Through flexible work attendance arrangements and other family-friendly policies, the University aims to assist professional employees in reaching a balance between work and family life.

The following provisions apply where employment is governed by the University's current Enterprise Agreement. Hours of work arrangements governed by other industrial instruments may differ.

The hours of work arrangements are:

• Ordinary hours;
• Flexitime;
• Rostered hours; and
• Variable hours

The hours of work arrangement adopted is in accordance with the needs of the organisational unit as determined by the relevant delegated officer as a consequence of consultation with the employees affected.

Full-time employees are entitled to work their daily hours on any day Monday to Friday inclusive. A part-time or fractional fixed-term employee is entitled to work their contract hours in accordance with their contract of employment, or where not specified, by agreement with their supervisor.

Ordinary hours of duty for professional employees are 35 hours per week, to be worked during the normal hours of operation of the University, between 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, Monday to Friday, inclusive.

The normal meal break is one hour.

Employees are not required to be on duty for more than five hours from the time of commencement without a meal break. Meal breaks do not count as part of an employee's ordinary working hours.

An employee who has the permission of the relevant delegated officer to work flexible or variable hours may work in excess or outside of the prescribed ordinary hours of work to accumulate flexible or variable working hours credits, or to extinguish debits. Time worked for these purposes will not attract overtime payments.

Flexitime is a system of attendance where individual employees select their starting and finishing times from day to day, subject to the concurrence of the Head of their Work Unit and the requirements of the organisational unit in which they work.

Where work is to be undertaken on a rostered basis, the Head of Work Unit will decide, after consultation with the employees involved, whether an employee (who is not working in accordance with the flexitime provisions) is to work in accordance with either a fixed shift pattern or a rotational shift pattern.

Any proposals relating to rostered work which differ from those described in the Enterprise Agreement are subject to specific negotiations and agreement between the University and affected employees.

Variable hours is a system of attendance requiring negotiation and a written agreement between an employee, their supervisor and the Head of Work Unit.

A proposal to work variable hours may be initiated by either the employee or their supervisor. Written agreements are to be lodged with HR Services and must specify the duration of the arrangement. Normally, variable hours agreements would not extend beyond one year.

All reasonable requests to work variable hours should be given consideration, taking into account the employee's personal and family circumstances and the operational requirements of the work unit.

Except for professional employees working variable hours, professional employees who are required to work on a public holiday will, in addition to being paid for the ordinary hours they work, be paid time and a half for the hours worked. The extra payment is instead of any shift allowance otherwise payable.

In the case of employees working rostered hours, if a public holiday falls on a rostered day off, the employee will be entitled to an additional day's leave. The leave will be taken at a time convenient to the employee and the University. At the option of the University, and depending on the needs of the workplace, an additional day's pay at the ordinary rate can be offered as an alternative to the additional day's leave.

The hours of work for part-time employees can either be specified in their contract of employment or relevant industrial agreement, or where not specified, determined by agreement with their supervisor.

Casual contracts of employment specify the maximum hours the employee may be required to work. (Completed work is paid in accordance with conditions specified in their contract and/or the industrial agreement governing their employment).

The minimum period of engagement for a casual employee is:

• One hour for students employed Monday to Friday in teaching weeks and for persons with a primary occupation elsewhere; and
• Three hours for all other casuals, except that a casual employee may request, and the University may agree to, an engagement for less than the minimum three hours.

Approved work in excess of 10 hours on any day or in excess of 35 in any week Monday to Sunday, will attract overtime rates on the base hourly rate. In respect of payment for overtime, the employee will receive the greater of either overtime rates or the casual loading, but not both.

Professional employees may accept a casual academic appointment with the approval of the relevant Executive Member. Approved arrangements need to consider whether an employee's substantive hours may need to be reduced if the academic work cannot be completed outside the employee's substantive hours of work.