Source: Employment New Zealand
Understand the different between casual, fixed-term and part-time employees
‘Casual’ workers and fixed-term employees are both different to part-time workers, and sometimes people mix all these terms up.
A ‘casual’ employee isn’t defined in law but usually refers to a situation where the employee has no guaranteed hours of work, no regular pattern of work, and no ongoing expectation of employment. They only work when it suits you both. If you hire a casual worker, you must make this clear in their employment agreement.
A fixed-term (temporary) employee’s employment will end on a specified date or when a particular event occurs. A fixed-term employee might be someone who is brought in to replace another employee on parental leave, to cover a seasonal peak or to complete a project. There must be a genuine reason for the fixed term.
Whether you’re considered to be part-time or full-time depends on how many hours you have to work. Employment law doesn’t define what full-time or part-time work is, but full-time work is often considered to be around 35 to 40 hours a week.
Employment rights and responsibilities apply to all employees, but the way in which annual holidays, sick and bereavement leave are applied can vary.
For all types of employees, it’s important to keep accurate records of wage and time, and holidays and leave so that you can make sure leave entitlements can be correctly calculated.
