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A high proportion of Woolworths casual employees have accepted offers to convert to permanency, making the organisation an outlier among the many reporting little change since the new conversion regime began.

The conversion provisions, part of the scaled-back IR omnibus bill that introduced a new statutory definition for casual employment in 2021, compel employers to offer conversion to regularly engaged casuals, but make it clear the choice is theirs.

After employers went through the initial process last year of determining eligibility and making offers, HR Daily heard anecdotal reports that take-up was very low; one industry association described the process as "monstrously burdensome" while resulting in little or no change.

Last month, however, during hearings for a Senate committee inquiry into work and care, Woolworths director of people risk, reward and compliance Marcin Firek said the proportion of accepted offers in his company was 37.4%...