"Behind that, if you make [holidays] optional and if we said we wanted 70 per cent of our staff to take holidays, you'd find the 30 per cent that preferred to stay on wouldn't have taken a holiday break," Jack says. "While the predominant reason is a practical one, it is also a good basis for requiring all staff to get away and have a break. I think you always need to have some refreshment, both for individual health and family reasons."
He takes a selection of novels to the beach, which makes a change from reading business material most of the year. His staff return from their holidays with stories about the fish they caught, the drinking they did, the countries they visited, and family events or cultural festivals they attended.
Jack says cashing in one week's annual holiday enables some to travel, perhaps to the Gold Coast or back to their country of origin. Employees receive above the minimum and a number earn the living wage - around $800 a week. People who want extended leave must talk to the employer early.
"A lot of our employees are Asian in the broader sense and many of them take the opportunity to go back. There are a number of festivities that happen in early January so we'll have four people who take extended leave so they can be part of a family function. It's always slightly difficult to schedule but I think it's important that people retain their culture, and with that their self-esteem - and it helps the business."
For the hospitality industry summer is one of the busiest times of the year. Tait is a full-time student studying for conjoint degrees in business and hospitality management. He has worked evening shifts for 2 years as a food and beverage attendant for an Auckland hotel.
Tait doesn't take a break during the holiday period. His shifts are made up as weekly rosters with just the start time scheduled, and his days off are not predictable. At times when the hotel is busy he is required to work late, and when they are not busy the shift hours are reduced accordingly.
He can take about a week's holiday outside peak times but says it is very hard to plan other extended breaks when his days off are never the same.
"I have had to work days I've asked to have off in advance and change my plans."
When he does get away he likes to relax at the beach, walk in a park, read, or watch a DVD.
"Sometimes it's good to blob out on the couch and watch a movie especially after a few days at work when it's been busy - you haven't had enough sleep, you're on your feet all the time so you don't want to do anything."
During a quiet week he managed to swap some shifts and go up north for three consecutive days - "it was fantastic to get out of Auckland where you won't be called into work. It was quiet and I could just relax at the beach."
He finds that a holiday break allows him to get some proper sleep and start back at work refreshed and energised.
Although Tait earns above the minimum wage, he sees a lot of people who need more money than they earn.
"They aren't coping well; the hours fluctuate and they can't do these sorts of things. They can't plan them because they don't know how much money they'll be getting week to week. They could finish [a shift] after three hours' work or end up doing 13 hours depending how busy you are."
He thinks more regular hours and minimum lengths of shifts would be fantastic and for staff to be asked about the kinds of breaks they need.
"Some staff will be okay to work over Christmas, others [with family responsibilities] will not really want to work at that time. And it's not hard to guarantee one regular day off. Then you can actually plan to see family or go out to dinner. It affects your work/life balance."
After a full-on year, CTU president Helen Kelly is off to walk the Kepler and Milford tracks then cycle the Otago Rail Trail while house sitters enjoy a holiday at her home in Wellington. She uses a good holiday to recoup, and the refreshment lasts her a whole year.
"The good thing with this country is that if you can get leave and you can afford it, then it's a great place to have a holiday. DoC facilities are just fantastic; they are a great community asset - from a 20-minute walking path to a five-day tramp with huts - everything is available," Kelly says.
She points out that more and more workers, CTU estimates around 30 per cent, are not getting any leave through being casualised and having more informal work agreements.
"Casualisation is removing reciprocity from the employment relationship. While [employees] might get a loading for their holidays they don't actually get the leave, which is the important thing - the time to spend with family, catch up on things and to just have a rest. For those that get the leave it would be nice to think they could afford a decent holiday."
She says new health and safety rights are being created, but changes to employment law are removing the security to enforce them. But there are good employers who think in the longer term and, looking to European models, those who expect employees to take a good long holiday.
