Real Estate Industry Award employment types, rostering, and breaks

The Real Estate Industry Award 2020 defines the employment structures and working conditions within Australia's real estate sector. This award applies to various roles, including real estate agents, property managers, and administrative staff.

Employers must understand the different employment types recognised by this award and adhere to its guidelines for scheduling work hours. The award also includes provisions for breaks and rest periods, which are vital for employee well-being and productivity. This article provides a clear overview of the employment types, real estate industry award rostering practices, and break requirements.

Note: The information provided in this article is accurate as of 04/09/2024. As award conditions and rates are subject to change, please refer to the latest version of the Real Estate Industry Award for the most current information.

Real Estate Industry Award employment types

• Full-time: Full-time employees work an average of 38 hours per week. They benefit from regular schedules and job security, providing stability and consistent income.

• Part-time: Part-time employees work fewer hours than full-time employees, with their specific hours stipulated in their contracts. They receive benefits proportional to their work hours, offering flexibility while ensuring access to necessary entitlements.

• Casual: Casual employees are engaged on an as-needed basis without guaranteed hours. They receive a higher hourly rate, known as casual loading, to make up for the lack of regular hours and job security.
• On-hire: This award covers employees supplied by labour-hire companies working in the real estate sector. On-hire employees must receive the same conditions as direct employees performing similar roles.

• Trainees: The award also applies to employees engaged in traineeships within the real estate industry. Traineeships are structured to provide both training and practical work experience, ensuring that trainees receive fair treatment and benefits as they develop their skills.

Ordinary hours under the Real Estate Award

Ordinary hours are the standard working hours agreed upon between the employer and employee, excluding any overtime.

The Real Estate Award sets out clear guidelines for ordinary working hours across various employment types within the real estate sector. These guidelines ensure that employers maintain standard working hours, promoting fairness and consistency throughout the industry.

Tips for effective management of work hours

By implementing these strategies below, employers can effectively manage work hours, enhance productivity, and ensure compliance with the Real Estate Industry Award 2020:

• Track employee hours: Keep a close eye on employee hours to ensure they stay within the standard limits. Implement advanced tracking systems to help supervisors monitor hours worked and quickly address any discrepancies, thereby ensuring compliance with the award for all types of employment.
• Implement flexible scheduling: Develop flexible scheduling plans that cater to both business requirements and employee needs. This flexibility allows staff to manage their personal lives alongside their work responsibilities, promoting a better work-life balance.

• Conduct regular reviews: Regularly assess work-hour logs to detect any deviations that could lead to non-compliance. Adjust schedules proactively to prevent potential issues, ensuring a balance between operational needs and employee well-being.

• Foster open communication: Foster a workplace environment where employees feel comfortable discussing their schedules. Keep communication channels open and transparent regarding any changes or decisions impacting work hours, ensuring everyone is on the same page.

Real Estate Industry Award rostering 

Organising employees' work shifts and hours is an essential part of managing any workforce. The Real Estate Industry Award 2020 offers specific guidelines for creating and managing employee rosters. These guidelines ensure that real estate industry award rostering practices are fair and foster a balanced and efficient work environment.

Strategies for effective roster management

Effectively managing rosters is crucial for balancing operational needs and employee well-being in the real estate industry. Here are some strategies aligned with the Real Estate Industry Award 2020:

• Advance scheduling: Plan rosters well in advance to ensure adequate staffing and reduce disruptions. This helps create a predictable work environment and distributes workloads evenly.

• Employee participation: Involve employees in the scheduling process by discussing their preferred working hours and accommodating personal requests where possible. This boosts job satisfaction and can improve retention rates.

• Flexible Real Estate Industry Award rostering: Leverage the flexibility offered by the real estate industry award rostering provisions to adjust shift lengths and schedules as needed to handle unexpected changes or cover gaps.

• Regular assessment: Conduct periodic reviews of rosters to ensure they meet both operational requirements and support employee well-being. Adjustments should be made as needed to maintain efficiency and satisfaction.

• Transparent communication: Ensure open and consistent communication about roster policies. Clearly document and communicate any changes to the roster to all affected employees, giving them ample time to adjust.

• Manager training: Provide managers with comprehensive training on the specifics of real estate industry award rostering. This includes understanding work-hour management, handling change requests, and ensuring compliance with all relevant regulations.

Real Estate Industry Award breaks and rest periods

Scheduled breaks and rest periods are crucial during a work shift, allowing employees time to rest, eat, or attend to personal needs. 

According to the Real Estate Industry Award 2020, no employee will be required to work more than five hours without an unpaid meal break of at least 30 minutes. If the employee’s rostered hours don’t exceed six hours, they may choose, with the employer’s approval, to forgo the meal break. Meal breaks aren’t considered time worked, ensuring that employees have a genuine rest period during their shifts

Advice on scheduling breaks to enhance employee well-being and compliance

Properly managing breaks is vital for compliance and can significantly boost employee satisfaction and productivity in the real estate sector. Here are some actionable strategies:

• Encourage break usage: Foster a workplace environment that actively supports employees taking their designated breaks. Emphasise the importance of these breaks for both mental and physical recovery, which is key to maintaining high levels of productivity and service quality in the real estate industry.

• Foster open communication: Create clear communication channels where employees can express their preferences or concerns about break times. Although the award specifies break schedules, being flexible and accommodating individual needs within these guidelines can enhance break utilisation and overall job satisfaction.

• Monitor regularly: Consistently monitor break schedules to ensure compliance. Regular checks help identify any deviations from the award’s requirements, allowing for timely adjustments to maintain proper adherence.

• Educate staff proactively: Provide continuous training for both employees and managers on the specific break entitlements outlined in the Real Estate Industry Award. Ensuring that everyone understands their rights and responsibilities regarding breaks helps maintain standards and promotes effective break management.

Real Estate Industry Award practical application: Example

‘Skyline Realty,’ a busy real estate firm, encountered several challenges with scheduling and compliance while trying to adhere to the Real Estate Industry Award 2020. Mark, the office manager, sought to optimise operations and ensure alignment with the award's requirements, focusing on rosters, ordinary hours, and breaks.

Challenges

• Inadequate notice for rosters: Initially, rosters were issued only a few days in advance, complicating employees' ability to manage their personal schedules.
• Confusion surrounding minimum engagement: Some casual staff were scheduled for less than the three-hour minimum engagement period, resulting in compliance issues and dissatisfaction among employees.
• Break management issues: Ensuring all staff received their required meal breaks without disrupting operations was particularly challenging during peak periods.

Resolution

• Enhanced roster communication: Mark ensured rosters were provided at least seven days in advance, giving employees sufficient time to organise their personal commitments and ensuring compliance with the award's guidelines.
• Ensuring minimum engagement period: The scheduling system was updated to automatically prevent shifts shorter than three hours for casual employees, aligning with the award's requirements.
• Improved break management: Mark implemented a system to track and alert managers when meal breaks were due. This system scheduled 30-minute unpaid meal breaks no later than five hours after the start of a shift, in accordance with the award.

Outcome

By implementing these strategies, Skyline Realty effectively managed its full-time, part-time, and casual employees, complied with the Real Estate Industry Award 2020, and improved overall employee satisfaction and productivity. Regular evaluations and clear communication further enhanced their rostering and break management practices, leading to a more organised and compliant work environment.

Key takeaways recap

Below, you can find a summary of the essential points and recommendations covered in this article to ensure compliance with the Real Estate Industry Award 2020:

• Coverage: The Real Estate Industry Award 2020 covers a wide range of roles within the real estate sector, including real estate agents, property managers, and administrative staff. It applies to employers and employees who fall within the classifications outlined in the award, ensuring standardised conditions and benefits across the industry.
• Employment types: The award includes provisions for full-time, part-time, and casual employees, as well as on-hire employees and trainees.
• Ordinary hours: Full-time employees work 38 hours per week, which can be averaged over up to eight weeks. Part-time employees work fewer hours than full-time, as specified in their contracts. Casual employees can work up to 38 hours per week, with a minimum engagement period of three hours. Ordinary hours can be rostered on any day of the week, providing flexibility to meet business needs.
• Breaks and rest periods: Employees are entitled to a 30-minute unpaid meal break after no more than 5 hours of work. If the employee's total work period is six hours or less, they can choose to skip the meal break with the employer's agreement. Meal breaks aren’t counted as time worked.
• Rostering rules: The award requires that full-time and part-time hours be regular, predictable, and agreed upon in writing. Employers must provide employees with reasonable notice for any changes to their roster, typically at least seven days. Employers must consult with employees about changes to regular rosters or ordinary hours, considering their views and the impact on their family or caring responsibilities. Employees have the right to request flexible working arrangements, which employers must consider in line with the National Employment Standards (NES).
• Rostered days off: Employees, other than casuals, are entitled to either one and a half or two rostered days off each week. RDOs can be taken as one consecutive period, two separate periods, or three periods comprising one full day and two half days. Additionally, employers must document the arrangement of RDOs in the time and wages records.

Simplifying Real Estate Industry Award ordinary hours, rostering, and break management 

Understanding ordinary hours and efficiently managing rosters and breaks are crucial for compliance with modern awards. Rippling's centralised platform offers powerful tools to simplify scheduling, track hours, and manage breaks seamlessly. Key features include:

• Smart rostering: Create compliant rosters with a fair distribution of shifts and required rest periods.
• Automated time tracking: Automatically track employee hours from clock-in to payslip, eliminating manual data entry.
• Break tracking: Automatically track meal and rest period entitlements.
• Hours monitoring: Accurately monitor and record employee working hours.
• Compliance reporting: Generate reports on hours worked, breaks taken, and rostering patterns.

With Rippling, you can do more than just meet award compliance requirements; you can exceed them.

Disclaimer: Rippling and its affiliates do not provide tax, accounting, or legal advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide or be relied on for tax, accounting, or legal advice. You should consult your own tax, accounting, and legal advisors before engaging in any related activities or transactions.