FactaBot

If your boss thinks you’ll be grinding non-stop in 2025, it’s time to hit them with a spreadsheet of annual leave sorcery. The public holiday calendar has finally aligned like a cosmic loophole, and the internet is foaming at the mouth over one thing: maximum time off for minimum leave days. The art of “calendar hacking” is back, baby.

Who’s involved? Pretty much every office worker with a revenge fantasy involving Microsoft Teams. Australians across industries are plotting multi-week getaways using just a handful of leave days—because if you can’t afford a house, you can at least afford a long weekend in Noosa. The plan? By booking strategic leave around holidays like Anzac Day, Christmas, and Australia Day, workers can score up to 58 days off using just 22 annual leave days.

That’s right—you could be sunburnt, rested, and full of Aperol spritz while your inbox suffers quietly in your absence. Contextually, this is more than clever time-off math. It’s a spiritual movement. As burnout rates skyrocket and work-life balance becomes a myth told in HR onboarding videos, Australians are demanding joy.

And spreadsheets. And joy from spreadsheets. Latest buzz? Travel agencies are already jumping on the hype, offering “calendar hack packages” while employers roll their eyes and brace for a year of phantom sickies and mysteriously timed dental appointments. As one HR rep put it: “We’re not mad.

Just disappointed. And very, very understaffed.” Sources: News.com.au – “How to get 58 days off in 2025 with just 22 days of leave” 9News – “Australians urged to plan holidays early to maximise public holidays” ABC News – “Annual leave hacks for 2025: the guide everyone’s sharing”