It’s no secret that the holidays can get pretty hectic for retail. For those looking to hire extra help over the holidays, questions may come up regarding the legal implications of the process. Before hiring a new employee, it’s important to understand your rights and responsibilities as an employer. In this article, we’ve covered what you need to know before hiring Christmas casuals.
How to Attract Staff
Since finding employees has become more difficult in recent times, it’s a good idea to get started ahead of time.
When hiring staff for the holidays, you also want to find ways to stand out among local businesses. For this purpose, consider incentives such as paying above the award or higher holiday rates. Market your business to let employees know why working for your business is the best way to go.
The Employer’s Obligation
When hiring casual employees, it’s essential for employers to know their rights and obligations.
A casual employee is a worker hired without a set advance commitment and whose hours don’t follow a regular pattern. They’re able to decline or swap shifts, and they don’t have entitlements to paid sick leave and annual leave.
Legally, Christmas casuals have the same rights and responsibilities as any other casual workers. It’s important to sign an employment contract between you and the employee ahead of time. Some other important notes when employing casual workers include that unpaid trial periods are illegal, and that employees must be paid for setup or cleanup time before or after their shifts.
Wage Entitlement
When it comes to wage entitlements, casual employees are expected to receive a higher base hourly pay rate compared to your full-time and part-time employees. This raised pay rate, called casual loading, is intended to account for casual employees not receiving paid sick leave or annual leave. The specific requirements of your casual employees’ entitlements vary with different awards. To learn more about which award applies to your casuals, you can contact us.
In addition, public holiday and penalty rates are also likely to apply to your Christmas Casuals.
By understanding your rights and obligations to your employees, you can be confident in the process of hiring Christmas casual employees. As things get busier, finding the help you need will make for a great season for your business.
If you need any help with hiring staff, understanding the award or just general help and advice, please reach out to us.