Changing a roster is three different jobs that managers often treat as one: a permanent change to a regular roster, a one-off change at short notice, and a swap between two employees. This guide is for managers in Victoria. It covers the Fair Work Act, two modern awards and WorkSafe Victoria's fatigue guidance.
Three kinds of roster change and why they are treated differently
The kind of change decides the rule:
- Permanent change. A new start time or pattern for someone on a regular roster. The Fair Work Act (section 145A) requires every modern award to include a term that makes the employer consult the employees affected.
- One-off change. Moving a single shift at short notice. Notice rules in the award or agreement apply.
- Shift swap. Two employees trade shifts, and the employer still owns the result.
The Act does not run the consultation for you. The duty sits in the modern award, and the Fair Work Ombudsman's guide to rosters adds that awards and enterprise agreements can set extra rules about changing rosters.
Consultation has a limit. The Storage Services and Wholesale Award 2020 (clause 31.1) and the Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award 2020 (clause 42.1) both exclude employees whose working hours are irregular, sporadic or unpredictable from their consultation clause. An enterprise agreement may have its own term, so check yours. Changing a booking with a labour hire provider is a different job again, and the post on labour hire portal features covers how online ordering handles changes and cancellations.
Changing a roster permanently: the consultation step
Consultation about roster changes has three parts, listed on the Fair Work Ombudsman's rosters page and set out in the Storage award (clauses 31.2 to 31.4) and the Manufacturing award (clauses 42.2 to 42.4). They apply unless the employee's hours are irregular, sporadic or unpredictable (clauses 31.1 and 42.1).
- Provide information. Say what the change is and when it starts.
- Invite views. Ask each person how it affects them, including any effect on family or caring responsibilities.
- Consider the views. Weigh what you hear before you decide.
Example: moving a dispatch crew's start time
Here is an example with illustrative details. A warehouse wants to move its dispatch crew's start from 6 am to 7 am. The manager tells the six affected employees what is changing and from when, then asks each one how it affects them. One says a later finish clashes with a school pick-up, so the manager considers that before confirming the change.
Building the first roster from demand and comparing fixed and rotating patterns are covered in separate guides. This guide starts once a roster exists.
Notice rules in two awards
The Storage award (clause 31.5) and the Manufacturing award (clause 42.5) both read the consultation clause together with other provisions on scheduling work or giving notice. The notice clauses in the Storage Services and Wholesale Award 2020 are:
- Starting and finishing times (clause 13.3). One week's notice before changing them in any establishment.
- Rostered days off (clause 13.4(b)). Where the award's rostered day off system operates, at least 4 weeks' notice of the weekday.
- Shift rosters (clause 20.5). Shifts are rostered at least 48 hours in advance. Times can be altered by agreement, or on 24 hours' notice where the change is outside the employer's control.
The Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award 2020 takes a different route. Its definitions say a rostered shift is any shift of which the employee has had at least 48 hours' notice, and clause 33.2(g) has separate payment rules for work on any other shift. That is a definition that triggers those rules, not a general notice rule, so read the clause in the Manufacturing Award 2020 before you move a shift inside 48 hours.
Shift swaps without losing control of hours and skills
A shift swap works when both employees agree and the manager still checks the result. The Storage award points to agreement in clauses 20.5(a) and 13.4(c), and the Manufacturing award lists substitution of rostered days off as a matter for agreement (clause 17.5(b)(v)). None is written as a rule about two employees trading shifts, so check your own award or agreement.
WorkSafe Victoria's work-related fatigue guide for employers, available through its fatigue guidance, lists controlling overtime, shift-swapping and on-call duties among its controls. Before you approve a swap, run four checks:
- Hours total. Add up each person's hours after the swap and check whether it pushes either into overtime under the award.
- Rest between shifts. The same guide includes trying to leave at least 12 hours between shifts.
- Licence or skills. The person taking the shift must hold what the task needs, such as a forklift licence.
- Sign-off. The manager approves the swap before it goes on the roster.
Contacting people outside their hours
The Fair Work Act (section 333M) lets an employee refuse to monitor, read or respond to contact from their employer outside working hours unless the refusal is unreasonable. The Fair Work Ombudsman's right to disconnect page says the rules do not make out of hours contact unlawful.
Award carve-outs differ. The Storage award (clause 13A.4) says its right to disconnect clause does not prevent contact to notify an emergency roster change under clause 20.5(b) or a recall to work under clause 23. The Manufacturing award (clauses 17A.4 and 17A.5) names standing-by time under clause 32.14 and a recall under clause 32.13 or 57.6, not roster changes. One award's carve-out does not carry over to the other, and an enterprise agreement may add its own term.
Chandler Personnel is available 24 hours a day because blue collar staffing changes hour to hour, and its warehousing and logistics staffing page is one place to start if you need warehouse cover.
Publish rosters so changes are rare
Publishing rosters early gives you time to fix clashes before they turn into late changes. WorkSafe Victoria's fatigue guide lists setting shift rosters ahead of time and avoiding sudden changes of shifts. For night work it says to give at least 24 hours' notice except for emergencies.
Late changes often follow a change in demand. Agreeing triggers and responses ahead of time, as set out in a post on planning for demand swings, lets you rebuild the roster on a planned day instead of at 5 am. If you track late starts and shift fill rate, as the post on workforce measures describes, add a count of roster changes per period and log the roster change notice you gave for each.
Related Resources
- Warehousing and logistics staffing
- Labour hire portal features
- Workforce measures
- Planning for demand swings
- Fair Work Ombudsman guide to rosters
- Right to disconnect page
- WorkSafe fatigue guidance
Common Questions About Changing a Roster
1. Do I have to consult employees before changing the roster?
If you propose to change an employee's regular roster or ordinary hours, the Fair Work Ombudsman says you have to discuss it with them first. The Storage award (clause 31.1) and the Manufacturing award (clause 42.1) both leave out employees whose hours are irregular, sporadic or unpredictable. An enterprise agreement may have its own term, so check it.
2. How much notice do I have to give of a roster change?
The Storage award requires one week's notice before changing starting and finishing times (clause 13.3). The Manufacturing award defines a rostered shift as one with at least 48 hours' notice, which feeds its payment rules rather than setting a general notice rule. Find the clause in your own award.
3. Can employees swap shifts with each other?
Often, but check your award or agreement first. A swap needs both employees to agree and you to approve it. The Storage award points to agreement (clauses 20.5(a) and 13.4(c)), and the Manufacturing award lists substitution of rostered days off as a matter for agreement (clause 17.5(b)(v)). Check hours, rest, licences and sign-off yourself, because WorkSafe Victoria lists shift-swapping among its fatigue controls.
4. Can I contact an employee outside working hours about a roster change?
Check first. The Fair Work Act lets an employee refuse out-of-hours contact unless refusing is unreasonable. The Storage award (clause 13A.4) mentions an emergency roster change under clause 20.5(b), but the Manufacturing award (clauses 17A.4 and 17A.5) does not name roster changes. Read your own award and agreement before you rely on a carve-out.
5. How far ahead should a roster be published?
No single rule applies to every workplace. The Fair Work Ombudsman says awards and agreements set how and when employees are given rosters. Under the Storage Services and Wholesale Award 2020, shifts are rostered at least 48 hours in advance (clause 20.5), and changing starting and finishing times needs one week's notice (clause 13.3). WorkSafe Victoria's fatigue guide says to set rosters ahead of time and avoid sudden changes. Check your own award.
Consult first, then change the roster
Changing a roster is safest when you sort the change into one of three kinds before you act. Consult first for any regular roster, give the notice your award sets, and treat a swap as an agreement you still check. Next, open your own award, find its consultation and notice clauses, and keep them on one page beside the roster.
