Work & Family

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Leave arrangements

Leave for appointments

Where employees are able to plan ahead, they will usually make necessary medical and other appointments for themselves or dependants on days or at times when they are not rostered to work, or arrange to swap shifts with another staff member. Where this is not possible, or in emergency situations, the employee will need to access leave arrangements as outlined above.

Annual leave

Generally, staff planning needs mean that Roster Managers may ask for 4 - 8 weeks notice of annual leave arrangements, and may limit the number of employees able to take annual leave at the same time.

One option which may be useful in allocating annual leave is to maintain a dated Leave Register into which employees enter leave requests. Generally, managers will find it preferable in terms of staff morale to make sure that leave at popular times of the year is shared round, and to ensure that the needs of staff with aged parents are considered as well as those of staff with young children.

In emergency, family or other circumstances where other forms of paid leave are not available, managers may consider approving the taking of annual leave on short notice, particularly where it will enable the employee to take paid rather than unpaid leave.

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School holidays and Christmas, New Year and Easter

As many workers in aged-care have caring responsibilities, it may often be the case that not all those who want leave during school or public holidays will be able to take it, given the 24/7 nature of the industry. Employees with young children may have additional difficulties arranging child-care in the holidays, and have difficulty meeting both family and work responsibilities.

Roster Managers may find that in some circumstances these problems can be overcome by allowing children to be brought to work for all or part of a shift. In assessing whether such arrangements would be possible, Roster Managers would need to consider relevant risk management issues, including the age of the child, arrangements for entertainment or supervision, the likely impact on residents and other staff members, possible occupational health and safety risks and any other relevant liability issues.

Where aged-care facilities have a very diverse staffing profile, Roster Managers may find that the broader range of cultural and religious observances means that more employees are available to work through traditional Christian holidays such as Christmas, as festivals and holidays are spread more evenly throughout the year.

In general, nursing home managements may find there is capacity for increased flexibility for non-nursing staff, which if pursued will enhance staff morale. Possibilities which could be considered for all groups of staff are listed below.