A sleepover is when an employee is required to sleep overnight at their client’s premises. It’s different to a 24 hour care shift. The span for a sleepover is a continuous period of 8 hours.

Employees must be rostered or paid for a minimum of 4 hours’ work before or after the sleepover period.

See Hours of work in the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award for more information.

Is it considered one shift?

Yes. The sleepover and the hours worked or paid for before and/or after the sleepover are counted as one continuous shift.

Example: Work before or after a sleepover

Andrea works in disability support services.

She is rostered to work 4pm-11pm on a Wednesday with a sleepover from 11pm to 7am.

As the sleepover and the period of work is considered one shift, Andrea's shift starts at 4pm on Wednesday and finishes at 7am on Thursday.

Andrea's shift is a night shift, because it finishes after midnight. She'll be paid the night shift penalty rate for the hours worked on Wednesday.

Is a sleepover a break?

No. A sleepover can’t count as a break between rostered work periods, or as a break in a broken shift.

See Broken shifts in the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Award for more information.

Does a sleepover count as ordinary hours of work?

No. Only work before and/or after the sleepover counts as ordinary hours.

What is an employee paid during a sleepover?

See Pay for sleepovers in the Social, Community Services, Home Care and Disability Services Award for more information.

Do shift penalty rates apply?

Shift penalty rates will apply when a shift meets the definition of an afternoon, night or public holiday shift.

They’re only paid for the hours the employee works before and/or after a sleepover.

Example: Sleepover and shift allowances not on a weekend

Orla works from 5pm until 10pm Monday, does a sleepover from 10pm until 6am then works from 6am to 9am on Tuesday.

A night shift is a shift finishing after midnight or starting before 6am Monday to Friday.

As Orla’s shift finishes at 9am, she gets paid the 15% night shift penalty rate for the hours worked from 5pm to 10pm on Monday and 6am to 9am on Tuesday.

Example

Gerry works at a youth crisis centre.

He is rostered to do a sleepover on a Tuesday night from 11pm to 7am and then work from 7am to 12pm on Wednesday.

The sleepover period is considered a period of duty but doesn't count as ordinary hours.

This means that Gerry's shift starts at 11pm and finishes at 12pm the following day.

The shift is a night shift because it finishes after midnight.

Gerry is paid the 15% night shift penalty rate for the hours worked from 7am to 12pm on Wednesday.

Are shift penalty rates paid for hours worked on weekends before or after a sleepover?

No. Shift penalty rates don’t apply to hours worked on Saturdays or Sundays. Employees working before or after a sleepover on a Saturday or Sunday get paid:

• 150% of their ordinary rate of pay for work performed between midnight Friday and midnight Saturday
• 200% of their ordinary rate of pay for work performed between midnight Saturday and midnight Sunday.

Where work is performed on a Monday after a Sunday sleepover, the employee is paid the 15% night shift penalty rate for the morning shift.

Casual employees also get their casual loading.

Example: Sleepover and shift allowances on weekends

Bernie has a shift on Sunday afternoon from 3pm to 10pm, does a sleepover from 10pm to 6am, and then works from 6am to 9am on Monday. Bernie has agreed to work 10 ordinary hours per shift.

Bernie gets paid:

• 200% of his ordinary hourly rate from 3pm to 10pm on Sunday
• 4.9% of the standard rate as a sleepover allowance
• 15% night shift penalty from 6am to 9am on Monday.