Overview
- Weekly
- Factory
- Touring
- Other
Ordinary Hours are the minimum working hours a Weekly employee works in a calendar week. The number of Ordinary Hours worked in a calendar week is prescribed by the Award.
Ordinary Hours are 38 hours per week with a “standard” week consisting of five, 7.6 hours (7h and 36m (rounded to 35m)) workdays.
A 30-min (0.5h) unpaid Meal Break is added to the shift length for each 4h worked (see the Working Times | Breaks policy for more info).
This means that on a “standard” workday an employee spends a total of 8.1h (8h 6m (rounded to 5m)) at the workplace.
The time-of-day and day-of-the-week Ordinary Hours can be scheduled may change dependent on the business’ needs.
Employees may work more than their Ordinary Hours, but the Working Times | Overtime policy applies.
Factory employees and Other production and support staff
- Weekly
- Factory
- Other
Per the Award, Factory and OPSS classified employees may be scheduled for Ordinary Hours any day of the week between 07:00 and 12:00 midnight and for up to 12h per day, to suit the needs of the Company. Hours may be rostered outside these hours, but overtime applies.
The Scheduling Policy describes how Ordinary Hours are rostered.
Some examples of how Ordinary Hours may be scheduled for a Factory and OPSS employees:
| MON | TUE | WED | THU | FRI | SAT | SUN | Ordinary Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 08:30 – 16:35 | 08:30 – 16:35 | 08:30 – 16:35 | 08:30 – 16:35 | 08:30 – 16:35 | RDO | RDO | 38 hours |
| Week 2 | 08:30 – 16:35 | 12:00 – 20:05 | 09:00 – 17:05 | 08:30 – 16:35 | RDO | RDO | 11:00 – 19:05 | 38 hours |
Week 1 example: A “typical” work week
It’s a quiet week, there are some Jobs on, but the work required falls within “typical” business hours. The employee takes a 30m Meal Break (unpaid) each day. The employee is not working Saturday and Sunday, so these days are “RDOs” (Rostered Days Off).
Week 2 example: A less-typical work week
Week 2 is a less typical week, with some differences to a “standard” week in the warehouse.
Each day is still a “standard” workday (7.6h work, 30min Meal Break) but the start and end times and days worked vary to suit the needs of the business that week.
- Monday is a “normal” workday
- Tuesday starts later in the day to suit scheduled truck unloading times
- Wednesday starts and finishes half an hour later, to allow more recovery time from the later finish the night before
- Thursday is another “normal” workday
- Friday and Saturday are assigned RDOs
- Sunday starts at 11am, for a truck arrival and equipment de-prep for Monday
In both examples, the employee would have their hours scheduled a minimum of 7-days in advance so they can plan their lives outside of work.
Touring employees
- Weekly
- Touring
Ordinary Hours apply to Touring employees in the context of calculating entitlements (for example, Annual Leave accrual) but for the purpose of scheduling work hours the Award does not distinguish between the time of day that hours are worked, the day of the week, or Public Holidays.
To support this flexibility, a single hourly rate applies to Touring employees that includes a special overtime and penalty provision paid on all hours worked (see clause 63.6(a) in the Award).
See the Payment for work | Weekly employee pay structure policy for details.
Paid Leave, Public Holidays and Ordinary Hours
- Weekly
- Factory
- Touring
- Other
In the context of calculating hours worked, some non-work hours count toward Ordinary Hours. These are:
- Paid Leave
- Public Holidays not worked
Unpaid Leave does not count toward Ordinary Hours.
Paid Leave (full-day) and Public Holidays not worked are counted as 7.6 hours. For example,
| Shift type | Annual Leave | Annual Leave | Workday | Workday | Public Holiday not worked | RDO | RDO | Ordinary Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hours paid | 7.6h | 7.6h | 08:30 – 16:36 (7.6hrs) | 08:30 – 16:36 (7.6hrs) | 08:30 – 16:36 (7.6hrs) | Nil. | Nil. | 38h |
i.e. Public Holidays override Paid Leave
Paid Leave of less than a full day also counts toward Ordinary Hours, with the hours of Paid Leave taken being counted. For example,
| Shift type | Annual Leave (full-day) | Annual Leave (full-day) | Annual Leave (part-day) | Workday | Public Holiday not worked | RDO | RDO | Ordinary Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hours paid | 7.6h | 7.6h | 08:30 – 12:30 (4h)
Work shift |
08:30 – 16:36 (7.6h) | 08:30 – 16:36 (7.6h) | Nil. | Nil. | 38h |
Example 1: Afifa - Paid Annual Leave and Public Holidays
Scenario:
- Afifa requested Annual Leave Monday – Friday
- Christmas Day was on Monday and Boxing Day was on Tuesday (Afifa did not work on the Public Holidays)
- Afifa’s RDOs were scheduled for Saturday and Sunday
Outcome;
- Afifa will have three days Annual Leave deducted from her Leave Balance for WED, THU, FRI
- Afifa will be paid for 7.6h for each of the Public Holidays as they fell on days Afifa would usually have worked
- She was not scheduled to undertake Work on an RDOs and is not paid for those two days (SAT, SUN)
| MON 🎄 | TUE 🥊 | WED | THU | FRI | SAT | SUN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shift type | (Away) Public Holiday |
(Away) Public Holiday |
Annual Leave | Annual Leave | Annual Leave | RDO | RDO |
| Hours Paid | 7.6 | 7.6 | 7.6 | 7.6 | 7.6 | Nil. | Nil. |
Example 2: Lyra – Personal Leave and Public Holidays
Scenario:
- Lyra has come down with a cold and calls is sick
- They’re unwell for several days and happen to be sick when there’s a Public Holiday
- When Lyra returns to work on Thursday, they submit a Leave Request Form for Personal Leave (paid) and the required evidence for Monday to Wednesday
Outcome:
- Because Lyra’s Ordinary Hours on a standard week are scheduled MON – FRI, we consider that she usually would have worked on the Public Holiday (Tuesday); no Personal Leave is deducted for that day (even though they were unwell and not at work) and they day is paid at 7.6h
- Monday and Wednesday are deducted from Lyra’s Personal Leave balance and are paid because they submitted the required evidence.
- Thursday and Friday are normal workdays
- On Sunday Lyra has Tour Travel Hours to fly into a Job, 4.5h count as hours worked for the week
| MON | TUE (Cup Day) | WED | THU | FRI | SAT | SUN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shift type | Sick Leave | (Sick) Public Holiday |
Sick Leave | Workday | Workday | RDO | Work on an RDO (Tour Travel Hours) |
| Hours paid | 7.6 | 7.6 | 7.6 | 7.6 | 7.6 | Nil. | 4.5 |
Paid Leave, Rostered Days Off and Rest Days
- Weekly
- Factory
- Touring
- Other
All full-time employees at MPH are entitled to two unpaid RDOs per week (but work may also be scheduled on an RDO). When an employee takes Leave, RDOs are not counted toward the Leave period being taken.
Employees may also accrue Rest Days per the Working Times | Minimum and maximum working periods policy.
Rest Days are not counted toward a Leave period being taken.
Example 1: Kane – Annual Leave and RDOs
Scenario:
- Kane had RDOs scheduled on Tuesday and Wednesday for a work week
- He requests Annual Leave for Monday through to Thursday
Outcome:
- As Tuesday and Wednesday are already rostered as RDOs, no Leave is deducted from Kane’s Leave Balance for those two days
- Kane is not paid for the RDOs, as normal
- Just two days of Annual Leave are deducted from Kane’s Leave Balance (for Monday and Thursday)
| MON | TUE | WED | THU | FRI | SAT | SUN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shift type | Annual Leave | (Away) RDO |
(Away) RDO |
Annual Leave | Workday | Workday | Work |
| Hours paid | 7.6 | Nil. | Nil. | 7.6 | 7.6 | 7.6 | 7.6 |
Example 2: Desmond – Annual Leave and Rest Days
Scenario:
- Desmond is a full-time employee and has requested a full, 7-day calendar week off work, Monday to Sunday
- The company is not particularly busy and can do without Desmond’s services for the week
- Desmond had couple of big work weeks leading up to this Leave Request and is owed two Rest Days
Outcome:
- When reviewing Desmond’s Leave Request, his manager considers;
- As a full-time employee two days in each calendar week can be allocated as RDOs
- The two Rest Days owed to Desmond
- His manager assigns;
- Saturday and Sunday as RDOs; and
- Monday and Tuesday as Rest Days
- No Annual Leave is deducted from Desmond’s Annual Leave Balance for;
- Monday and Tuesday, his Rest Days
- Saturday and Sunday, his RDOS
- A total of three days Paid Annual Leave are deducted from the Leave Balance for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
| MON | TUE | WED | THU | FRI | SAT | SUN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shift type | (Away) Rest Day |
(Away) Rest Day |
Annual Leave | Annual Leave | Annual Leave | (Away) RDO |
(Away) RDO |
| Hours paid | 7.6 | 7.6 | 7.6 | 7.6 | 7.6 | Nil. | Nil. |