Rawesome Vets · HR & Pay Policy
Timesheet & Payroll Policy
All Staff
This policy applies to all support staff — nurses and kennel hands, casual and permanent. Locum vets follow the same clocking requirements; their pay rate is governed by their individual contracts. This document is based on the Animal Care and Veterinary Services Award 2020 [MA000118].
1. Clocking In & Out (Sling)
- Clock in within 5 minutes of your rostered start time.
- Clock out at your actual end of shift — early clock-out is permitted only if the vet on duty has sent you home early (light shift / no further work needed). Add a brief note in Sling when this happens (e.g. sent home early — Dr Mei).
- If you forget to clock in or out: self-correct in Sling before Monday 10am. Do not wait to be chased.
- Arriving or leaving more than 15 minutes outside your rostered hours without prior authorisation will be queried at timesheet approval.
2. Payroll Timeline
| When | Who | Action |
|---|
| Sunday 12pm | Eric | Sends group reminder via Sling/SMS — check and correct your hours for the week |
| Monday 10am | All staff | All hours must be logged and self-verified in Sling |
| Monday 10am | Mei | Reviews and approves all timesheets; queries raised directly with the staff member |
| Monday (after approval) | Nicole & Tamara | Process the weekly payroll run (external bookkeepers) |
| Monday / Tuesday | Eric | Pays |
Late submission: Any hours not logged and approved in Sling by Monday 10am will be processed in the following week's payroll run. This is an administrative processing deadline — it is not a deduction. You will be paid for those hours the following week. Recurring late submissions will be noted on your file.
3. Break Entitlements
Break entitlements are set by the Animal Care and Veterinary Services Award 2020 [MA000118].
| Shift Length | Paid Rest Break | Unpaid Meal Break |
|---|
| Under 4 hours | None | None |
| 4 hours or more | 1 × 10 min (after 4 hrs) | None |
| Over 5 hours | 1 × 10 min (after 4 hrs) | 1 × 30 min (between 4th and 5th hour) |
| 7.6 hours or more | 2 × 10 min (or 1 × 20 min combined by agreement) | 1 × 30 min (between 4th and 5th hour) |
- Rest breaks are paid and count as time worked — do not clock out in Sling during a rest break.
- Meal breaks are unpaid — clock out in Sling when your meal break starts and clock back in when you return.
- Rest breaks cannot be skipped, banked, or used to leave early.
- If a clinical emergency requires you to work through a scheduled break, the vet on duty must authorise it. The break will be rescheduled or compensated — it is never simply lost.
- By agreement, two 10-minute rest breaks may be combined into a single 20-minute break.
4. Overtime
Overtime is any time worked past your rostered shift end. All overtime must be pre-approved by the vet on duty before it is worked.
- Ask the vet on duty for approval before staying back — verbal approval is fine.
- Add a brief note in Sling when you log the extra time (e.g. OT approved Dr Mei — patient in recovery).
- The vet on duty adds a matching note in Sling so Mei can verify it at timesheet approval.
- Working extra hours without vet approval is a conduct matter and will be discussed with Mei.
Overtime pay rates are separate from overtime itself. Under the Award, overtime pay rates are triggered by two thresholds:
- Per shift: ordinary hours are capped at 10 hours per shift (excluding meal breaks) — the 11th hour and beyond attracts overtime rates.
- Per week: after 38 ordinary hours in a week, the 39th hour onwards attracts overtime rates.
Extra time worked beyond your roster but within these thresholds is paid at your base rate plus casual loading, not at a penalty rate. Nicole and Tamara calculate the correct rate — you do not need to work this out yourself.
5. Saturday Hours
Under the Award, Saturday penalty rates only commence after 1pm. The clinic's Saturday hours are 9am–12pm, which falls entirely within the ordinary-rate span. No Saturday penalty loading applies to the current roster. If Saturday hours are ever extended past 1pm, Mei will advise of the rate change.
6. Non-Compliance
| Issue | Response |
|---|
| Forgot to clock in or out | Self-correct in Sling before Monday 10am — no action taken |
| Hours not logged by Monday 10am | Hours processed in following week's pay run |
| Recurring missed clock-ins | Conversation with Mei; noted on file |
| Early clock-out without vet authorisation | Flagged at approval; explanation required |
| Overtime worked without vet pre-approval | Discussed with Mei; treated as a conduct matter |
7. Award Reference
Animal Care and Veterinary Services Award 2020
MA number: MA000118
To view the full Award text, search "MA000118" on fairwork.gov.au
Pay rates are reviewed annually and take effect from 1 July each year. Nicole and Tamara confirm current classification rates each July and update payroll accordingly.
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