Many have asked, “If a public holiday falls on my off day, do I get a replacement holiday?”
First, we need to clarify whether it falls on a Rest Day or an Off Day.
Referring to Employment Act 1955, Section 59(1):
“Every employee shall be allowed in each week a rest day of one whole day as may be determined from time to time by the employer, and where an employee is allowed more than one rest day in a week the last of such rest days shall be the rest day…”
If you work a 5-day or 4-day week, only the 7th day (typically Sunday) is considered a Rest Day. In HR practice, any additional non-working day (like Saturday) is commonly referred to as an Off Day to avoid confusion.
Now, referring to Section 60D(1)(b):
If a Public Holiday falls on a Rest Day, only then will the next working day automatically be a replacement holiday.
Here’s an example:
📅 Federal Territory Day – 1 Feb 2025 (Saturday)
✅ If you work Monday to Friday, your schedule looks like this:
- Saturday = Off Day
- Sunday = Rest Day
Since 1 Feb 2025 falls on a Saturday (an Off Day), your employer is not required to replace the public holiday.
However, some companies, especially larger companies, may voluntarily replace the holiday on Friday or Monday as an extra benefit for employees.
Hope this clarifies!
xoxoxo, AuntyHR
Our roster compulsory working day is Monday to Friday, rest day is on Saturday. Every Sunday staff will be on rotation to work on one of the Sunday. Unfortunately PH falls on one of the Sunday, should my boss rotate me to work on another Sunday?
This is a strange arrangement being the Rest Day the 6th day instead of the 7th day.
Sunday looked like a working day for me, so if PH falls on it, then you will get off.