Consulting employees about roster changes
Awards and agreements require consultation before an employee’s regular roster or ordinary hours change. What that involves in practice, and a record that shows it happened.
General information only, not legal advice. Rules differ between awards, agreements, contracts and states, and what applies depends on the employee. Check the official source, and ask a workplace relations professional when it matters.
The short answer
Every modern award and enterprise agreement must include a term requiring consultation about a change to an employee’s regular roster or ordinary hours of work.
Under an award, that means giving the employees affected information about the change, inviting their views about its impact, including on family or caring responsibilities, and considering those views before deciding.
| Step | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| Information | What is changing, why, from when, and how it affects each person |
| Views | A real chance to respond, in person or in writing, with time to think |
| Consideration | Their views weighed before the decision, and the decision explained |
| Record | The information given, the views received and the outcome |
Official sources
Check the rule against these, in their current versions, before relying on it.
| Source | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Fair Work Act 2009 | Section 145A for awards and section 205 for agreements |
| Fair Work Ombudsman: find my award | The consultation clause in the award that applies |
Worked examples
General examples of where to look. They are not advice about any particular employee.
| Situation | What to check |
|---|---|
| Four staff are moving from a Sunday roster to a Saturday one | Each of the four gets the information and a chance to respond, not only the team as a whole |
| An employee says the new start time clashes with school pick-up | That view is considered, and the decision says how |
| The change is agreed after a meeting | The outcome is written down and given to the employee |
Employer checklist
- Tell each employee affected before the change is decided
- Explain what is changing, why, from when, and the likely effect on them
- Invite their views, including about family and caring responsibilities
- Consider what they say, and adjust the plan where it makes sense
- Write down the outcome and give them a copy
What Roster Flow records, and what it does not decide
- The published roster, and every change to it with who made it and when
- Availability each person keeps by the hour
- Whether consultation about a change was enough
- Whether a change can go ahead
Review log
13 September 2026: written by Roster Flow from the structure of the National Employment Standards and modern awards.
18 September 2026: every statement on this page checked against the official sources it names, by Roster Flow. It is general information, not advice from a workplace relations professional.
What that check covers, and what to confirm for your own situation:
- The steps in the consultation term that awards contain
- What an enterprise agreement’s consultation term must include
- That every source link opens the current version of the source
Questions
What do the rules say about consultation?
Every modern award and enterprise agreement must include a term requiring consultation about a change to an employee’s regular roster or ordinary hours of work.
Is there more to consultation than that?
Under an award, that means giving the employees affected information about the change, inviting their views about its impact, including on family or caring responsibilities, and considering those views before deciding.
Does Roster Flow decide consultation for me?
No. It does not interpret an award and it does not work out what anybody is paid. Whether consultation about a change was enough stays with the business and its own advisers, and this page is general information rather than advice about your situation.
Where do the rules on consultation come from?
Fair Work Act 2009, covering section 145A for awards and section 205 for agreements. Fair Work Ombudsman: find my award, covering the consultation clause in the award that applies. Read them in their current versions before you rely on anything here, because they change.