At Hireup, we’re on a mission to attract and reward great support workers so that our clients continue to receive the best available support. We’re currently undertaking a long-term project to improve our employment experience and make Hireup an employer of choice for support workers.
That’s why we have launched a specialised support allowance of $1.12 per hour ($1 in the pocket plus $0.12 in superannuation) to reward support workers who choose to provide specialised support services.
Why are we doing this?
Well, we believe that this allowance will provide greater recognition and reward support workers for the work that they do. We also believe this will attract and retain the best support workers for our community. We often hear from our clients how much they value their support workers and want to be able to reward their ongoing contribution and impact to individual lives.
Benefits for workers
- Support workers will have access to greater career opportunities at Hireup with competitive pay, as well as opportunities for learning and development to hone their skills over time
- Support workers will have access to higher pay for more specialised forms of work
- Support workers will be recognised for the work that they do to support our clients, contributing to an engaging and rewarding employment experience
What is the specialised support allowance?
The specialised support allowance is a flat amount of $1.12 per hour for shifts with specialised support clients, made up of $1 in the pocket and 0.12c in superannuation. It applies on top of our base rate of pay only.
This specialised support allowance is being offered on a discretionary basis for now so that we can make sure it is fit for purpose. As a result, Hireup may amend, replace or remove the specialised support allowance (including the amount of this allowance) where necessary.
How can you earn the specialised support allowance?
We’ll automatically apply the allowance to any eligible bookings with specialised support clients so support workers don’t have to do a thing!
Mandatory training is required to work with specialised support clients
As an NDIS registered provider, we are required to ensure that support workers have completed minimum training in order to work with specialised support clients and earn this allowance. These training modules are available through the Hireup platform.
Support workers are also notified by Hireup when additional mandatory training is required. However, we also encourage all of our support workers to continue using the Hireup platform and the Support Worker Resource Hub to continue honing their skills!
I’m a Level 2 support worker (or higher) on Hireup. What does this allowance mean for me?
The specialised support allowance currently only applies to workers on the base level of Hireup’s pay structure (Level 1). The allowance will apply to other levels in the future, but for now we’re rolling out changes to our pay system in phases, to ensure we get the technology right and we learn as we go.
To ensure Level 2 workers are not disadvantaged by the introduction of the allowance, Level 2 workers doing shifts with eligible specialised support clients will see on their pay slip that they are now being paid at Level 1 plus allowance for some shifts. This is because Level 1 plus allowance offers (for now) a higher rate of pay overall compared to Level 2 alone.
Our goal here is to make sure our Level 2 workers are not missing out on the higher rate of pay, which equates to about $1.32 (inc super) more for day shifts. It is critical to note that Level 2 workers remain on Level 2 in our systems, and will continue to be paid at Level 2 for all other shifts.
Workers paid at Level 3 or higher are not impacted by any of these changes, yet.
The introduction of the allowance is a first step in a longer-term project we are undertaking to reshape how we pay our workers on Hireup, which will positively impact all levels of our workers down the track. There is plenty more to come next year and beyond, and we appreciate your patience as we roll out these changes in phases.
This is just the beginning
This new allowance is the first step we are taking toward making a career with Hireup a more rewarding and meaningful experience for our support workers. The support provided by our support workers on Hireup is what enables our clients to pursue their good lives and we look forward to continuing to optimise our platform and services to deliver on this vision!