"Simon Bridges, the head of the Auckland Business Chamber and former National party leader, has been contributing to a national debate over the length of New Zealand's summer holidays, telling Guardian Australia there is a view that the country shuts down not just for Christmas and New Year but in many cases all the way through to March. Even when businesses are physically back at work many are easing into it', not properly working until rather later than their actual holidays, he said."
"The long New Zealand summer break has become a national conversation, with arguments emerging about whether it is too long, affecting productivity, or simply allowing employees to rest. The debate was ignited when business adviser and director Toss Grumley raised his concerns in a LinkedIn post, after getting responses in late November and early December of let's circle back [in] February."
"New Zealanders are entitled to a minimum four weeks paid annual leave each year, but often choose to take most or all of their leave over summer and the Christmas period, leaving little room for rest throughout the year, and causing lower productivity levels in weeks before and after the break. Grumley said the long window of little productive work in February and March has negative impacts on the already quite fragile New Zealand economy."
Many New Zealand workers concentrate their statutory four weeks of paid annual leave over the summer and Christmas period, creating an extended holiday season. Businesses often remain slow through January and February, with staff easing back into work and some delaying substantive activity until February or March. This pattern produces lower productivity in the weeks immediately before and after the break and contributes to concerns about an unofficial shutdown lasting into March. Business leaders and advisers have raised alarms that the extended low-activity window weakens an already fragile New Zealand economy.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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