Onboarding casual hospitality staff: a first-week checklist

The usual hospitality induction goes like this. New starter turns up at 4:45. Someone hands them an apron, points at section three and says "follow Jess". At 9pm they're asked for their bank details on the back of a docket. Two weeks later they stop answering texts.

Hiring is expensive, even for casuals. There's the ad, the interviews, the trial, the slow shifts while they learn the menu. A tidy first week takes about an hour of a manager's time, and it's the cheapest way to hang on to good people.

Before the first shift

Get the paperwork done before they set foot on the floor. If you send it ahead, they can do most of it on their phone on the couch.

• A written offer. Employment type, the award and classification level, the pay rate, and who they report to. One page is plenty.
• Tax file number declaration.
• Super choice. Offer them a choice of fund. If they don't choose, you need to check with the ATO whether they have a stapled fund before using your default.
• Bank details and an emergency contact.
• Fair Work Information Statement, and for casuals the Casual Employment Information Statement as well. You're required to give these to new employees. Both are free on the Fair Work Ombudsman's website.
• Right to work. For visa holders, check work rights and any conditions through the Department of Home Affairs' VEVO service, and keep a copy of the result.
• RSA certificate if they'll serve or supply alcohol. Rules and accepted certificates vary by state, so check yours.
• Food handling. Anyone handling food needs the skills and knowledge for the job, and most venues need a certified Food Safety Supervisor. Keep a record of who has done what training.
• Date of birth if they're under 21, so junior rates step up when they should.

Put all of it in one place per person. When an inspector, an accountant or the employee themselves asks for something in eighteen months, you'll want to find it in a minute.

A word on trial shifts

An unpaid trial is only lawful if it is genuinely a short demonstration of skills: long enough to see whether the person can do the job, and supervised the whole time. An hour making coffees with the head barista watching is one thing. A full Saturday service on a section is a shift, and needs to be paid at the right rate. The Fair Work Ombudsman has clear guidance on unpaid trials.

If in doubt, pay for it. It costs you three hours of wages and starts the relationship properly.

Day one

Don't start anyone on a Friday night if you can help it. A quiet Tuesday gives them a chance to learn where things are.

1. Ten-minute walk-through. Fire exits, first aid kit, where bags go, where staff eat, which door to use.
2. Safety basics for their station. Knives, the slicer, the fryer, wet floors, lifting kegs. Show them. A sign on the wall doesn't count.
3. Allergens. Who to ask, how an allergy is flagged on a docket, and the rule that nobody ever guesses.
4. How to clock on and off. Show them the kiosk, the session code, and how breaks are recorded. Tell them what to do if they forget.
5. A named buddy. One person, by name, who they shadow and can ask stupid questions.
6. Feed them. Have them try the dishes they'll be describing. Staff who have eaten the lamb can sell the lamb.

Tell them when payday is. Nobody wants to have to ask.

The rest of the first week

• Make sure the first pay is right. Nothing loses a new starter faster than a short or late first pay. Check their hours were approved and their rate is correct before the run.
• Roster them with strong people. Put them on with your best for the first three or four shifts. Don't use them to plug the gap on your weakest night.
• Give them the roster early. Casuals with other commitments stay where the hours are predictable.
• Five-minute check-in after shift three. "What's confusing? What do you need?" You'll hear about problems you didn't know you had.

Things worth knowing about casuals

Two changes from the last couple of years are worth having on your radar. Both are explained in the Casual Employment Information Statement.

• The definition of a casual changed in August 2024. It now looks at the real nature of the working relationship, not just what the contract says. A "casual" who works the same fixed shifts every week with a firm commitment to ongoing work may not be a casual.
• Casuals can ask to go permanent. Under the employee choice pathway, an eligible casual can notify you that they want to change to part-time or full-time after six months, or twelve months if you're a small business.

Neither is a reason to panic. They're a reason to keep decent records of the hours people actually work.

Keeping it all in one place

Onboarding falls over when the pieces are scattered: the contract in an email, the TFN form in a drawer, the RSA as a photo on the manager's phone.

In Shiftzen, each staff member has one profile that runs from their first day to their last. Contracts and documents are stored against it, along with leave, any assets you've issued such as keys or uniforms, and salary history. New starters are added to their venue and department, and they can clock on at the SignBook kiosk from their first shift. When someone leaves, the record of what happened is all still there.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Check current requirements with the Fair Work Ombudsman, the ATO and your state liquor and food authorities.