Our employment agreements are enforceable commitments
Every employee must have a written employment agreement that reflects their status as; permanent (full-time and part-time), casual or temporary (fixed-term). Once signed, these are legally enforceable and can only be changed by agreement. So its important you put the right agreement in place and document any changes in responsibilities, hours, days of work etc. Here is how to do that. If in doubt contact HR.
What letter of offer and agreement do I use?
The table below links you to the right letter of offer depending on the persons position, union membership, or otherwise, and whether they are fulltime, temporary, casual etc.
First, using the left-hand column, choose the category that fits best. Hover over the position title for a definition of the work covered by that position. Next, choose the person’s employment status (permanent, part-time, temporary, casual) to choose the right employment agreement and offer letter.
Understanding and applying the content of employment agreements
It is important you know the terms and conditions of employment that apply to your team and can apply them properly. Over many years, the Courts have developed a number of principles for contract interpretation which may help you correctly apply our agreements. If you are in doubt about what terms and conditions apply or how to apply them contact the Human Resources Advisor.
Evaluation periods (new hires)
To assess their suitability and ensure they will be successful with us, we may put in place a 90-Day Evaluation period for new permanent employees. Our agreement documents provide for this and you should understand their legal implications and how to operate these evaluation periods. When hiring, its critical you explain to the employee how the evaluation period works and what specifically they need to do to be successful. You should make sure you meet weekly with them during this period using our agenda for that purpose. Be sure to discuss with them performance or behaviour that falls short of your expectations and provide a short, but realistic, opportunity to improve (refer Getting Performance Back on Track). If you conclude they will not reach your required standard we can terminate their employment (on notice) as provided by their employment agreements. Discuss this with HR before taking action.