Casual workers should only be used when cover cannot be provided using existing employees to maintain Service provision. Casual employment may be used as an alternative to overtime working.
Casual workers should not be employed for continuous periods of employment of 8 weeks or more. This includes different periods of continuous employment for more than one purpose or at more than one location. Continuous employment is only broken by a break in service of 7 complete days (running Sunday to Saturday).
Casual workers may accrue differing employment rights depending on their length of continuous service. It is not appropriate to employ a casual worker for a period of 8 weeks, break their employment for a week and recommence the casual employment thereafter. Breaks such as sick leave (if entitled to SSP) or annual leave (in accordance with the Working Time Directive) may be regarded as temporary cessations of work and may not break continuity of service.
Where you know, at the start of a period of cover required, that the vacancy is likely to be for 8 weeks or more, consideration should be given to filling the vacancy on a temporary basis in line with the Council's Temporary Employment Policy.
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Temporary employment policy
PDF file, 313.4 KB
Appointing casual workers
Casual workers must be recruited in line with the Council's Recruitment and Selection Policy and will be subject to appropriate employment checks, eg interview, references and pre-employment health screening and where appropriate a Disclosure/PVG check (see How to Carry Out Recruitment Checks).
The preferred candidate at interview should be issued with a 'recommendation for inclusion on casual list' letter via the Staffing and Recruitment Team pending successful pre-employment checks. Applicants for casual posts will be responsible for all fees relating to criminal conviction checks. A mandate, agreeing to Payroll deductions, must be signed by any applicant in advance of their application being submitted to Disclosure Scotland. They should not commence any periods of employment with the Council until such checks are completed.
Once the recruitment process is complete, the Casual Co-ordinator for your service area should complete a New Appointment form via HR Forms Plus and add the worker to the Casual Employment Database.
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Casual Employment Database
DOCX file, 20 KB
The completion of a new appointment form will allow a statement to be sent by the Staffing & Recruitment Team to the casual worker confirming their inclusion on the casual list and the relevant conditions associated with being offered casual work.
Any periods of employment will be paid through the submission of an authorised time sheet.
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Monthly casual timesheet 2021
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Managers engaging a casual worker for a period of employment should ensure that they receive or have previously undertaken appropriate induction and training. This will help avoid unnecessary service delivery failures or risks arising eg first use vehicle check training where they may be required to drive a Council vehicle.
Using casual employment
You should normally allocate shifts/available hours to appropriately qualified workers on your service casual employment database on a rotational basis. In exceptional circumstances, you may specifically select a worker to provide a period of cover because, for example, they have specific skills or to maintain continuity of care.
You should contact the selected casual worker to confirm their availability during the period required. There is no obligation for any individual to accept any offer of casual employment.
It is important that you check that the individual concerned continues to hold relevant registration where this is required, eg, SSSC registration before the commencement of any period of employment.
Maintaining casual database
Where a service area requires to use casual employment to maintain service delivery, the Service Manager should nominate someone as a Casual Co-ordinator. They will be responsible for the creation and maintenance of a casual employment database. This database should be secure with only appropriate managers able to access it directly in order to arrange cover as required.
The Casual Co-ordinator will be responsible for organising any recruitment to the casual list and will review the casual employment database on an annual basis. They are responsible for writing to casual workers on an annual basis to establish their availability for work during the next 12 months. The following template letter is available.
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Casual Employment Renewal Letter
DOC file, 49 KB
At this review stage, previous work patterns should be checked. If any casual worker listed has not worked for the Council within the previous 6 month period, the casual co-ordinator should arrange for them to be removed from the casual list and a termination form completed via HR Forms Plus. If an individual has lived overseas for a period of 3 months or more relevant, the Casual Co-ordinator should carry out checks, where relevant, as per the Criminal convictions checking policy.
The database must be kept up to date with the relevant details by the Service, with managers inputting periods of employment worked.
Terminating casual employment
Where casual work is no longer available
You should confirm with the worker that casual cover is no longer required and confirm whether or not they wish to be contacted for future work should it arise. You should update the casual employment database to reflect this.
Where casual status has been terminated
Where a casual worker has not undertaken a period of employment with the Council in the previous 6 months period, the Casual Co-ordinator should remove them from the database.
In all other circumstances, unless removal is requested by the individual, the Casual Co-ordinator or relevant manager must contact Human Resources before removing a casual worker from the casual database. Human Resources will be able to provide advice regarding continuity of employment and the appropriate procedure to follow.
The Casual Co-ordinator should complete a Termination Form or Employee Leaving Post Form through HR Forms Plus where a worker is to be removed from the casual employment database and confirm this in writing.
Where a casual worker is transferred to a temporary post, the Casual Co-ordinator must complete an appointment form through HR Forms Plus confirming the period of temporary appointment. Where appropriate/practicable, normal recruitment and selection procedures should be applied. When the need for temporary cover ceases, a Termination Form/ Employee Leaving Post form must be completed confirming that the worker has transferred back to casual status noting that their continuous service has come to an end.