Casual conversion of employment

Hi Bare Bones, one of my casual employees has requested transfer to full time status. Are they able to make such a request?

Greetings comrade and thanks for your question. I see you work in the Pharmacy sector so I’ll tailor my answer to you, although my response also applies to a significant portion of employees working in other industries,

Assuming your employee has worked regular hours for at least 12 months, they now have the right to request this status change.

As part of its Modern Award Review, the Fair Work Commission has inserted a new clause into the Pharmacy Industry Award 2010. This clause states casual employees now have the right to request to be converted to part-time or full-time employment. The changes take effect from the first full pay period on or after 28 February 2019.

On 1 October 2018 a new standard conversion clause was incorporated into 85 Modern Awards, giving some casual workers the right to request full-time or part-time employment if they have worked certain regular hours over a 12-month period.

The transfer of an employee’s employment status from casual to permanent is commonly referred to as “casual conversion”.

Requests from employees for casual conversion have the potential to cause confusion for employers. While requests for conversion may be refused on reasonable business grounds, there are specific consultation requirements, documents and timeframes that accompany an employer’s refusal. Getting it right first time saves you time, money and drama…and a potential visit from a Fair Work Inspector.

We recommend employers review the Modern Award (or Awards) that apply to their workplace to determine how a request for casual conversion must be managed in their individual circumstances.

All too hard? Give Bare Bones Consulting a call. We can help you with a one-off solution to your employment challenge or, if you’re looking for ongoing HR expertise so you lose no more sleep over employment issues, we’re happy to have you as part of the Bones family. Call us today or contact us here to find out how easy it is to leave those pesky employee dramas behind.