At Alphacrusis College they’re going on a summer holiday

How long it will be took some staff by surprise

HR at Alphacrucis College (which teaches business, counselling, education, ministry, music “and beyond,”) advises staff of an extended Christmas shut-down, from December 7 to January 10. With a projected budget shortfall of up to 8 per cent for the year, college management wants to reduce the $1m unused leave liability.

The announcement clearly came as an alarming surprise to some in the college community. It was followed by an email from COO Greg Cortese, who sent an all-staff email at 12.08am the day after. “I would like to apologise for the lack of context around the email you have received from HR regarding the Christmas shutdown. It certainly was not our intention to stress you or cause confusion,” he stated.

Pastor Cortese also explained the need for savings. “There are many ways to reduce expenses and we have seen the drastic measures taken by other institutions, but we love our college and our community and we want to take the least disruptive approach as a first step.”