In addition to the article: Award Rule - Counting the Number of Days Worked, you are now able to include enabling compliance with Modern Award shift worker leave entitlements, offering an additional option to count weekends (Saturday and Sunday) as a single occurrence, and supporting a minimum hours threshold to filter qualifying shifts.
Getting Started
Prerequisites
Before you can use the Number of Days Worked condition, your system administrator must configure the appropriate award policy rules. This feature is configured at the award policy level and applies to specific conditions within the policy.
For System Administrators:
Access to Award Policy configuration.
Understanding of Award requirements for your organisation.
Knowledge of which shift worker clauses require day counting.
For Payroll Officers:
No additional permissions required.
Number of Days Worked is applied automatically when configured in the award policy.
Note: The Number of Days Worked condition is an optional feature that must be explicitly configured in your award policy. Existing calculations continue to work unchanged unless the feature is enabled.
Understanding Number of Days Worked
The Shift Worker Leave Entitlement Problem
Many Modern Awards provide additional annual leave entitlements to shift workers who regularly work on Sundays and public holidays. For example, under the Fair Work Act, a shift worker may be entitled to 5 weeks of annual leave (instead of the standard 4 weeks) if they have worked a certain number of Sundays and public holidays during the year.
Example: SCHADS Award (MA000100) and Aged Care Award (MA000018)
Award | Requirement | Additional Leave |
SCHADS (MA000100) | More than 4 ordinary hours on 10 or more weekends | 1 week annual leave |
Aged Care (MA000018) | Similar shift worker provisions | 1 week annual leave |
How Number of Days Worked Works
The Number of Days Worked condition counts the number of qualifying days an employee has worked since their last employment anniversary date. The count resets each year on the employee's hire date anniversary.
Key counting principles:
Anniversary-based: Counting starts from the employee's hire date anniversary.
Day-based: Each qualifying day is counted once, regardless of the number of shifts worked that day.
Configurable criteria: You can specify which days count (specific weekdays, weekends, public holidays).
Minimum hours filter: Optionally require a minimum number of hours worked before a day counts.
Counting Options
The Number of Days Worked condition provides several options for how days are counted:
Option | Description | Use Case |
Include Days of Week | Select specific days (e.g., Sunday, Saturday) | Count Sundays worked |
Weekends (as one day) | Count Saturday and Sunday as a single occurrence | When working either or both weekend days should count as one |
Public Holidays | Include days marked as public holiday worked | Count public holidays for shift worker entitlements |
Minimum Hours | Only count days where hours worked meet a threshold | Only count shifts longer than 4 hours |
Comparison Operators
The condition supports various comparison operators to determine when the rule should apply:
Operator | Description | Example |
Less Than | Days worked is less than the specified number | < 34 days |
Less Than Or Equal To | Days worked is less than or equal to the specified number | <= 34 days |
Equal To | Days worked equals the specified number | = 34 days |
Greater Than Or Equal To | Days worked is greater than or equal to the specified number | >= 34 Days |
Greater Than | Days worked is greater than the specified number | > 34 days |
Configuring Number of Days Worked
Adding the Condition to Award Policies
The Number of Days Worked condition is added through the Award Policy configuration.
Navigate to Policies > Award Policies
Select the award policy you wish to configure
Edit the relevant rule where you want to add the condition
Add the Number of Days Worked condition
Configure the condition parameters
Save the award policy
Configuration Parameters
When configuring the Number of Days Worked condition, you will see the following options:
Days of Week Selection:
Use the day picker to select which days of the week should be counted
Multiple days can be selected (e.g., Saturday and Sunday)
Weekends (as one day):
Toggle this option to count Saturday and Sunday as a single occurrence
When enabled, if an employee works on both Saturday and Sunday in the same weekend, it counts as 1 day, not 2
Public Holidays:
Toggle this option to include public holidays in the count
Only days marked as "Public Holiday Worked" in timesheets will be counted
Comparison Operator:
Select the comparison operator (Less Than, Less Than Or Equal To, Equal To, Greater Than Or Equal To, Greater Than)
Number of Days:
Enter the threshold number of days for the comparison
Minimum Hours per Day:
Optionally specify the minimum hours an employee must work in a day for it to count
Leave blank to count all qualifying days regardless of hours worked
Example Configuration: Shift Worker Leave Entitlement
To configure a rule that grants additional leave when an employee has worked 10 weekend for a minimum of 4hours:
Backward Compatibility
Existing Award Policies
Implementation of the Number of Days Worked condition does not affect existing award policies or calculations.
Key points:
Existing calculations continue to work unchanged.
The condition must be explicitly added to award policies.
There is a clear distinction between policies with and without this condition.
No existing functionality is broken by the implementation.
Migration Considerations
If you need to transition existing policies:
Review your current award policies.
Identify which Awards require the additional Number of Day worked parameters.
Cease the current version of your award (Recommend ending to coincide with a pay period end date).
Create a new version of your award (Recommend starting to coincide with a pay period start date).
Update the relevant award policies.
Test the updated policies in a non-production environment.
Deploy the changes during a suitable pay period transition.
Troubleshooting
Days Not Being Counted
Problem: The condition is not counting days as expected
Solution:
Verify that the correct days of the week are selected in the condition.
Check that the Public Holidays toggle is enabled if you want to count public holidays.
Ensure timesheets have the "Public Holiday Worked" flag set for public holiday shifts.
If using minimum hours, verify that shifts meet the minimum duration.
Check that the employee has an active employment record with a valid hire date.
Weekends Counting Separately
Problem: Saturday and Sunday are being counted as two separate days
Solution:
Enable the Weekends (as one day) toggle in the condition configuration.
Republish the award policy if changes were made.
Anniversary Year Incorrect
Problem: Days are being counted from the wrong anniversary period
Solution:
Verify the employee's hire date in their employment record.
Check that the employment record is active and covers the current period.
Review the calculation date to ensure it falls within the expected anniversary year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does the Number of Days Worked condition apply to all employees automatically?
A: No, the condition must be explicitly configured in the award policy. Only employees covered by award policies with this condition will have their days counted.
Q: How does the anniversary year work?
A: The system counts days from the employee's hire date anniversary. For example, if an employee was hired on 1 June, their anniversary year runs from 1 June to 31 May each year.
Q: What happens if an employee works multiple shifts on the same day?
A: The day is only counted once, regardless of how many shifts are worked. This ensures accurate counting for shift worker entitlements.
Q: Can I count both specific weekdays and public holidays?
A: Yes, you can enable multiple options. For example, you can select Sunday in the day picker AND enable the Public Holidays toggle to count both.
Q: How does the "Weekends (as one day)" option work?
A: When enabled, Saturday and Sunday are grouped together. If an employee works on Saturday only, Sunday only, or both days, it counts as 1 occurrence, not 2.
Getting Help
If you experience issues or have questions about the Number of Days Worked condition:
Review this guide for configuration and troubleshooting information
Contact your system administrator for award policy configuration questions
Refer to Modern Award documentation for official shift worker requirements
Check the online help within Definitiv for additional guidance
Contact support if you need assistance with configuration or calculations by raising a case online.