Version Control
| Version | Last reviewed |
| 1.0 | Mar 24, 2025 |
| 2.0 | June 06. 2025 |
Introduction
This guide provides an explanation, detailing how the Humanforce Suite supports your compliance with the Hospitality Industry (General) Award [MA000009] (HIGA). The guide particularises the specific award clauses that are programmed within the Humanforce system and provides configuration guidance for employers with staff covered by HIGA.
Important Note:
The Humanforce system is designed to assist employers covered by HIGA, by providing automated payroll, rostering, and associated HR functions. However, it does not replace your responsibility to ensure compliance with the HIGA, or any other relevant modern award, as they apply to your specific business context. The interpretation and advice used in building this solution are general in nature and may not suit every scenario.
While the Humanforce system covers the most commonly used sections of HIGA, it is not a comprehensive legal document. For full award text and authoritative guidance, refer to HIGA Award on the Fair Work Ombudsman website.
Who Is This Award System For?
The Humanforce HIGA System is able to be used by all employers in the hospitality industry employing:
- full-Time (FT) employees;
- part-Time (PT) employees;
- casual (CAS) employees; or
- annualised salary employees (Annual)
Enabling the Award System
A member of the Humanforce team will enable this award system and the appropriate profiles within your system.
Base Pay Rates
Humanforce does not supply default base pay rates in Library Awards. You must input pay rates appropriate to your organisation.
For help configuring rates, see our base rate setup article.
Allowances Configuration
The allowances provided for in HIGA are configured in the Humanforce HIGA system using qualifications in Workforce Management. When a qualification is assigned to an employee, it triggers the related allowance for all applicable shifts. The all-purpose allowances provided for in the Award are configured to be included in the rate of pay of an employee who is entitled to one of these allowances for the purpose of calculating any penalties or loadings or payment to that employee while they are on annual leave. (Clause 26.2)
Automated Allowances
The following allowance is triggered automatically when the system identifies an employee entitled to the allowance:
- Split Shift Allowance (Clause 26.14)
Qualification-Triggered Allowances
The following allowances are triggered when the system identifies an employee with the relevant qualifications:
- Forklift Driver (Clause 26.3)
- Tool & Equipment Allowance (Clause 26.5)
- First Aid Allowance (Clause 26.12)
If a cap applies on the maximum payment of a particular allowance (e.g. Fork-lift Driver Allowance), this is enforced in the Humanforce system.
If your operational needs differ from our default setup, our consultants can help reconfigure allowances to better suit your business. For example, an allowance can be applied to a specific role rather than a qualification.
Manual in Payroll
The following allowances are handled manually due to their nature as reimbursements:
- Special Clothing (Clause 26.6)
- Motor Vehicle (Clause 26.7)
- Working Late/Early (Clause 26.8 & 26.9)
- Working Away (Clause 26.10)
- Airport Catering (Travel/Supervisory) (Clause 26.11 & 26.13)
- Overnight Stay (Clause 26.15)
- Meal Allowance (Clause 26.4)
Hours of Work
The ordinary hours of work provided for in the HIGA Award is also configured in the Humanforce system to assist with rostering and associated monetary allowances.
Automated Rules
The following rules, for each respective employee type, are automatically configured in the Humanforce System.For fulltime employees, the automatically configured ordinary hours of work are: (Clause 15.1)
- 38 ordinary hours per week;
- a maximum of 11.5 ordinary hours on any day (excluding meal breaks);
- a minimum of 6 ordinary hours on any day (excluding meal breaks);
- a maximum of 3 consecutive days where a specific employee works greater than 10 ordinary hours in a day; and
- a maximum of 8 days in a 4 week cycle where a specific employee works more than 10 ordinary hours in a day.
For part-time employees , the automatically configured ordinary hours of work are: (Clause 15.2)
- a maximum of 11.5 ordinary hours on any day (excluding meal breaks);
- a minimum of 3 ordinary hours on any day (excluding meal breaks);
- a maximum of 3 consecutive days where a specific employee works greater than 10 ordinary hours in a day; and
- a maximum of 8 days in a 4 week cycle where a specific employee works more than 10 ordinary hours in a day.
For casual employees, the automatically configured ordinary hours of work are: (Clause 11)
- a maximum of 38 ordinary hours per week (clause 11.2);
- a maximum 12 ordinary hours on any day (clause 11.2); and
a minimum 2 ordinary hours on any day (excluding meal breaks) (clause 11.3 Manual Setup
The following rules, for each respective employee type, are required to be manually configured in the Humanforce System:
- the Make-up time provisions (Clause 15.4)
- the Catering in remote locations rules (Clause 15.3)
- the spread of hours for employees that work a split aThe maximum spread of hours for an employee who works split shifts is 12
- Higher Duties (Clause 22): Manual via payroll
Breaks
The Humanforce system allows for one paid break and one unpaid break to be rostered and automatically triggered without further employee or employer intervention. In cases where an employee is entitled to or required to take additional breaks pursuant to clause 16.2 or clause 16.4, this must be manually added by the employee or employer by ‘clocking in’ and out of the break.
Overtime
Automated
The following rules and provisions are configured to automatically trigger in the Humanforce HIGA system.
- Employees are paid at the overtime rate for any time worked:
- in excess of their ordinary hours; or
- In excess of their rostered hours
- When calculating overtime payments, the Humanforce system recognises that overtime worked on any day stands alone from overtime worked on any other day.
- The overtime rates payable to employees
- for the first two hours on Monday – Friday, is 150% of the base rate of pay;
- after the first two hours on Monday – Friday, is 200%;
- on Saturday and Sunday, is 200%; and
- on a rostered day off, is 200%.
- For hours worked on a rostered day off, the employee is paid a minimum of 4 hours at the overtime rate
Unsupported
The humanforce system is unable to support the following HIGA rule:
- Time off instead of payment for overtime Clause 28.5
Penalty Rates (Clause 29)
Automated
The Humanforce HIGA system is configured to automatically trigger the following penalty rates when necessary.
- Casual employees will receive a loading of 25% of the employee’s base rate for all hours worked, except for overtime hours. This loading is applied in addition to any other loading payable to the employee
- For time worked between 7pm-midnight on Monday-Friday, all employees will receive a loading of $2.72 per hour or part thereof.
- For time worked between midnight-7am on Monday to Friday, all employees will receive a loading of $2.72 per hour or part thereof.
- For time worked during ordinary hours on Saturday, all employees will receive a loading of 25% of the employees base rate of pay.
- For time worked during ordinary hours on Sunday, all employees will receive a loading of 50% of the employees base rate of pay.
- For time worked during ordinary hours on a Public Holiday, all employees will receive a loading of 125% of the employees base rate of pay.
Where an employee works on a Public Holiday, the Humanforce system is configured to automatically pay fulltime and part-time employees for a minimum of 4 hours pay and casual employees a minimum of 2 hours pay. (Clause 29.4)Minimum 4 hours payment for FT/PT works on Public Holidays
- Minimum 2 hours payment for Casual works on Public Holidays
Manual
If an employee is entitled to an unpaid break but, not allowed to take that unpaid break, employer must pay the employee 50% of the employee’s ordinary hourly rate extra from the end of 6 hours after starting work until either the employee is allowed to take the break or the shift ends. This rule must be manually configured by the employer.
Leave Entitlements
The Humanforce HIGA system provides for all leave types under the National Employment Standards (NES) to be rostered and accrued. Accrual is managed by payroll and synced to Humanforce during finalisation.
Supported leave types:
- Annual Leave
- Sick/Carer’s Leave
- Bereavement Leave
- Compassionate Leave
- Jury Duty
- Long Service Leave
- Unpaid Leave
- Paid Special Leave (can be renamed for Family and Domestic Violence Leave)
Known Limitations of the HIGA Humanforce System
Due to limitations in the Humanforce system, compliance with some Award provisions are presently unable to be supported and integrated into the Humanforce HIGA system. The following HIGA rules are presently unsupported:
- When an employee is working a shift that crosses midnight, where:
- the first part of the shift is a Sundy and the second half of the shift is a Monday; or
- the first part of the shift is a non-public holiday and the second half of the shift is a public holiday
on account of different overtime rates between the two days, if overtime is owed to the employee, it may be calculated incorrectly by the Humanforce system. .
- When a penalty rate is owed to an employee due to the employee missing a break, the Humanforce system cannot recognise and apply such a penalty (clause 16.5). .
- When an employee works on a part-day public holiday and is entitled to overtime, the Humanforce system cannot calculate and apply such overtime.
- When an employee works higher duties and is therefore entitled to the rate of pay relevant for the higher duty, payroll is required to intervene and manually input the pay for that period of work (clause 22). The Humanforce configuration cannot handle multiple classifications for one employee.
For all of the above situations., it is essential for Award compliance that payroll and managers monitor such and intervene in the Humanforce system where necessary to ensure that employees are remunerated in accordance with the HIGA provisions.
Future Improvements
Planned system enhancements:
- Higher Duties Support: Currently only one employment level is supported per employee. Future versions may introduce flexible level assignments with associated pay rate codes.
Final Notes
This guide serves as a functional explanation of how Humanforce supports the HIGA Award. Use it alongside your internal HR/payroll processes and in conjunction with advice from legal or industrial relations experts.
For configuration help or customisation sup