Early Years Employee Induction Information

It is important that you enjoy your temporary assignment and that it is a safe and rewarding experience.

Please take the time to read the following information and contact your Consultant if you have any queries.

Temporary Employee Guidelines

* Tips to help you succeed as an Entrée Temporary Employee!

As part of the Entrée Early Years Recruitment team, we ask that you represent yourself in the best possible way, as you are not only representing yourself but also Entrée Early Years Recruitment.  You can take pride in the knowledge that we only select the best possible applicants, and we aim to ensure our clients receive the best possible service.  Here are some tips to keep you in continuous temp work and to ensure your success:

• Ensure that you allow plenty of time on the first day of your new assignment to find our client's office or premises and to familiarise yourself with the office environment.
• Please ensure that you arrive each shift dressed appropriately. Please wear black formal trousers (no gym tights or track pants), black short or long sleeves top with no visible branding and flat, fully enclosed shoes (no thongs, high-heels or platforms). All centres are sun smart, so you must bring and wear a hat when outside.
• Maintain a flexible work attitude; be a cooperative and supportive team member.
• Confirm your lunch break and any other meal breaks with your Supervisor at the start of your assignment.
• Contact our office no less than 3 hours prior to your start time if you cannot attend work for any reason at all, e.g. car problems, sickness etc.
• The Employee shall complete a Timesheet for approval no later than 7:00 pm each Friday during the completion of an assignment. In the case of working on a Saturday or Sunday, the Timesheet shall be completed no later than 7:00 pm Sunday or upon completion of the Sunday shift.
• Please notify us immediately of any changes to your personal details, including phone number, address and banking details.
• If you are temporarily unavailable or have found alternative employment, please keep us informed.
• Ensure that you follow our clients’ policies and procedures whilst working on their premises.
• Do not smoke in a non-smoking environment.
• Ensure your personal mobile telephone is switched off while you are at work. Leave our office number with your children’s schools or childcare facilities, next of kin, partner or other contacts - we are happy to pass any important messages on to you.  Personal telephone calls should be made in your own time out of hours.
• Adhere to our Discrimination and Harassment, Equal Opportunity and Internet and Email Code of Conduct policies.
• Only use our clients’ facilities for work purposes.

Policies Outlined Below

• Worker & Employers Rights & Responsibilities
• Discrimination and Harassment Policy
• Equal Opportunity Policy
• Internet & Email Code of Conduct
• Work Health and Safety

Your Obligations

* Professional Conduct

It is expected that your conduct as a temporary employee of Entrée Early Years Recruitment will be professional and appropriate at all times. This includes adherence to policies at each client location, dress and personal presentation, attitude and confidentiality.

* Communication

It is important for us to maintain contact with you throughout your assignment. Equally, it is important you telephone us:

• When there is an emergency which means you cannot perform your responsibilities in accordance with the contract
• If you have an accident while you are on a temporary assignment (see workplace accidents)
• If the client asks you to change the terms of your assignment, particularly in relation to conclusion dates or tasks/responsibilities or if experiencing difficulty or concerns with the assignment.

*Meal Breaks
Your employment is covered by the Children's Services Award (CSA) (unless you are working an ECT shift where you are classified under the Educational Services (Teachers) Award) and all Entrée Early Years Employees who are covered by the CSA are entitled to an unpaid 30min meal break for any shift greater than 5 hours. Entrée Early Years Employees may elect to forgo this break if they are not engaged in a shift for longer than 6 hours. If you elect to forgo a meal break, we must obtain approval from the centre and you must advise us in the notes line of your timesheet so that we may adjust your pay for the shift.

*Rest Pauses

All Entrée Early Years Employees covered under the CSA working four hours or more on any engagement are entitled to a paid rest period of 10 minutes. When an Entrée Early Years Employee works for seven hours or more, you will be entitled to two paid rest periods of 10 minutes each. You may elect to forgo one of these rest pauses.

Discrimination and Harassment Policy

Discrimination and harassment are considered to be unacceptable behaviours and will not be tolerated. Entrée Recruitment is committed to maintaining a comprehensive strategy for eliminating discrimination and harassment.  Discrimination and harassment are against the law, and appropriate action will be taken against any individual engaging in such conduct.

* What is unlawful discrimination?

Under federal and state legislation, unlawful discrimination occurs when someone, or a group of people, is treated less favourably than another person or group because of their race, colour, national or ethnic origin; sex, pregnancy or marital status; age; disability; religion; sexual preference or some other characteristic specified under anti-discrimination or human rights legislation.

* What is unlawful harassment?

Under federal and state legislation unlawful harassment occurs when someone is made to feel intimidated, insulted or humiliated because of their race, colour, national or ethnic origin; sex; disability; sexual preference; or some other characteristic specified under anti-discrimination or human rights legislation.

Harassment can include behaviour such as:

• Telling insulting jokes about particular racial groups
• Sending explicit or sexually suggestive emails
• Displaying offensive or pornographic posters or screen savers
• Making derogatory comments or taunts about someone’s race or religion
• Asking intrusive questions about someone’s personal life, including their sex life

With harassment and discrimination, the law puts emphasis on the perception of the complainant. Your intention doesn’t matter.

PLEASE THINK FIRST, AS IT MAY OFFEND.

If you have concerns, wish to discuss this further or feel uncomfortable about an incident that has occurred; please contact your Consultant to discuss in more detail.  You can also contact an Advisor at the Equal Opportunity Commission.

Equal Opportunity and Internet/Email Policies

* Equal Opportunity Policy

It is the policy of Entrée Early Years Recruitment that there shall be no discrimination against applicants, candidates or temporary employees in relation to their sex, marital status, pregnancy, sexuality, race, impairment or age.  They shall be treated in accordance to their abilities, aptitude, skills, qualifications, knowledge and experience.

The Equal Opportunity Act outlines the rights we all have in our public area of life. In summary, it is against the law to treat an employee or volunteer unfairly based on their age, race, sex, sexuality, marital status, pregnancy, disability. It is also against the law to sexually harass or victimise an employee or volunteer.

In the workplace, both employers and employees have responsibilities:

Employer’s responsibilities:

• To take all reasonable steps to prevent unlawful discrimination and harassment from occurring
• To respond quickly, seriously and effectively to complaints should they arise

Employee’s responsibilities:

• Not to unlawfully discriminate against or harass work colleagues or clients
• To ensure that colleagues and clients understand and abide by relevant workplace policies

* Internet and Email Policy

Working as a temporary employee for Entrée Early Years Recruitment at our client site, you are likely to be provided with Internet and email facilities.  We recommend that you observe Entrée Recruitment’s email and internet policy in line with the policy of your host employer.

This Code of Conduct sets out the appropriate standard of behaviour for all temporary employees accessing online services, including the Internet and email.

Breaches of the Code may result in disciplinary proceedings.  Where it is established that a serious breach of the Code has occurred, the temporary employee(s) who committed that breach will face the prospect of being dismissed.

This Code of Conduct is designed to protect Entrée Early Years Recruitment and its employees from legal liability arising from breaches of anti-discrimination and other laws.  Note also that email can be subject to court orders for production as evidence in the course of litigation.

The Code

1. Only use the Internet and email for legitimate business purposes related to your job e.g. do not access your facebook or Hotmail accounts etc.
2. Do not use work time and your host organisation’s resources for personal gain.
3. Do not use the Internet or email to send defamatory, threatening or obscene messages to other employees or to anyone outside your host employer.
4. Do not use the Internet or email to send racially and/or sexually harassing messages or other illegal communications to other employees or to anyone outside your host employer.
5. Do not download, retrieve or forward sexually explicit, racist or otherwise discriminatory or illegal material from the Internet or from email at any time while you are on work premises.
6. Do not send chain mail.
7. Do not, without express authority, access (hack) any computer.  This behaviour is illegal, leaving employees liable to criminal prosecution as well as disciplinary action by Entrée Early Years Recruitment.
8. When you send an email, remember it becomes a part of the public arena.  As such, you should consider the confidentiality of information you transmit. Although forwarding of emails is now supposed to be with the express permission of the original author, you should not assume that this will always occur.
9. Obey copyright laws.
10. It is the prerogative of the host employer to have in place appropriate monitoring software that reflects internal policy, particularly to protect the company and its staff from offensive material, virus attacks, or stealing of company information or intellectual property.

We impose these guidelines to ensure that there is uniformity in the usage of email and Internet facilities and to ensure that you do not expose yourself, your host organisation, or Entrée Recruitment to company litigation.

Work Health & Safety

* No Smoking Policy

Under the Work Health and Safety Act it is Entrée Early Years Recruitment’s responsibility to protect all temporary employees, including smokers, from being exposed to a health hazard at work.  To this end, Entrée Early Years Recruitment has a No Smoking Policy in the office which could ultimately lead to dismissal if a temporary employee does not abide by this policy.

Temporary employees on a client site will be required to observe the client’s No Smoking Policy.

* Drug and Alcohol Policy

Consumption of drugs or alcohol within Entrée Early Years Recruitment or client premises or coming to work under the influence of liquor or drugs is strictly forbidden. Alcohol can only be consumed in specifically designated areas during company functions, although a total ban may apply on some client premises. You may be asked at any time, prior to placement or whilst working on client premises, to test for foreign substances.  Failure to comply with this policy may result in instant dismissal.

* Client Responsibility

All clients are responsible for the provision of a safe working environment; safe systems of work; plant and equipment in a safe condition and the provision of such information, instruction, training and supervision as necessary to ensure the safety of temporary employees.

* Induction and Training

In conjunction with the induction program conducted at Entrée Early Years Recruitment, you should receive an induction at each client site.  This on-site induction should include:

• Orientation of facilities
• Fire/evacuation/emergency procedures
• First aid facilities and Officer
• Ergonomics/layout of workstation and areas
• Specific training/induction required
• COVID-19 Safety and prevention strategies

Do not use any machinery/equipment without having received instructions on safe use.

* Work Health and Safety

Entrée Early Years Recruitment places a great emphasis on the prevention of work-related accidents and illnesses.  It is important that you ensure you are aware of safe operating procedures and work practices prior to commencing each temporary assignment and to ensure you work in a safe manner at all times.

The Entrée Early Years Recruitment client with whom you are placed should provide workplace-specific safety training to ensure that you are familiar with the particular responsibilities of your assignment. It is a condition of engagement that you agree to observe the safety instructions set out in this handbook and those of the client to whom you are assigned.

Entrée Early Years Recruitment is committed to your safety and stopping the spread of COVID-19. We recommend using prevention practices recommended by the World Health Organisation and Department of Health, and it is your responsibility to continue to check these websites and keep updated with current information, recommendations or restrictions.

Consultation

Entrée Early Years Recruitment is committed to consultation and cooperation with temporary employees and clients on all health and safety issues. The consultation process will involve the sharing of information and the exchange of views to provide a genuine opportunity for all to contribute effectively to the elimination of and control of risks.

Regular consultation with temporary employees and clients allows the free flow of information and gives all temporary employees and clients the opportunity to discuss WHS issues.

* Safety and You

Your safety, and the safety of the people that you are working with, depends on your awareness of safe working practices and the need for a safe working environment.

Safety is a cooperative effort. Entrée Early Years Recruitment acknowledges its obligation, and the client also has an equal responsibility to provide a safe working environment.  You will contribute by having a positive and attentive attitude to safety and by:

• Ensuring you are familiar with the work environment, including first aid facilities and fire/emergency procedures
• Making sure you know how to do the job safely before you commence
• Learning that safety is part of the job
• Reporting anything you feel is unsafe about the plant, equipment or work environment
• Discussing any aspect of job safety that you are concerned about

* Your Responsibilities

• You are legally required to protect your own health and safety and to avoid adversely affecting the health, safety and welfare of any other person.
• You must follow Entrée Early Years Recruitment’s policies, procedures and rules. It is the responsibility of all temporary employees to insist that all actions are carried out in a safe manner.
• You are required to report hazardous situations, unsafe methods and actions by other temporary employees or persons engaged by the client that might endanger others. It is the responsibility of all temporary employees and persons engaged by the client to actively assist in the rehabilitation of an injured fellow worker.

* If you are injured, you must:

• Report the accident to your Entrée Early Years Recruitment Consultant immediately (within 24 hours)
• Provide a medical certificate to Entrée Early Years Recruitment to cover all time lost from work due to workplace-related injury
• Attend all medical appointments reasonably made for you
• Actively participate in an established rehabilitation program to return to work It is an offence to provide any false or misleading information about a claim.

Hazard/Incident Information

A hazard is anything that has the potential to cause damage, injury or illness.

Entrée Early Years Recruitment has a Work Health and Safety (WHS) policy which confirms our commitment to the identification, assessment and control of hazards in the workplace.

Incident Report Forms are available from our office, please contact your Consultant.

If you identify a hazard whilst on an assignment with a client, please communicate this to us immediately.

It is our wish that your time of engagement through Entrée Early Years Recruitment will be a safe, rewarding and positive experience.  We encourage you to speak with us at any time if you wish to discuss any aspect of your temporary assignment.

Employer and Worker Rights and Responsibilities

If a workplace injury does occur, workers and employers have clear rights and responsibilities. The workers’ rehabilitation and compensation system is designed to ensure:

• The injured worker receives appropriate support and medical care
• The worker is assisted to return to safe work as soon as possible
• Steps are taken to prevent workplace injury from happening again

*Employer responsibilities

Under the workers’ compensation system, employers have a responsibility to:

• Provide a safe working environment
• Provide safe, suitable alternative work, and be actively involved in an injured worker’s rehabilitation
• Keep in touch with their claims agent. Until the injured worker is doing full-time normal work, notify the agent if there is any change in type of work or hours, or if the employer is thinking of terminating the worker’s employment

* Employer rights

Under the workers’ compensation system employers have a right to ask their Claims Agent to:

• Review a claim if they believe that weekly payments to a worker should be stopped or reduced
• Arrange for an injured worker to attend an examination by a recognised medical expert
• Provide copies of medical reports and request a report on an injured worker’s medical progress and incapacity for work
• Request a review of decisions made about the claim
• take into consideration any other relevant factors

EMPLOYER AND WORKER RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

*Worker responsibilities

Under the workers compensation system injured workers have a responsibility to:

• Report injuries to your employer or supervisor as soon as possible
• Seek appropriate treatment for the injury
• Provide your employer with a Prescribed Medical Certificate (available from the treating medical practitioner) if you lose time from work or you wish to make a claim
• Participate actively in your treatment and rehabilitation
• Do suitable tasks your doctor says you’re are fit to do once a return to work plan is in place
• Attend an examination by a doctor nominated by the claims manager (for an assessment only)

*Worker rights

Under the workers’ compensation system, injured workers have rights to:

• Make a claim for compensation
• Choose their own doctor or specialist and seek a second opinion
• To have a representative (e.g. family member, union representative, solicitor or interpreter) at meetings to discuss their claim
• Have any personal information kept confidential
• Have a copy of their rehabilitation plan and be consulted in its preparation
• Be provided with a copy of all medical reports relating to their claim
• request a review of decisions made about their claim
• request a copy of their claim file

​For more information go to Return to Work SA

Fair Work Information Statement and Casual Employment Information Statement

A new Fair Work information and Casual Employment information statement has been released.

The Fair Work Information Statement is information issued by the Fair Work Ombudsman that gives new employees a summary of the National Employment Standards and conditions of employment in Australia.

Employers have to give every new casual employee a Casual Employment Information Statement (the CEIS) before or as soon as possible after they start their new job.

Here is a link to the Fair Work Information Statement and information.

The Fair Work information statement is available for everyone and offered in languages other than English: Other Languages.

Here is the link to the Casual Employment Information Statement and information

Temping Frequently Asked Questions

How much will I get paid?

We pay our Early Years Educators and Support Staff under the Educational Services Teachers Award or Children Services Award depending on your level of qualification.

What if I am sick?

We understand; everyone gets sick, and we hope you feel better soon. However, to help us, please get in touch with us a minimum of 3 hours before the start of your shift via phone at (08) 8100 8876 or text at 0439 991 142 or email at mail@earlyyears.au. Can't reach us? We have a 24/7 answering machine service, so please leave your name and number. Prompt communication gives us enough time to inform your Centre and offer a replacement.

Can I get time off?

We would not expect you to need time off for short-term assignments (i.e. less than a week or two). If you are attending interviews for permanent jobs, they should be made outside of normal business hours. Otherwise, check with your consultant first (not the client), no matter how little time off is needed, so that we can liaise with the client on your behalf.

What if I miss the timesheet deadline?

Submit your timesheet as soon as possible after the cut-off time. You will receive a reminder from Entrée if we haven’t received your timesheet by the time required. You will be paid the following week if you do not submit your timesheet after that.

Workplace Health and Safety

Your host employer should induct you at the client site on the first day of your assignment. Please contact your consultant if you are not given an induction and have concerns about WHS.

What should I do if I have any WHS concerns/identify a possible health hazard or injure myself whilst working at a client site?

Talk to your supervisor or the client’s WHS representative and contact your consultant immediately. Your consultant will advise you on the best course of action, depending on the circumstances.

How do I obtain information about WHS policies and procedures?

We kindly ask that you review our WHS policies in our Employment Induction Information and reach out to your consultant if you have any questions or concerns. Your safety is our top priority, and we are always here to support you.

What if I don't like the assignment, company, colleagues or location etc?

Call your consultant. They are your best option to sort any problems out effectively and objectively - no matter how trivial it may seem, talk to your consultant first.

Do I have to wear the recommended attire every time?

Yes, please! It is important to follow the guidelines outlined above.

Can I use my mobile phone?

Please do not use your mobile whilst on assignment. Make sure you get a voicemail facility set up so you can turn the phone off while you are at work. You can check your messages during breaks. All personal calls should be kept to emergencies only or with your supervisor's permission.

Does temporary work lead to permanent placements?

It certainly can! Turning a temporary placement into a permanent one is definitely possible. If you're interested, don't hesitate to contact your consultant to discuss our permanent opportunities. Early Years always encourages staff to possess qualities such as being committed, dependable, dedicated, flexible, open to learning new skills and positive attitude towards their work. Demonstrating these qualities can increase your chances of securing a permanent placement.

What are the benefits of temporary and shift placements?

Temporary and shift work is like building blocks for your career! You'll gain a ton of experience, grow professionally, network with awesome people, and get exposure to diverse practices and experiences. You'll work in all sorts of early childhood settings - Long Day Care Centres, Early Learning Centres, Out of School Hours Care services, and Vacation Care. It's super rewarding and fulfilling to contribute to the education and development of young children, all while enjoying the flexibility of shift work.s

Software

Do not attempt to use your own software on a client's equipment. You may accidentally introduce a virus to their system.

Can I use the internet and send personal emails whilst on assignment?

No. Please refer to our Internet and Email Policy and The Code of Practice in our Employee Induction Pack, so you are aware of our expectations whilst you are on a client site.

Confidentiality

Please read your Employment Contract – Casual on Hire very carefully. Once you commence an assignment with us you are obliged to abide by the contract, including the confidentiality of any information you become aware of while on assignment.

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Contact us

If you have any questions at all that have not been answered, please contact your consultant directly or call our office on (08) 8100 8876.