Nobody is really sure where the Boxing Day tradition comes from. One story is that it began in Europe in the middle ages, with wealthy families giving gifts and food to the poor (in boxes, presumably). Another is that it began in the late Roman/early Christian era, with metal boxes placed outside of churches to collect special offerings tied to the Feast of Saint Stephen, which falls on the day after Christmas. Mention Boxing Day to an American and they won't know what the heck you're talking about, unless they're already familiar with Canadian or British customs.
Where ever it began, Boxing Day is now known more for post-Christmas sales and line-ups of shoppers at electronics stores than for acts of charity. It kind of scares me to think of being a sales person in one of those stores!
I'm lucky in that I've never had to work on Boxing Day. Pretty much every employer I've ever had has paid me for it as a statutory holiday, so it came as a bit of a shock when I found out that this isn't the case for everyone. The only employers which consider Boxing Day a stat holiday in BC are those that are federally-regulated, such as government offices and educational institutions. If you do get the day off with pay from another employer it will likely be because your union negotiated it for you - or you have a really nice boss. (Fun fact: Ontario is the only province that has designated Boxing Day a stat holiday.)
All this talk of stat holidays does bring up an important topic: are you getting the stat and annual vacation pay that you're entitled to, according to the Employment Standards Act (ESA)? Here are some of the BC regulations to keep in mind, no matter who your employer is:
All of the above percentages and calculations sound fairly straightforward, but commissioned sales people beware! Some employers break the ESA regulations by applying the required vacation pay percentage to base salary only for commissioned workers. In fact, vacation pay must be calculated on total earnings, which includes all salary, commission, bonuses and other incentive earnings (there are a few specific exceptions). Vacation pay cannot be incorporated into your commission rate and the amount of vacation pay paid must be indicated on your pay statement.
So if you're on the other side of the locked glass door looking out at a Boxing Day shopper line-up, just repeat to yourself: "The more commission I earn, the bigger my vacation pay cheque will be!" (And try not to panic.)
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