Procedure overview
1 Purpose
To outline the available employment modes and associated conditions for continuing, contingent funded and fixed-term positions at the University.
2 Scope
This Procedure applies to continuing, contingent funded and fixed-term positions as specified in the particular employment mode.
3 Procedure Overview
This Procedure covers the employment conditions associated with:
- full-time employment
- fractional employment
- annualised hours employment (AHE)
- sessional employment
- term employment
- 48/52 weeks per year working arrangements.
4 Procedures
4.1 Employment modes
Appointments may be made by using one of the following modes of employment, through the appropriate appointment process outlined in the relevant Procedure.
4.1.1 Full-time employment
Full-time employment means, in the case of a professional Employee, an engagement of a minimum of 36 hours per week. In the case of an academic Employee, a full-time work load is determined in consultation with the Employee's Category 3 Delegate or above.
Full-time employment may be used on a continuing, contingent funded or fixed-term basis.
4.1.2 Fractional employment
Fractional employment means an engagement at a fraction of full-time employment. Entitlements are calculated on a proportional basis determined by the fractional engagement, except where stated otherwise in the Enterprise Agreement or by the relevant superannuation trust deeds.
Fractional employment may be used on a continuing, contingent funded or fixed-term basis.
4.1.3 Annualised hours employment (AHE)
Annualised hours Employees are engaged for an agreed number of hours within a 12 month period. For calculation purposes, annual hours for a professional Employee are 1878.408 and annual hours for an academic Employee are 1956.675.
Annualised hours Employees will be paid fortnightly at an amount calculated on the engaged annual hours including the annual leave component and averaged to a fortnightly salary. The major employing department will be responsible for the maintenance of time sheets for these Employees.
Annualised hours Employees will be deemed to have taken annual leave and therefore will not be required to complete an application for annual leave. Any other leave, including personal leave will be in accordance with the normal leave of absence provisions and applications for leave must be completed.
Where an annualised hours Employee works in excess of the total number of nominated hours in the year for which they are engaged, the payment for the additional hours will be made in the first available pay period following receipt in the People Portfolio of a claim. The additional hours worked will be taken into account in the calculation of entitlements.
Annualised hours employment may be used on a continuing, contingent funded or fixed-term basis.
4.1.4 Sessional employment
Sessional Employees are engaged on a continuing basis for a minimum of 32 weeks per year (core weeks) and for a minimum of 18 hours per week. Where a sessional Employee works outside the core weeks, less than 18 hours per week may be worked. For calculation purposes, sessional Employees are paid on a proportional basis to a full-time Employee determined by the hours worked within the year.
Sessional Employees will be paid fortnightly (at the equivalent ordinary hourly rate for professional Employees plus a 10% loading) for the hours worked in that pay fortnight.
Sessional Employees' entitlements, including leave, will be calculated on a proportional basis and will be in accordance with the normal leave of absence provisions. Sessional Employees must complete applications for all leave.
Employees will be advised of the core weeks to be worked at the beginning of each year.
Changes to the roster of a sessional Employee in the Residential Colleges may be made provided the University gives the Employee reasonable Notice. Where the roster is changed without reasonable Notice, overtime rates will apply. Rostered hours may be altered by mutual agreement between the Employee and Delegate in the Residential Colleges and recorded in writing. In these instances, the Employee may work up to 10 hours each day or 40 hours each week without the payment of overtime. The additional hours worked will be taken into account in the calculation of entitlements.
Where a sessional Employee is called in to work a minimum of three hours at 'sessional rates' will be paid.
Sessional employment may be used on a continuing or contingent funded basis only.
4.1.5 Term employment - professional Employees
Term Employees are engaged for a minimum of 26 weeks in a calendar year and for a minimum of 15 hours per week. For calculation purposes, term Employees are paid on a proportional basis to a full-time Employee determined by the hours worked.
Term Employees will be paid fortnightly at the proportional rate for the hours worked in that pay fortnight.
Term Employees' leave will be calculated on a proportional basis and will be in accordance with the normal leave of absence provisions. Term Employees must complete applications for all leave, including leave without pay for those periods not worked.
The University will advise the Employee at the beginning of each calendar year which weeks they will be required to work.
Term employment may be used on a continuing, contingent funded or fixed-term basis.
4.1.6 48/52 weeks per year working arrangements
The 48/52 weeks per year working arrangements (48/52) is a scheme under which a full-time academic or professional Employee may work 44 weeks of a negotiated 12 month period. Such arrangements, once approved, will commence at a mutually agreed time and remain in place for a period of 12 months.
An Employee participating in the 48/52 scheme has effectively had four weeks leave without pay approved but rather than lose the value of the four weeks' salary in one period, the Employee has obtained approval to spread the salary impact of four weeks leave without pay over 26 pay periods.
Approval of an Employee participating in the 48/52 scheme is at the discretion of the Category 4 Delegate and will be subject to agreement between the Supervisor and the Employee; the needs of the organisational area; and the Employee having at least 12 months future service available. Where an Employee converts to a 48/52 week cycle, the Supervisor must ensure that any reallocation of workloads is the subject of consultation with affected Employees and does not create an unreasonable work allocation for any other Employee.
Under this arrangement an Employee will become a fractional Employee at 48/52 of a full-time load, with all benefits accruing on that basis. Where an Employee elects to take up the 48/52 option, the Employee may choose to maintain, subject to the requirements of the relevant superannuation scheme, the Employee and/or employer's superannuation contributions on a full-time employment basis, but the University will only be obliged to cover the cost of employer contributions at the 48/52 rate.
Employees availing themselves of this option will retain benefits accrued on a full-time or fractional time basis to date and would then accrue benefits at the new fractional rate from the accrual date of effect of the change.
Annual leave will be taken in accordance with the provisions of the Enterprise Agreement. The Employee and Supervisor must agree on the time of taking leave as early as possible, i.e. either at the end of the preceding year or early in the new year. In taking leave in any one year, it will not be necessary for eight weeks leave to be taken in one block, but this could be an option available to the Employee.
48/52 employment may be used on a continuing, contingent funded or fixed-term basis.
4.2 Appointment process
All appointments must be made by using the relevant Procedure.
5 References
Nil.
6 Schedules
This procedure must be read in conjunction with its subordinate schedules as provided in the table below.
7 Procedure Information
| Accountable Officer | Chief People Officer |
| Responsible Officer | Chief People Officer |
| Policy Type | University Procedure |
| Policy Suite | |
| Subordinate Schedules | |
| Approved Date | 31/3/2022 |
| Effective Date | 31/3/2022 |
| Review Date | 3/4/2022 |
| Relevant Legislation | |
| Policy Exceptions | |
| Related Policies | |
| Related Procedures | Appointments: Acting Procedure Appointments: Contingent Funded Procedure Appointments: Continuing Procedure Appointments: Fixed-term Procedure Appointments: Internal Transfer and Secondment Procedure Appointments: Probationary Procedure Appointments: Senior Positions Procedure Principles of Academic Employee Contactability and Availability Procedure Recruitment and Selection Procedure Working Hours, Overtime and Shiftwork for Professional Employees Procedure |
| Related forms, publications and websites | |
| Definitions | Terms defined in the Definitions Dictionary |
| Delegate (noun) means the officer, Employee or committee of the University to whom, or to which, a delegation of authority has been made under this Policy....moreDelegate (noun) means the officer, Employee or committee of the University to whom, or to which, a delegation of authority has been made under this Policy. A person employed by the University and whose conditions of employment are covered by the Enterprise Agreement and includes persons employed on a continuing, fixed term or casual basis. Employees also include senior Employees whose conditions of employment are covered by a written agreement or contract with the University....moreA person employed by the University and whose conditions of employment are covered by the Enterprise Agreement and includes persons employed on a continuing, fixed term or casual basis. Employees also include senior Employees whose conditions of employment are covered by a written agreement or contract with the University. An operational instruction that sets out the process to operationalise a Policy....moreAn operational instruction that sets out the process to operationalise a Policy. The term 'University' or 'UniSQ' means the University of Southern Queensland....moreThe term 'University' or 'UniSQ' means the University of Southern Queensland. University of Southern Queensland Enterprise Agreement 2018-2021....moreUniversity of Southern Queensland Enterprise Agreement 2018-2021. | |
| Definitions that relate to this procedure only | |
| Supervisor Any person responsible for leading the activities of others. In the context of this Procedure, a Supervisor includes Employees at any classification level or title who have responsibilities for leading, managing or supervising work teams and/or individual Employees. | |
| Keywords | Employment, continuing, fixed-term, term, 48/52, annualised hours, sessional, fractional, full-time |
| Record No | 15/2860PL |