Whether an afternoon or night shift is successive or not depends on the pattern of shifts at the workplace.

Workplaces as a whole set the pattern of shifts. An individual employee’s work pattern doesn’t impact whether the shifts are successive.

To calculate pay rates for shifts, use our Pay and Conditions Tool.

Not successive shifts

An afternoon or night shift is not successive if the workplace doesn’t run it for:

• at least 38 ordinary hours, if the shifts are longer than 8 ordinary hours, or
• if the shifts are not longer than 8 ordinary hours:
  • at least 5 days in a row in a workshop that operates 5 days a week, or
  • at least 6 days in a row in workshop that operates more than 5 days a week.

The award calls this type of shift a non-continuous afternoon or night shift.

Example

Lucy is a full-time afternoon shift worker in a factory that makes biscuits. The factory has a big order due on Thursday so they decide to run a night shift as well as their usual afternoon shift on Monday and Tuesday.

The workplace only runs the night shift for two days, so the night shift is not successive.

Lucy works 5 shifts that week, 2 night shifts and 3 afternoon shifts. She gets paid the not successive shift rates for each of the night shifts she works. She gets paid the afternoon shift rate for the afternoon shifts that she works.