Published on Office of the Information Commissioner Queensland (https://www.oic.qld.gov.au)

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Hours of Work

1.1 Policy statement

We are committed to flexible work arrangements that will support you to achieve a balance between your professional and personal responsibilities, including needs arising from domestic or family violence.

Employees of the Office of the Information Commissioner (the Office) are employed under the Public Service Act 2008 (PSA). The Information Commissioner, Privacy Commissioner and RTI Commissioner are appointed by the Governor in Council under the Right to Information Act 2009 or the Information Privacy Act 2009. We adhere to the hours of work arrangements outlined in the Queensland Public Service Officers and other Employees Award – State 2015.

1.2 Purpose

This document details the requirements for hours of work, attendance at work, reporting of absences to support the operational, business and client service requirements as determined by the Information Commissioner.

1.3 Effective Date

Approved by the Information Commissioner on 10 June 2021.

1.4 References

  • Public Service Commission and relevant industrial relations Minister Directives, Policies, Procedures, Awards and Legislation:
    • Directive 02/18 Hours, Overtime and Excess Travel
    • Directive 07/18 Attendance Recording and Reporting Requirements
    • Directive 10/17 Senior Executive – Employment Conditions and 11/17 Senior Officers - employment conditions
    • Directive 04/15 Support for employees affected by domestic and family violence
    • Schedule 3 (Organisational Hours of Work Arrangements) – Queensland Public Service Officers and Other Employees Award – State 2015
    • Public Service Act 2008
    • Industrial Relations Act 2016
    • Public Service Commission - Workload management – A guide for employees (September 2017)
    • Public Service Commission - Workload management – A guide for managers (August 2017)
    • Remote Working Policy
    • Office of the Information Commissioner - HR Policies
    • Code of Conduct for the Queensland Public Service
    • Office of the Information Commissioner - Certified Agreement 2018

1.5 Application

This policy applies to all employees of the Office whether they are working in the office or remotely.

1.6 Responsibilities

Employees (AO3 to AO8)

  • You must arrange your hours of work in a manner that maintains essential external and internal customer service requirements during these times.
  • You may set flexible starting and finishing times, in agreement with your supervisor/ manager.
  • You will accurately record your hours of work in Timekeeper. This includes meal breaks, starting and finishing times, at 5 minute intervals. You may round to the nearest 5 minutes.
  • You will submit your timesheet promptly to your supervisor for approval at the completion of each fortnight period.
  • The Office will make your timesheets available for external auditing as required.
  • You will raise any issues relating to workload management/excessive hours directly with your supervisor. · You may access the Workload management - A guide for employees for guidance.

Supervisors

  • You are responsible for your work unit to meet the needs of the Office and clients while managing employees’ workload.
  • Where issues relating to workload management are raised, you will refer to the Workload management - A guide for managers for guidance and seek assistance from the Senior Human Resources Officer where required.
  • Subject to operational requirements, you will enable employees to take accrued time off to avoid forfeiting excess accrued time.
  • You must administer time records and leave in accordance with this policy.

Senior Human Resources Officer

  • You will ensure staff are aware of entitlements. You provide ongoing advice and guidance to the Commissioners and all employees, regarding hours of work, timesheets and the process for recording of hours of work.

Information Commissioner

  • You will ensure that workloads are managed appropriately and that decisions regarding hours of work are consistent and fair.

1.7 Working Hours

Our working hours are set in accordance with Section 15.1 and 16.1 and Schedule 3 of the Queensland Public Service Officers and other Employees Award – State 2015. OIC hours of work provisions are detailed below:

  • The ordinary full-time hours of work are:
    • 7 hours 15 minutes (7.25 hrs) per day
    • 36 hours and 15 minutes per week
    • Spread of hours 6:00am to 6:00pm
    • In accordance with part 21 of the OIC Certified Agreement 2018 when you are working in our city office location you may agree to a wider ordinary spread of hours of 6:00am to 7:00pm
  • You may work a maximum of 9 hours 30 minutes (9.5) at ordinary time rates in any one day.
  • If you work in excess of 5 hours in a day you must take a minimum 30 minute break between the third and sixth hour of duty.
  • The Office’s business hours are 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday to Friday.
  • You can access the Office from 6:00 am to 7:00pm, Monday to Friday.
  • The ordinary hours of duty for employees of the Office who are remunerated at the Senior Officer or Senior Executive levels (SO and SES) are those hours of duty determined by the Information Commissioner or delegate as per Directives Senior Executive Service and Senior Officers Employment Conditions. SO and SES do not have to complete a timesheet.

1.8 Accrued Time and Leave

  • This policy sets the scope for accessing and managing accrued time where it is convenient to the efficient operation of the Office in accordance with Schedule 3 Queensland Public Service Officers and other Employees Award – State 2015.
  • Each work cycle consists of four weeks. The period end dates are available on the intranet.
  • In accordance with the award, you will have access to an accrued day off per work cycle.
  • You may accrue time, provided your supervisor has allocated sufficient work. Your supervisor must approve any additional hours you perform and ensure they meet operational requirements.
  • There is no limit to the amount of hours that you may accrue during each four week work cycle.
  • The maximum carryover balance of accrued time from one work cycle to the next is 36 hours, 15 minutes.
  • Accrued time exceeding 36 hours 15 minutes at the end of a work cycle will be forfeited
  • Before seeking to access accrued time off, you must give priority to acceptable workflows. Your supervisor will consider your request against the need for sufficient resources to service the work unit, clients and OIC generally.
  • You must obtain prior approval to access accrued time off.
  • In accordance with S3.1.4 (Schedule 3 of the Queensland Public Service Officers and other Employees Award – State 2015) OIC provides that you may apply to access accrued time with a maximum of 3 days (21 hours, 45 minutes) within a work cycle; you may take the accrued time either consecutively or separately.
  • If you work less than 7 hours 15 minutes in one day, you can either utilise your accrued time or apply for leave (sick, recreation leave, special leave) to cover the absence.

The maximum negative balance for accrued time to be carried over from a work cycle will be 7 hours 15 minutes (1 day).

  • If you are likely to carry over negative accrued time you should discuss this with your supervisor.
  • Supervisors should consider each case on its merits. Circumstances where it is appropriate to approve a negative carry over balance may include:
    • a new employee who has insufficient leave to cover unexpected short absences or a compulsory office closure (ie Christmas)
    • to cover unexpected absences that are not appropriately covered by an alternative leave type

There is no cash equivalent for accrued time, therefore you should utilise all accrued time or make up any debit time prior to cessing employment at OIC.

1.9 Overtime and Time of in Lieu

  • You may be required to perform work outside the spread of hours or in excess of nine-and a-half hours, exclusive of meal breaks, on any one day.
  • Where practical you will be given a minimum of 24 hours’ notice before the commencement of the overtime.
  • In accordance with the Directive 02/18 Hours, Overtime and excess Travel you will not be required to work overtime for more than a reasonable length of time on any one occasion or a reasonable number of times in any period.
  • The delegate must authorise the overtime work before you perform it.
  • In the absence of prior approval, the delegate must subsequently be satisfied that it was essential for the proper conduct of public business that you work overtime and that you could not have reasonably performed it within your ordinary work hours.
  • If you have approval to work overtime at the Office and finish after 7:00pm, you will be entitled to access a taxi voucher for your transportation home.
  • The Office will administer all entitlements to overtime and excess travel in accordance with the Hours, Overtime and Excess Travel directive.

1.10 Reporting Absences

In accordance with the Queensland Employment Standards in the Industrial Relations Act 2016, and the current directive about Sick leave, you must notify your supervisor as soon as you become aware that you will be absent from work.

You should communicate:

  • the reason for the absence
  • the expected duration of the absence
  • if you are able, you should also advise your supervisor of any relevant operational information ie appointments, meetings, deadlines.
  • if the supervisor contact is unavailable, please notify your supervisor’s manager or the DECS.
  • you must support an application for sick leave of more than three (3) days by providing a medical certificate or alternative documentation acceptable to the Information Commissioner.

Leave Delegations and Overtime Delegations

  • The leave and overtime delegations are contained within the human resources delegations instrument as updated from time to time.
  • Sick leave will be accrued and administered in accordance with the Directive 06/20 Sick Leave.
  • Recreation leave will be accrued and administered in accordance with the Directive 04/17 Recreation Leave.