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Glossary

  • A
  • Award Rate

    The minimum pay rate an employee is entitled to under an award.

  • Award

    An award is a legal document that outlines the wages and conditions of employment for employees that are covered by

  • Annual Leave Loading

    Annual leave loading is an additional amount that’s paid to some employees when they take annual leave. This doesn’t apply

  • Annual Leave

    Annual leave allows an employee to be paid while having time off from work. Other known term: holiday pay.

  • Allowances

    Additional payment made to employees for doing certain tasks, working in certain locations, using a special skill or for expenses

  • Adverse Action

    An action taken by an employer, employee, contractor or industrial association, which may be unlawful depending on the reason for

  • B
  • Better Off Overall Test (BOOT)

    A test the Fair Work Commission uses to assess registered agreements against awards. The registered agreement is compared to the

  • Base Pay Rate

    The minimum hourly pay rate an employee is entitled to for their ordinary hours of work.

  • C
  • Contravention

    The failure to comply with an obligation within the Fair Work Act 2009, awards or registered agreements. Other known term:

  • Conciliation

    A conciliation is a confidential and less formal dispute resolution process between the parties to a workplace dispute at the

  • Compassionate Leave

    Leave taken when a member of an employee’s immediate family or household is seriously ill or dies. Other known term:

  • Coercion

    Pressuring someone to do or not do something through intimidation, force or threats.

  • Closing Loopholes Act

    The name of legislation (laws) introducing changes to the Fair Work Act 2009 and other workplace laws.

  • Classification

    A description of a job role in an award or registered agreement. It usually outlines the duties, responsibilities and qualifications

  • Casual Loading

    An additional amount paid on top of the base pay rate to casual employees.

  • Casual Employment Information Statement

    A document with information about employment conditions that an employer has to provide to all casual employees.

  • Casual Employee

    An employee who accepts an offer for a job from an employer knowing that there is no firm advance commitment

  • Casual Conversion

    The process of an employee changing from casual to full-time or part-time employment.

  • Carer’s Leave

    Paid or unpaid leave for employees who need to take time off from work to care for an immediate family

  • D
  • Discrimination

    When someone is not treated fairly or given the same opportunities because of their race, color, sex, sexual orientation, age,

  • Daily Hire

    Employees who work either full-time or part-time hours but are only entitled to 1 day’s notice of termination are daily

  • E
  • Employment Law

    The laws that determine what employers and employees can do. Other known term: labor law.

  • Employment Contract

    An agreement between an employer and employee about terms and conditions of employment. It can be in writing or verbal.

  • Employment

    Employment is the relationship between an employee and employer where an employee performs work at the employer’s direction in exchange

  • Employer Association

    An organization for employers that is set up to help protect the interest of its members. There are many different

  • Employee-like Worker

    An independent contractor whose work demonstrates certain prescribed employee-like characteristics.

  • Employee

    A person that’s hired to provide a service to a company either on a full-time, part-time or casual basis in

  • F
  • Full-Time Employee

    An employee who works 38 hours per week or an average of 38 hours per week over a roster cycle.

  • Fixed-Term Contract

    A contract for a job that’s set to finish on a particular date, or when a specific task or event

  • Fair Work System

    The fair work system includes the Fair Work Act 2009, the National Employment Standards (NES), awards, registered agreements and other

  • Fair Work Ombudsman

    Australia’s national workplace relations regulator. Their role is to promote harmonious, productive and cooperative workplace relations and ensure compliance with

  • Fair Work Inspectors

    Government employees who work for the Fair Work Ombudsman and investigate and enforce compliance with the Fair Work Act 2009,

  • Fair Work Commission

    Australia’s national workplace relations tribunal. They are an independent body that performs a range of functions relating to minimum wages,

  • G
  • Genuine Casual

    A casual employee who meets the definition of a casual employee and is also entitled to the National Employment Standards

  • General Protections

    General protections protect workplace rights, provide protection from workplace discrimination, and provide protection from undue influence or pressure in negotiating

  • H
  • Hourly Rate

    The amount an employee is paid for working 1 hour.

  • I
  • Injunction

    A court order requiring an individual or business to do, or stop doing, a certain activity. It may be temporary

  • Individual Flexibility Agreement

    An agreement used by an employer and an employee to change how certain terms in an award or registered agreement

  • Independent Contractor

    A person or entity who carries on a business and provides their services to a client or another business. Independent

  • Industrial Action

    Action taken by employees, employers or unions. The action can be protected or unprotected. For example, when employees go on

  • L
  • Long Service Leave

    Leave that’s paid to an employee who has worked for the same employer for a long period of time. It’s

  • Leave

    Paid or unpaid time off work. Different types of leave include annual leave, personal leave, sick leave, carer’s leave, compassionate

  • M
  • Minimum Wage

    The lowest amount an employee can be paid for ordinary hours of work. It’s usually calculated as a weekly, hourly

  • N
  • Notice of Termination

    When an employee or employer ends employment by giving written notice to the other party. It can also be referred

  • National Employment Standards (NES)

    A set of 11 minimum employment standards that apply to all national system employees. The NES include the minimum standards

  • O
  • Overtime

    Work performed outside of ordinary hours. It can include work performed beyond the maximum weekly hours of work, outside the

  • Ordinary Hours

    The hours an employee usually works per week. This doesn’t usually include things like overtime or time off. Ordinary hours

  • P
  • Probation

    A period of time that allows an employer to assess an employee’s suitability for a role. It’s often used in

  • Piecework

    When an employee gets paid based on the amount of work they complete instead of the hours worked. Piecework is

  • Personal Leave

    Paid or unpaid leave for when an employee can’t work because of personal illness or injury, or to care for

  • Part-Time Employee

    An employee who works less than 38 hours per week on average, usually with regular hours each week.

  • Parental Leave

    Leave that can be taken when an employee gives birth, their spouse or de facto partner gives birth, or they

  • Paid Parental Leave

    Paid parental leave is leave paid to eligible working parents while they take time off work to care for their

  • R
  • Roster

    A timetable that shows the days and times employees are required to work. It’s often based on a recurring cycle

  • Reimburse

    To repay an amount of money that an employee has spent as part of their job, or to cover the

  • Registered Agreement

    A registered agreement is an agreement on employment conditions between an employer and a group of their employees or a

  • Redundancy

    When an employer no longer needs an employee’s job to be done by anyone. Redundancy can happen when a business

  • S
  • Small Business

    A small business employer is an employer with fewer than 15 employees at a particular time. If an employer has

  • Shift Work

    Work performed outside the normal daytime working hours, often in shifts that cover a 24-hour period, including weekends and public

  • Sham Contracting

    When an employer deliberately tries to disguise an employment relationship as an independent contracting arrangement, usually to avoid paying employee

  • Serious Misconduct

    When an employee is involved in theft, fraud, assault, intoxication or a refusal to carry out duties. Serious misconduct can

  • U
  • Union

    An organization that represents the interests of workers. They negotiate with employers on behalf of employees about pay, working conditions

  • Unfair Dismissal

    When an employee is dismissed from their job in a harsh, unjust or unreasonable manner.

  • V
  • Vulnerable Worker

    An employee who is in a vulnerable position due to factors such as age, disability, language skills or visa status,

  • W
  • Workplace Rights

    Workplace rights are the entitlements and protections an employee has at work, including entitlements under the Fair Work Act 2009,

  • Workplace Bullying

    When an employer takes adverse action against a prospective employee or employee because of their race, color, sex, sexual orientation,

  • Wages

    The money paid by an employer to an employee for work done, usually calculated on an hourly, daily or weekly