Queensland, shared a video questioning the extended layoff after his boss prepared to close his construction site on Thursday.
“They say to me: ‘What are you going to do for Christmas? We are closed for two weeks. We return on January 6,” he said.
‘That? I thought I was coming to work next week.
Cam claimed his hours over the festive period in England were completely different to those in Australia and he was often required to work on major holidays.
“Yes, I will have Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day off, but I will work the rest,” he said.
‘In the UK you’d be lucky to have Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve off.
“Apparently it’s very common knowledge and I should have known.”
British expat Cam (pictured) was surprised to learn he would have two weeks off for the Christmas holidays.
Cam ended up captioning his video on Instagram: “I need answers.”
Several Australians were amused to hear his confusion, but assured him that breaking up is common practice.
‘Unless you work in retail or hospitality, the rest of the country closes! Enjoy!’ said one.
“Work to live, don’t live to work, welcome to Australia,” wrote another.
‘Dude, it’s summer and there are two cricket tests. How are we supposed to get over that?’ said another.
“December and January are slow months, friend,” wrote another.
Often called the “lockdown” period, many Australians are granted extended holiday leave which is not deducted from their annual leave.
Depending on the industry, the holiday typically lasts from December 25 to early January.
Not all workers are entitled to days off during holidays and may be forced to request annual leave, depending on their contract.
Public holidays also differ between states and territories, with only Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory recognizing Christmas Eve as a public holiday.
Similarly, in the UK it is up to the employer to grant staff holidays.
Workers also have the option of using the leave they are entitled to to request time off on a holiday.
Cam stated that he usually only had days off around Christmas.
“I remember my office being closed for four business days, at most,” he wrote.