This FAQ has been developed by the NSW Health Rostering Best Practice Team to support Roster Managers with meeting Industrial and Award responsibilities as they relate to ADOs.
Roster Managers have a responsibility to ensure that:
Staff have a responsibility to ensure that:
The NSW Health Awards state that full time employees work 38 hours per week. However, operations and rosters within the NSW Health Service may require full time employees to work 40 hours per week, for example 8 hours per day, 5 days per week. Employees working more than 38 hours per week are provided with a paid Additional Day Off (ADO) so that the hours that they work average out to 38 per week. Through this arrangement, known as “pay averaging” an employee working 8 hours per day will work 19 shifts in any given 4 week roster period and be allocated one 8 hour ADO. Full time employees may also work other shift lengths, for example 10 hours or a combination of shift lengths. Pay averaging works in the same way for these employees so that the shifts worked and the ADOs given ensure that the employee works an average of 38 hours per week.
For most staff, StaffLink is configured to accrue an ADO after 19 shifts and for staff employed under the Public Health Service Employees Skilled Trades (State) Award StaffLink accrues ADOs in accordance with the number of hours worked. This does not mean that 19 shifts must be worked before an ADO is rostered; an ADO can be rostered at any time during the roster period. StaffLink looks at the relevant NSW Health Award to ensure staff are paid correctly, based on this information from the roster; and that there is a record of ADO accrual and ADO balances.
StaffLink provides a report called the “Leave Accrual Plan Report” through Manager Self Service. This allows you to select ADO as a leave type and then report on the accruals for your direct reports. For instructions and more information, please see the Stafflink Manager Self Service Reports User Guide (internal access only) available from the HealthShare StaffLink HRIS Training page (internal access only).
Effective from 21st October 2019, the ADO accrual method for full-time nurses and midwives is based on hours worked rather than counting shifts. The new method better accommodates the calculation and management of ADOs for eligible full-time nurses and midwives who work varying shift lengths in a roster cycle, to ensure they are provided with an accurate number of ADOs per year. The ADO balances will be recalculated in StaffLink as of 21st October 2019 and the new balances will be shown in StaffLink as 'ADO in Hours'. The 'ADO in Days' balance will then be displayed as '0' from this date.
Below is a table outlining how different shift lengths accumulate ADOs.
If you count through the weeks of the year, it would seem that a full time employee is entitled to 13 ADOs per year, one for every four weeks worked. However, a full time employee is also required to take four weeks of annual leave every year. ADO hours are not accumulated when annual leave is taken. Therefore, a full time employee is eligible for 12 ADOs per year. Employees under the Public Health Service Employees Skilled Trades (State) Award are eligible to receive 13 ADOs per year.
The answer to this depends upon the type of leave:
When an employee has no capacity to return to any duties they will not accrue an ADO. If any employee has returned to work in the capacity for which they are certified the employee’s entitlement to an ADO will be the same as if the employee was not on workers compensation and a return to work plan .This is irrelevant of how many hours per day worked, provided that the employee works those hours over 5 days per week. Employees who return to work and work less than 5 days are not entitled to accrue an ADO, irrespective of hours worked each day. For those employees under the Public Health Service Employees Skilled Trades (State) Award please refer to your award for accrual eligibility when on workers compensation.
No. NSW Health Awards do not allow for employees to take half ADOs.
The intention of an ADO is that it is rostered and taken once every four weeks. However, each of the NSW Health Awards allows that, with mutual agreement from the employer, an employee can accumulate a maximum of three ADOs. The Public Health Service Employees Skilled Trades (State) Award allows for the maximum accumulation of five ADOs. This limit on accumulation means that any employee who has already accumulated their maximum ADOs must take the next ADO accrued when it falls due in accordance with the roster. Health Managers Level 5 and 6 are entitled to receive ADOs, but are not entitled to accumulate them, and any ADO not taken for the month is forfeited.
Yes, however this will not occur automatically, the Health Agency must advise number of ADOs to be paid on termination. Please contact your manager or local Workforce / Roster Unit.
For most staff, StaffLink is configured to accrue an ADO after 19 shifts and for staff employed under the Public Health Service Employees Skilled Trades (State) Award, Stafflink accrues ADOs in accordance with the number of hours worked.
Health Managers Level 5 and above are entitled to receive ADOs but are not entitled to accumulate them, and any ADO not taken for the month is forfeited. Therefore, your ADO balance will need to be manually corrected in StaffLink when you revert back to your substantive position.
If you believe your ADO balance on StaffLink is incorrect, contact your manager in the first instance. If your manager agrees that there is an issue, you or your manager should contact your local Workforce / Roster Unit. The Workforce / Roster Unit will need to confirm the correct ADO balance and liaise with HealthShare to have the issue corrected.
Please refer to the ADO Balance Adjustment Form.
You can find further information on ADOs in the relevant leave policies and Industrial Awards.
