A shiftworker is an employee regularly rostered to work their ordinary hours outside the relevant span of ordinary hours for a day worker.

Span of ordinary hours for day workers

The span of ordinary hours for a day worker depends on what type of practice they work for.

For private medical, dental, pathology, physiotherapy, chiropractic and osteopathic practices, the span is: 

• 7:30am to 9pm Monday to Friday, and
• 8am to 4:30pm on Saturdays.

For private medical imaging practices servicing patients on a 5.5 day a week basis, the span is: 

• 7am to 9pm Monday to Friday, and
• 8am to 1pm on Saturdays.

For private medical imaging practices servicing patients on a 7 day a week basis, the span is:

• 7am to 9pm Monday to Sunday.

For all other employees, the span is:

• 6am to 6pm Monday to Friday.

Example

Chloe works for a private pathology practice.

Chloe is rostered to work from 11am to 7pm Monday to Friday.

Chloe isn't a shiftworker. This is because her ordinary hours fall within the span of ordinary hours of a day worker working at a private pathology practice.

Shiftwork penalty rates

Shiftworkers get paid shiftwork penalty rates when their ordinary hours:

• finish between 6pm and 8am, or
• start between 6pm and 6am.

They’ll be paid shiftwork penalty rates for all work done during these shifts.

Example

Jed is a part-time shiftworker at a private medical imaging practice.

Jed’s regularly rostered to work from 5pm to 10pm each weekday.

Jed gets paid 115% of the minimum hourly rate for these shifts.

Shiftwork penalty rates and overtime

If a shiftworker works overtime they get paid overtime rates instead of the shiftwork penalty rate.