65. PROFESSIONAL STAFF WORKLOADS

65.1 The University does not require staff to work excessive hours and does not encourage or condone workplace culture that requires staff to work long hours.  It is the responsibility of the University’s supervisors to ensure that unreasonable expectations are not put on staff members which results in working excessive hours and it is the responsibility of staff members to ensure they are not working excessive hours.

65.2 The University will take reasonable positive steps to ensure that professional staff members do not work excessive or unreasonable hours, and are not working in excess of any hours of work prescribed by this Agreement, except where formal arrangements have been entered into according to the terms of this Agreement.  Reasonable and positive steps will usually and if practicable include:

     (a) Inclusion of managing workloads in accordance with this Agreement in the induction for new staff, supervisory training, and performance management training.  In particular, staff induction and supervisory training will refer to:

        (i) the meal break entitlements of professional staff at clause 74 of this Agreement;

        (ii) the ordinary hours of duty of professional staff provided for at clause 72 of this Agreement;

        (iii) the overtime and time off in lieu (TOIL) provisions of clause 75 of this Agreement, including the “no unreasonable overtime” provisions of clause 75.11 of this Agreement; and

        (iv) the individual workload review provisions of clause 65.3 of this Agreement.

     (b) Maintenance on a website of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding professional staff workloads.  The FAQs should provide an easy to understand guide to clause 65 – Professional Staff Workloads, clause 72 – Hours of Duty, clause 73 – Span of Hours, clause 74 – Meal Breaks, and clause 75 – Overtime and Time Off in Lieu.

     (c) Maintenance of an effective system for supervisors to record overtime and time off in lieu agreed between the supervisor and the staff member, including the number of hours of overtime worked, the number of hours of TOIL accrued, and the date on which the overtime was worked.

     (d) Confirmation between supervisor and staff member prior to any overtime being worked whether there is agreement to time off in lieu of overtime payment where the staff member is in receipt of a salary not exceeding that prescribed for the top of the scale for a Higher Education Worker (HEW) level 7.

Individual Workload Review

65.3 If a staff member is concerned with his/her workload, the staff member may request a workload review by discussing it with his/her supervisor.  If the issue is not satisfactorily resolved through this process, the staff member may use the Employment Related Grievance Resolution Procedure to attempt to resolve the issue starting the procedure at clause 56.9.

Workload Review Committee

65.4 As part of the University’s commitment to workload management a Professional Staff Workload Review Committee will be established.

65.5 The Professional Staff Workload Review Committee will comprise two nominees of the University and two professional staff nominees of the President of the Monash University NTEU Branch.

65.6 The Professional Staff Workload Review Committee may, when requested by the Executive Director, Monash HR, review identified professional staff workload problems at the work unit or occupational category level and report to the Executive Director, Monash HR on the Committee’s findings.  The Committee will be able to make recommendations when all members of the Committee agree.

65.7 Any recommendations of the Professional Staff Workload Review Committee will be forwarded to the Executive Director, Monash HR for consideration and where appropriate implementation (subject to any required approval processes).  Approved recommendations should be implemented within a reasonable timeframe.  Where an approved recommendation has not been implemented within six months of the recommendation being made the University officer responsible for the implementation will advise the Committee of the expected timeframe for that implementation and will report to the Committee at the end of that timeframe if implementation has still not occurred.

65.8 The Workload Review Committee will meet at least annually, or at the request of either the University or two or more members of the Committee.