Public Holiday Policy
Public holidays are a regular source of confusion, especially in hospitality where operations continue through bank holidays, Christmas, and every other day the rest of the economy shuts down. Your team needs a clear policy that explains who works, how they are compensated, and how time off is allocated fairly.
This guide helps you create that video. It covers what to include, how to structure your recording, and the questions your team will ask after watching it.
Key Takeaways
- Clarify who works and who doesn\u2019t: Open your video by explaining how your business handles public holidays — whether they are normal working days, who may be required to work, and how time off is allocated fairly
- Explain pay arrangements: Walk through the pay rates for public holiday work in your organisation — whether that is premium pay, a day off in lieu, or normal rates — so there are no surprises
- Cover fair scheduling: Explain how you rotate public holiday work so the same people are not always working Christmas or New Year, and how you track this over time
- Address part-time workers: Set out how public holiday entitlement works for part-time staff so they receive a fair and proportionate share
- Link to official sources: Direct your team to the government guidance for your location so they can check the statutory position themselves
Article Content
Why your team needs this policy
In industries that operate seven days a week, public holidays are often normal working days. Restaurants, hotels, and entertainment venues do not close for bank holidays. That means you need clear rules about who works, how they are compensated, and how time off is allocated.
Without a documented policy, you risk inconsistent treatment and staff resentment. Employees who feel they have been unfairly required to work on holidays while colleagues get the day off will raise grievances. In hospitality, where public holidays are often the busiest and most profitable trading days, the stakes are particularly high. Staff may be willing to work if they feel the system is fair and the compensation reflects the sacrifice, but resentment builds quickly when scheduling is perceived as arbitrary.
What to cover in your policy video
State how your business treats public holidays. Open your video by explaining whether public holidays are included in the annual leave entitlement or provided on top of it. Make clear whether employees may be required to work on public holidays and what compensation applies. This single point causes more confusion than almost anything else in employment, so say it plainly.
Be fair with scheduling. Explain how you rotate public holiday work equitably. Cover the fact that you do not always roster the same people for Christmas or New Year, and that you keep records of who worked which holidays so it can be balanced over time. Whatever system you use — rotation, bidding, or swap arrangements — make it transparent.
Communicate pay arrangements clearly. Set out the pay rates for public holiday work. If you pay premium rates, make sure staff know the rate and how it applies. If you offer a day off in lieu instead of premium pay, explain this clearly. Staff who discover after the fact that they were not paid the rate they expected will feel misled, even if the employer was within its rights.
Consider cultural diversity. Cover in your video that not all employees observe the same holidays. Some may prefer to work on a public holiday and take a different day off for a religious or cultural observance. Where possible, your business accommodates these preferences. Explaining this in advance shows respect and avoids awkward conversations later.
Plan ahead. Explain that public holiday schedules are planned well in advance and built into your rota planning cycle early. Governments occasionally declare additional public holidays at short notice, and your policy should explain how these are handled.
Manage part-time workers carefully. Explain that part-time workers are entitled to a fair share of public holiday entitlement. If your full-time workers get public holidays on top of their basic leave, part-time workers must receive a proportionate equivalent. Getting this wrong is one of the most common compliance errors and causes real frustration.
Keep records. Make clear that the business tracks which employees worked each public holiday, what they were paid, and whether they received a substitute day off. These records are invaluable for demonstrating fair rotation and resolving disputes.
How to structure your video
Keep it under five minutes. Public holidays are a focused topic once you strip away the legal complexity. Aim for three to five minutes — long enough to cover scheduling, pay, and fairness, short enough that people watch to the end.
Have the right person present. This should come from whoever builds the rota and manages holiday scheduling day-to-day — usually the general manager or operations manager. Hearing the policy from the person who will make the scheduling decisions gives it more credibility than a generic HR message.
Use a clear structure. Open with how your business treats public holidays (working days or days off). Then cover pay rates. Then explain how scheduling is rotated fairly. Close by pointing people to where they can see the upcoming holiday rota and raise any concerns.
Show the rota system. If your team uses an app or system to view their shifts and public holiday schedules, screen-record how to check it. Showing someone where to find their public holiday shifts takes thirty seconds and eliminates a whole category of questions.
Address the holidays that matter most. Christmas, New Year, and Easter generate the most questions and the most tension. Call these out specifically in your video — explain how you handle them, how far in advance the schedule is published, and what happens if someone has a personal reason for needing a particular day off.
Common questions your team will ask
After watching your video, these are the questions that will come up. Anticipate them in your recording or be ready to answer them via messaging:
- \u201cDo I have to work on public holidays?\u201d — Explain your policy clearly. In many hospitality businesses, working public holidays is part of the role. State this upfront and explain the compensation.
- \u201cDo I get extra pay for working a public holiday?\u201d — Set out the exact pay rate in your video. Whether it is premium pay, a day in lieu, or normal rates, staff need to know before the day arrives.
- \u201cDo public holidays come out of my annual leave?\u201d — This varies by employer and location. Make your position explicit so there is no room for interpretation.
- \u201cHow is it decided who works Christmas?\u201d — Explain your rotation system and how you ensure fairness year on year. Staff accept working holidays more readily when they can see the system is fair.
- \u201cWhat if a public holiday falls on my day off?\u201d — Explain whether your team receives a substitute day off or additional pay in this situation. This catches many employers off guard.
- \u201cHow does this work if I\u2019m part-time?\u201d — Cover the pro-rata calculation clearly so part-time workers understand their entitlement.
- \u201cCan I swap a public holiday for a different day?\u201d — If your business allows this for religious or cultural observances, explain how the swap process works.
- \u201cHow far in advance will I know if I\u2019m working a public holiday?\u201d — State your rota publication timeline so staff can plan around it.
Official guidance
The rules on public holidays vary by location. Before recording your video, check the official guidance for your jurisdiction:
| Location | Source |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Bank holidays and your rights \u2014 GOV.UK |
| European Union | Working Time Directive 2003/88/EC \u2014 EUR-Lex |
| United States | Federal holidays \u2014 U.S. Office of Personnel Management |
| Canada | General holidays \u2014 Canada.ca |
| Australia | Public holidays \u2014 Fair Work Ombudsman |
How Pilla helps
Pilla turns your public holiday policy into a living part of your employee handbook:
- Record your policy video — Film a short video explaining your public holiday policy, what employees need to know, and how it works in your organisation. Staff watch on their phone, and you track who has seen it.
- Onboarding integration — Include the public holiday policy as part of your onboarding checklist, so every new starter acknowledges it during induction.
- Policy updates — When your policy changes, push the updated video to all staff and track who has watched the new version.
- Audit trail — Every video view, policy acknowledgement, and onboarding completion is recorded with timestamps, ready for any compliance review.
- Messaging — Use in-app messaging to answer questions about public holidays directly, keeping sensitive conversations out of group chats.