Hiring the right people with the right employment type to execute your business vision is critical to your long-term success, and now more than ever, business culture starts and extends through your employees, whether client-facing or managing internal operations.

As you set out to attract new talent to your business, having now completed your job description, it’s time to work out what type of employment you need to fulfill the tasks and responsibilities you have in mind.

Each different type of employment comes with a unique set of requirements for what that employee is entitled to in terms of benefits, notice of dismissal, hours at their role and more, so let’s take a closer look at the main types of employment structures. 

Full-Time & Fixed Term

Depending on the size of your business, a full time employee can be essential for roles across management and operations or more senior positions, and this means they are employed on a permanent basis with you, averaging out at around 38 hours each week.

When taking on a full-time employee, keep in mind that they will be entitled to paid annual leave, sick leave and carer’s leave, as well as public holiday pay rates if a public holiday falls across their usual working hours.

You’ll also be paying superannuation for almost all full-time employees, and as their employer, you’re required to give notice if their employment period is coming to an end, and vice versa.

Reliability and a long-term vision can be great benefits of full-time employees, giving you certainty of hours covered for the role, enabling career progression and professional development for the employee, and a higher level of commitment to the business.

You can also create a similar role to a full-time employee by utilising a fixed term contract, employing an individual for a certain period of time (perhaps covering a maternity leave window), with the same hours and benefits, but with the understanding that their employment terms will come to an end at a certain date.

Part-Time

Part-time employees will work less than 38 hours a week, with an otherwise similar benefit structure to a full-time employee. Often, they will have specific shifts or days that they cover (which works well in a retail or hospitality setting), while receiving superannuation and the requirement to both receive and give notice if they intend to terminate their employment.

If you’re looking at a part-time structure for a role, consider what those ideal hours will look like – is it 20 hours a week, working in sync with other employees, or closer to 35? You may get more benefit from a full-time employee if you feel the role demands more hours.

Casual

For a growing business or a startup, a casual worker can be a great asset to work the hours that suit your business requirements at the time, especially for more junior or service roles.

A casual member of staff will have an open-ended contract with you, often working around scheduled shifts and rosters, with some level of flexibility depending on changes to demand both for your business and for their schedules. 

If a casual employee stays with the same employee for 12 months, you may need to look into long service and parental leave entitlements, as well as if you are required to pay superannuation. For casual workers, unpaid holidays and sick leave balances out with casual loading that sits on top of their hourly pay, and they are free to terminate their employment at any time, without providing a notice period.

With casual staff, there is a level of uncertainty that they will stick around long term, and there is always a risk of last minute changes to shifts, so be prepared to do more rostering work to prepare for seasons when staff may be traveling or unavailable due to university exams.

Apprenticeship

Specifically for trade industries, an apprenticeship gives employees the chance to gain hands-on training and experience while gaining specific industry qualifications, on apprentice rates and with leave and superannuation.

Often, once the apprentice has qualified in their trade and proven they are skilled and ready, they will be taken on full-time by the employer. Importantly, you can’t just become an apprenticeship provider without formally registering, to ensure that the hours your apprentice puts in with your business legitimately goes towards gaining their qualification and the relevant experience required.

Settling on the right employment type for the role is essential, and how you advertise will also change the type of employee who is looking to work with you, so do your research and check out the common employment types out there for the position you’re looking to fill.

Next time, we’ll get your job position live online, ready for candidates to apply.