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Office of Fair and Safe Work Queensland
Department of Justice and Attorney-General
Home > Industrial Relations > Work, family and lifestyle > Types of work-life balance provisions > Provisions for award and non-award employees > Rostered days off (RDO)

Rostered days off (RDO)

Description
Eligibility for Award employees
Eligibility for non-Award employees

Description

Rostered days off allow employees to work additional hours during the week in order to accrue sufficient hours to have a rostered day off in a work cycle once a fortnight (i.e. nine-day fortnight arrangement) or once a month (i.e. nineteen-day month arrangement). Employees keep working hours at a reasonable level, while having some flexibility in working hours. 

For example, an employee is required to work a 36 hours week. On a nine-day fortnight arrangement, the employee would have to work 72 hours (2 X 36) in nine days. This means that instead of 7 hours and 12 minutes per day, they would have to work an extra 48 minutes adding up to 8 hours per day. In return they would get one day off every fortnight.

Eligibility for Award employees

Eligibility is dependant on whether an award provides for rostered days off. Employers should also be aware of any requirements for RDOs in awards. For example, some awards require employees to accrue hours at an overtime rate. This may mean that if an employee works one hour overtime they actually accrue 1.5 hours paid time off.

Rostered days off are only compatible with part-time or full-time work performed on a non-casual basis. Since casual work is paid by the hour it is not possible to implement a rostered days off system.

Eligibility for non-Award employees

Employers are free to make flexible work arrangements and introduce them after consultation with employees. There are no restrictions or obligations for RDO’s for non-award employees. However, employers may be mindful of work, family and lifestyle responsibilities of their employees when considering such provisions.

Employers and employees may negotiate an informal arrangement, a formal policy or a formal agreement registered or approved by an authority or tribunal. Employees should contact their human resource department or employer to find out what provisions may already be available through any such arrangement.

Last updated 21 July 2009