Employee sick leave now ten days

Landscaping business owners and employees should note parliament has passed legislation meaning minimum sick leave entitlement is to become ten days per year from July 24 – doubling the current five days per year entitlement

The update follows the passing of the Holidays (Increasing Sick Leave) Amendment Bill, which gained assent on May 24 2021.

Most employees who have worked for an employer for six months or over are entitled to sick leave if they, or a dependent, are sick or injured.

Sick leave is paid time off work if an employee, their spouse, partner, dependent child, or other person who depends on them is sick or injured.
 

Employees will get the extra five days when they reach their next entitlement date – either after reaching six months’ employment or on their sick leave entitlement anniversary (12 months after they were last entitled to sick leave).

Employees who already get ten or more sick days a year will

not be affected by this change.

The maximum amount of unused sick leave an employee can be entitled to will remain 20 days.

It is possible 3,500 business owners will face increased costs from the increase in entitlements, considering figures from Figure.nz, Stats NZ and Ibis World estimate there are 3,300-3,500 landscaping construction businesses in New Zealand. Census 2018 indicated there were 4,881 landscapers working in New Zealand in that year.

Guidance about sick leave entitlements, ACC payments, medical time off and related information for business owners and employees is available at employment.govt.nz/leave-and-holidays/sick-leave/.