Work & Family

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Responding flexibly to emergency situations

Taking/requesting leave, including family-related leave, for emergencies

Generally, employers need to provide clear information to the staff about all the kinds of paid or unpaid leave to which they are entitled by legislation or under relevant awards or agreements, including maternity or parental leave, compassionate, family or carer's leave, sick leave (including access to sick leave to care for dependants), annual leave, arrangements for making up time and any local policies about emergency absences.

An employee unable to work her/his shifts because of a family or other emergency may be able to arrange a swap with another appropriate staff member to cover the roster gap, or may be entitled to compassionate leave or to access available sick leave or annual leave. In longer term emergencies, where the employee opts to take recreation leave, the employer may choose to waive requirements for advance notice.

Where an employee is called away from work for part of the shift, it may be possible for her/him to call on any available banked credit hours to cover the absence, or to make up the time later, in accordance with 'making time' provisions in sector awards.

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Dealing with roster gaps in emergencies

An employee unable to work all or part of her/his shift may be able to arrange a swap with another staff member to cover the absence and inform the Roster Manager or, where this is not possible, the Roster Manager may cover the gap by arranging for a part-time staff member to come in for the additional hours, or by calling in a casual worker if one is available. If the absence is only for part of a shift, the Roster Manager may approach someone from the preceding or succeeding shift to stay back or come in early to provide cover.

Where part-timers are already working additional hours because of staff shortages, Roster Managers may consider offering the additional emergency hours to casuals if available, to reduce additional pressures on the permanent staff.

Other incentives include offering compensation of payment of full or part overtime for workers called in on short notice who would otherwise be paid at ordinary time rates, or, where replacements are not available, offering similar rates to other team members required to work short for more than a set portion of a shift. Overtime accrued in this way could be paid out or translated into additional 'time-in-lieu' hours to be banked against emergencies or added to annual leave.

Where staffing levels are adequate overall, Roster Managers may find that flexible organisation of tasks can cover brief absences at some times of day, for example, where an employee needs to collect a child from school and drop them at after-school care. When teams are working short for any reason, management needs to ensure that tasks are undertaken in such a way as to avoid possible occupational safety risks, for example, when lifting residents.