Can My Boss Make Me Find Someone to Cover My Shift? (Australia)
Called in sick and told to 'find your own cover or you're in trouble'? In Australia, arranging replacements for rostered shifts is the employer's job — not yours. Here's what the law actually says.
Senior Workplace Relations Writer · GradDip Employment Relations, Griffith University
Short answer: no
If you can't work a rostered shift — because you're sick, or for any other genuine reason — it is your employer's responsibility to arrange cover, not yours. This comes up constantly in retail and hospitality: a worker calls in sick and is told to "find someone to cover or don't bother coming back". That's not a lawful requirement, and you can't be validly disciplined just for not lining up your own replacement.
What you DO have to do
- Give notice. Tell your employer you can't make the shift as soon as practicable.
- Provide evidence for paid leave. To be paid personal/carer's leave, you generally need a medical certificate or statutory declaration.
- Turn up for shifts you've agreed to where you reasonably can — repeated, unexplained no-shows are a different matter.
But notifying and providing evidence is the extent of it. Sourcing a replacement is a rostering decision, and rostering is management's job.
If you're being punished for it
Having your shifts cut, being given a warning, or being let go because you took leave you're entitled to can be unlawful adverse action under the general protections. Keep a record of the messages, check your entitlements with the sick leave checker, and use the Can My Boss Legally Make Me…? checker for the specifics. For your exact situation, ask FairWork Mate AI.
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Official resources
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General information and estimates only — not legal, financial or tax advice. Always check your specific award, agreement or contract, or a qualified professional, before you rely on the result.
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Nine years in Australian workplace relations — Queensland hospitality HR, then retail ER in Brisbane and Northern NSW. Graduate Diploma in Employment Relations (Griffith University, 2018). Writes about award interpretation, underpayment recovery, and casual conversion. Member of the AHRI since 2019. Based in Paddington, Brisbane.
Real-world cases on this topic
Fair Work and Federal Court decisions that hit on what you just read.
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