Recruitment Selection and Appointment Procedure - Recruitment of casual and sessional staff

Parent Policy

Recruitment, Selection and Appointment

Preamble

The University aims to recruit the brightest and best staff for each and every role. Appointments must be made on the basis of merit, applying the principle of achievement relative to opportunity and adhering to the principles of equity and equal opportunity employment.

Definitions

Access HR: is the transaction processing unit in Monash HR. A team within Access HR manages the end-to-end appointment process for casual and sessional staff.

Achievement relative to opportunity: is an evaluative framework in which the overall quality and impact of achievements is given more weight than the quantity, rate or breadth of particular achievements. Assessing achievements relative to opportunity involves giving consideration to circumstances, arrangements, career histories and overall time available to the staff member. This in turn allows appropriate evaluation of achievements in relation to:

• the quantum or rate of productivity,
• the opportunity to participate in certain types of activities, and
• the consistency of activities or output over the period of consideration.

Business User: is the hiring manager, supervisor or administrator who is responsible for filling a casual or sessional vacancy and has access to create a casual/sessional Job Request in Rex. For sessional appointments, the business user may be the administrator/s within the faculty who is/are responsible for coordinating the sessional activities within the particular area.

Casual staff: are non-academic or professional staff who are engaged by and paid by the hour where the nature of the work is ad hoc or short term in nature and where flexibility to vary hours or modify employment is required (for example to cover leave absences or provide assistance for additional, seasonal or special project type work).

Faculty or Divisional Cluster: refers to a cluster of faculties and/or administrative divisions that is serviced by a particular HR Service Hub.

Functional Head: is usually the divisional director of a particular administrative function who has the responsibility for approving professional staff positions where the primary professional function of the role falls within their administrative portfolio (eg. the Executive Director, Monash HR is the Functional Head for all HR activities at the University and approves all professional staff roles that primarily perform an HR-related role).

Head of unit: is a head of an academic or organisational work unit, for example head of school, head of department or where applicable, a person acting as his or her nominee.

HR Business Partner: is a member of Monash HR who operates as a strategic partner responsible for providing a range of human resources services for an assigned faculty or administrative division. HR Business Partners are located within a HR Service Hub.

HR Service Hub: is the centre for human resources services and activities within a faculty or divisional cluster.

Job Request: is the screen in Rex where all necessary information relating to a particular position is recorded.

Lead HR Business Partner: is a member of the Monash HR management team who operates as a senior HR Business Partner responsible for the strategic and operational management of the human resources services and activities in a HR Services Hub.

Rex: is Recruitment Express, the University's online recruitment system, which administers requests to advertise, selections and appointments and generates employment contracts.

Sessional staff: are academic teaching associates who are appointed to undertake a single or specific number of sessions related to demonstrating, tutoring, lecturing, marking, supervision, academic research assistance, music accompanying with special educational service, undergraduate clinical nurse education or other required academic activity.

Restrictions on offering casual or sessional employment

There are restrictions on offering casual or sessional employment at the University as follows.

• The following categories of casual staff may be offered a casual contract for up to 12 months:

• invigilators
• current Monash students, and
• casuals engaged on external research funds.

• All other casual staff may only be offered casual employment for a maximum duration of 16 weeks per contract.
• Sessional staff may be employed for a duration of up to 12 months.
• If the candidate is already employed in a fixed-term or continuing position at the University, additional casual or sessional employment may only be offered in accordance with the Recruitment Selection and Appointment Procedure - Additional Appointments and Duties.

Step 1: The business user requests recruitment to a new or vacant position/s

Where there is a need to fill a new or vacant casual or sessional position/s, the business user will:

• ensure that the position has been established by the head of unit;
• ensure that funding is available; and
• enter information regarding the requirements for the position into the Job Request in Rex.

Step 2: The business user selects an appropriate candidate

Where the business user has not already identified a suitable appointee for the position, a selection process may be required. The business user should liaise with his/her HR Service Hub for advice and support regarding an appropriate selection process for the position, depending on the circumstances.
The business user is responsible for ensuring the preferred candidate:

• has the necessary qualifications required for the role;
• has the right to work in Australia and works in accordance with any restrictions that apply;
• advises whether s/he is employed in any other roles at the University or any other organisation;
• advises whether s/he is a research graduate student and whether the appointment conflicts with the terms and conditions of the candidature; and
• identifies any potential conflict of interest.

Step 3: Access HR completes all outstanding information in Rex

Access HR will:

• confirm receipt of the Job Request;
• review the information provided;
• provide advice to the business user regarding any restrictions or senior managerial directives regarding casual or sessional employment;
• determine whether any pre-employment checks are required;
• contact the business user for missing information or clarification;
• confirm that any visa information/requirements are accurate;
• confirm that any qualification requirements are met; and
• finalise the Job Request.

Step 4: Access HR administers the appointment process

Once a suitable candidate has been identified and offered a casual or sessional position, Access HR will need to determine whether the candidate already has a profile in Rex. If the candidate does not already have a profile in Rex, the candidate will need to be invited to apply for the position and complete an online Registration Form.
Access HR will then:

• complete all the offer details in Rex;
• collect qualifications where required; and
• generate the letter of offer.

Step 5: The delegated authority approves the appointment

The completed information about the offer will then be forwarded electronically via Rex to the relevant approvers. Although the required approvals may vary between faculty/division, the head of unit is required to approve all casual/sessional appointments. In addition to this, the functional head is required to approval all casual appointments relevant to his or her professional function.

The following table summarises the approvals that are required:

Step 6: Access HR administers the appointment process

Once approvals are complete, Access HR will forward the letter of offer to the candidate via Rex.

Maintaining recruitment records

For positions that have been filled through an advertised recruitment process, the business user and all others involved in the recruitment and selection process must ensure that all hard-copy materials, including applications, interview forms, notes and referee reports are provided to the HR Business Partner.
The HR Business Partner will maintain a recruitment file for each recruitment activity and will ensure that:

• all records relating to successful candidates are retained for two years; and
• all records relating to the unsuccessful candidates are securely destroyed after six months.

Responsibilities

Business User

The Business User is responsible for:

• ensuring that casual/sessional positions are appropriately established by the head of unit and that funding is available;
• initiating the appointment by completing required information in the Job Request in Rex; and
• where applicable, coordinating the selection process, including reference checking.
• ensuring the candidate has the necessary qualifications required for the position; and
• has the right to work in Australia.

Head of unit

The head of unit is responsible for:

• establishing casual/ sessional positions; and
• approving casual/ sessional appointments.

Access HR

Access HR is responsible for:

• administering the casual/sessional appointment process in accordance with the requirements of this procedure;
• confirming and completing all relevant information in the Job Request;
• providing advice to the business user throughout the recruitment and selection process; and
• ensuring the proper execution of this procedure for all recruitment activities.

HR Service Hub

The HR Service Hub is responsible for:

• providing advice to the business user regarding an appropriate selection process, where required; and
• where an advertised recruitment process has occurred, maintaining recruitment files in accordance with the requirements of this procedure.

Lead HR Business Partner

The Lead HR Business Partner is responsible for:

• assessing whether any proposed casual appointments at HEW levels 8, 9 or 10 are the appropriate mode of employment;
• approving any casual appointments at HEW levels 8 and 9 that are for a period of less than 6 months; and
• referring any such proposed appointments for greater than 6 months to the Director (Workplace Relations) and, for HEW10 positions, to the Director, Workplace Relations and Manager, Remuneration & Senior Professional Appointments.

Director, Workplace Relations

The Director, Workplace Relations is responsible for approving:

• casual appointments at HEW levels 8 and 9 that are for a period of 6 months or more; and
• all casual appointments at HEW level 10.

Manager, Remuneration & Senior Professional Appointments

• The Manager, Remuneration & Senior Professional Appointments is responsible for approving all casual appointments at HEW level 10.

Recruitment, Design & Delivery (Monash HR)

The Recruitment, Design and Delivery team in Monash HR is responsible for:

• maintaining this procedure and all related recruitment procedures and guidelines;
• providing expert advice and support to the HR Business Partners on best practice recruitment techniques and practices;
• administering and maintaining the Rex e-Recruitment system; and
• providing reports and data from Rex, on request.

Related procedures

• Recruitment Selection and Appointment Procedure - Additional Appointments and Duties
• Recruitment Selection and Appointment Procedure - Recruitment of fixed-term and continuing staff
• Recruitment Selection and Appointment Procedure - Direct appointments
• Recruitment Selection and Appointment Procedure - Pre-employment Checks
• Recruitment Selection and Appointment Procedure - Adjunct Appointments (academic staff)
• Recruitment, Selection and Appointment Procedure – Recruitment of Temporary Staff

Related documents

• Staff recruitment guidelines
• Contractors
• Monash HR online calendar (including payroll processing deadlines)

Timesheets

• Casual Academic research assistant time sheet [Word] or [PDF]
• Casual Academic sessional time sheet [Word] or [PDF]