What do employers need to know about hiring Christmas casuals?
Christmas wish-lists get longer and longer, and businesses get busier and busier as the holiday period approaches.
Many employers, typically those in the retail or hospitality sectors, hire extra workers as Christmas casuals to cover this busy holiday period. The employment is usually for a short period, which is great for young people looking to make some extra money while they are on a break from school or university, and provides employers with additional resources to meet customer demands.
There are no special rules about hiring a Christmas casual. The employer obligation and employee entitlements are the same as what they would be for any existing casual staff.
As an employer, it is important to understand what your obligations are to your employees and what you need to consider when hiring Christmas casual employees. The following blog post outlines what these obligations and considerations are.
A casual employee is someone who works varying hours each week and can decline shifts if they are unavailable to work. Unlike part-time or full-time employees, a casual employee is not entitled to paid leave entitlements under the National Employment Standards (NES). Casual employees can terminate their employment by resigning at any time and do not need to provide the employer with any notice when ending their employment.
Employing casuals offers an employer flexibility because they can be rostered to work peak hours or shifts.
Will the worker be employed for the Christmas period only? If this is the case, it is recommended to define what your business considers to be the Christmas period so that the term of their employment is fixed and clear.
Some casuals stay on for long periods even after the Christmas-New Year period. If a casual works regular and systematic hours during a certain period, which is generally 12 months but can vary depending on the Award they are under, they have the right to request to convert to permanent employment. Click here to read a related article.
Casual employees are entitled to a higher hourly rate of pay than full-time or part-time employees in a similar role because they don’t get paid personal/carer's leave or annual leave. This higher hourly rate is referred to as the “casual loading”.
It is important to determine which Award applies to your casual employees as each Award may have different requirements. Similarly, entitlements may be different if there is an enterprise agreement in place.
If you are employing a young person, their rate of pay may differ based on their age.
Consideration should also be given to any relevant child employment laws applicable. See the links below for state-specific legislation on this issue.
Casual employees are entitled to a proper induction before they start work and mustbe taught proper WHS policies and procedures, and how to use any equipment or machinery that they will be required to use. Young people could be at higher risk of sustaining a workplace injury due to inexperience and insufficient training and supervision, which is why the provision of correct training and adequate supervision is critical.
It is common for businesses to engage casual employees on a trial, before offering employment. The trial may only be for a short period, such as an hour.
A casual employee is entitled to be paid for any time they attend a trial, induction or training, even if these occur before a formal offer of employment is provided.
Further information about casual employment is available here.
Our workplace advisers are standing by and ready to answer your questions. For more information about casual employment or any other workplace relations issues, please call the Ai Group Workplace Advice Line on 1300 55 66 77.
