Over Christmas selling period.
Recent analysis by global job search platform Indeed, found 67% of Christmas job opportunities in Australia are created in the retail sector to help serve the Christmas shopping frenzy.
With Christmas fast approaching and the regulator’s recent focus on compliance in the retail sector, it is critical that retailers understand their obligations with respect to casual employees and the rostering requirements of the Modern Awards.
Casual employment will always be a part of the retail industry having regard to the demographic of retail workers and the flexibility it provides employers and employees alike. However, in advance of any Christmas recruitment strategy, employers need to ascertain whether casual employment is the most appropriate arrangement that fits their business’ needs over this time.
According to the National Retail Association (NRA) there are three major considerations for recruiting Christmas casuals.
Firstly, what is the business strategy over the Christmas period and with regard to past experience, how equipped is the store to deal with high demand at that time of year? Secondly, does the existing workforce have the capacity to scale up for extended trading hours over Christmas and if not, what is the recruitment strategy? Thirdly, during the recruitment process, how does the business communicate its business needs over the peak period and has the opportunity for continued employment beyond the Christmas period been considered?
To assist retailers prepare for this peak selling time the NRA has scheduled a webinar series to guide members through the do’s and don’ts of managing casual employees during the peak trade period. The first will focus on strategies and key considerations when recruiting Christmas casuals, rights and obligations with respect to casual employees including their minimum rates of pay and entitlements, and preparing rosters and notifying employees of changes to maximise efficiency and compliance with the Modern Awards. The second webinar in the series will help members prepare for highly anticipated Christmas events and will be followed by a third webinar detailing how to manage authorised and unauthorised absences over the festive season.
Last year, Australians spent in excess of $26 billion during December.