What is not okay at work?

Here are some of the things that are not okay at work:

• Unpaid work trials for any period beyond what’s reasonably required for you to demonstrate the skills required for the job. What’s reasonable will vary depending on the nature and complexity of the job, but could range from an hour to one shift.
• You should be paid for meetings or training and the time you spend opening and closing the business.
• Not being given a pay slip – you should receive a pay slip within one day of being paid.
• Being sent home from work early – you should start and finish your shift at the rostered time no matter how busy or quiet it is, unless you and your employer agree otherwise.
• Receiving goods or services instead of pay.
• Being pressured, forced or threatened to sign a workplace agreement.
• Being sacked because you were sick or injured.
• Not being hired, or being sacked, because of your race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy or religion.

There are a number of other general workplace protections that all employees have. For more information please see the Fair Work Ombudsman Fact Sheet – Protections at Work.

If you feel like any of these things are happening to you, you should contact the Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94 for assistance.

Watch this video to learn some of the warning signs to watch out for. 

If you feel at any point your workplace is not treating you fairly, you can access a range of multilingual resources on the FairWork website or contact them directly via phone or email. FairWork also have a free translating and interpreting service if you feel more comfortable speaking in your first language.

You can also make an appointment with the Student Wellbeing team at Holmesglen who can provide you with free support.