Staff Meeting Not Paid in Hospitality — Is That Normal?
Last updated: March 2026 · MA000009
No — and it's not legal. If you attended a staff meeting at your employer's direction, that time is working time and must be paid at the applicable rate. There's no provision in the Hospitality Award or the Fair Work Act for mandatory unpaid meetings of any duration. This applies whether the meeting was before your shift, after it, or on a day you weren't otherwise rostered.
If you've attended staff meetings in hospitality without being paid — this applies to you.
The rule
Any time you're required to be at your workplace or performing work at your employer's direction is working time. This includes:
- Pre-shift briefings and handovers
- Staff training sessions
- Compulsory team meetings
- End-of-shift debriefs
The applicable rate depends on your employment type (permanent or casual), the day and time the meeting is held, and whether the meeting pushes your total hours past the overtime threshold.
A Sunday morning staff meeting before your shift starts must be paid at the Sunday rate, not a special "meeting rate."
If you've attended meetings without pay, Calculate what those meetings should have paid →
Common scenarios
Pre-shift briefing held before the rostered start time
You're required to arrive 20 minutes before your shift for a daily briefing. Those 20 minutes are working time that must be paid at the applicable rate for that day.
Mandatory training sessions held on a rostered day off
If you're required to attend on a day you wouldn't otherwise work, you must be paid for the time at the applicable rate — and for a minimum of 3 hours if you're casual.
Meetings that push hours past overtime threshold
If the meeting takes your total weekly hours past 38, those meeting hours attract overtime rates.
What this costs you
A 45-minute pre-shift briefing 5 days per week, unpaid, at Level 2 casual: approximately 3.75 hours/week × $0.00/hr = ~$0.00/week in uncompensated working time. Over a year: ~$0.00. For a Sunday meeting, the Sunday casual rate applies — making the hourly gap larger.
Frequently asked questions
My employer says meetings are "part of the job" — is that a valid reason not to pay?
No. Work required by an employer must be paid regardless of how it's framed. Mandatory attendance at any workplace activity is working time.
What if I choose to attend an optional meeting?
Genuinely optional — where there's no consequence for not attending — may be different. But if attendance is expected or there are professional consequences for absence, it's not truly optional.
What if the meeting was only 10 minutes?
For casual employees, the minimum engagement of 3 hours applies to any engagement. A 10-minute mandatory meeting on a day you're called in for that purpose means 3 hours' pay.
Don't guess — check what your total hours should have paid.
Not sure if your Hospitality Award pay is right?
Enter your shifts and find out in 2 minutes. Free, instant, based on official Fair Work rates.
Check my pay nowNo sign-up required
General information only. Verify at fairwork.gov.au.