Q: I have a question regarding rostered shifts and what happens if an employee doesn’t want to work an allocated shift.
An employees contract states that they are guaranteed 37.5hrs per week and they have been rostered on 37.5hrs but the employee doesn’t want to work one of the allocated days and has requested to work another shift instead (however there are none available).
Are they required to find the employee another shift or should the employee be taking annual leave for that day?
A: If the employee does not have a valid reason (good faith for the employer to listen) and has agreed to work shifts (as per the employment agreement), there is no reason why an employer has to change the shift to suit the employee. If the employee refuses to work the shift, it can be seen as a disciplinary matter.
If you do want to assist the employee and, as you have said, there is no other shift available, you can approve annual leave or even unpaid leave if the employee requests it.