With the festive break next month fast approaching employees are probably looking forward to taking time away from the office to relax and recharge their batteries.

But if you’re expected to be in the office over the Christmas season chaos reigns over the public holiday debate. Currently six states have adopted five different approaches to working out the Christmas and New Year public holidays and so the penalty rates paid out for working on these days. This year Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day all fall on a weekend, and, says Australian Industry Group Chief Exec Heather Ridout “some states had proclaimed ‘substitute days’, some had proclaimed ‘additional days’ and some a mixture of both.” The Group is now appealing to Fair Work Australian to clarify the situation and ensure consistency across all states.