Pay Secrecy Laws – Action Required
December 19, 2022
The explanatory memorandum for the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Bill 2022 provides the following overview:
Wage theft laws result in the first criminal charges
December 15, 2022
The first criminal charges relating to wage theft have been laid by the Wage Inspectorate Victoria (WIV), marking a significant point in the fight against employee underpayments.
Why payroll compliance needs to be a top priority for all businesses
November 14, 2022
Payroll compliance was thrown into the spotlight a number of years ago, when it was uncovered that many well-known Australian brands had underpaid their staff by millions. Since then, there has been a steady flow of organisations from various industries who have been found to have underpaid their employees. The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) responded by increasing their use of detection and enforcement measures and targeting areas that were shown to have higher levels of non-compliance.
An oversight caused the Woolworths underpayment scandal – don’t let it happen to you
November 13, 2022
As in the Woolworths case, where a salaried employee is mistakenly believed to be an ‘award free’ manager, there is a potential for underpayments. Find out why and what you can do about it.
Question – what is wrong with paying our sales people on a Commission-only basis?
November 8, 2022
Commission-only employee gets $28,000 in backpay.
Our Answer – whilst in some situations engaging employees on a commission-only basis can be achieved practically, the main issue is that the employee can never receive less than their legislated minimum entitlements, including entitlements to minimum hourly rates.
A bullying case you need to know about
October 30, 2022
Business risks keep climbing as awareness grows of adverse action claims under the Fair Work Act 2009 (FWA).
The requirements for a ‘genuine redundancy’
October 28, 2022
Recently a company was making an employee redundant due to a restructure of the business. You think this is a straightforward exercise? But for an Award or Agreement covered employee you have to get the formal consultation process right! Unfortunately the company failed to do so and had to go to the trouble of running an unfair dismissal case. In this article we explain the ‘genuine redundancy’ requirements, and the formal steps the employer has to follow to avoid an unfair dismissal case.
The comprehensive guide to employer and employee rights and obligations during natural disasters
October 14, 2022
With the recent flooding across many parts of Australia, there will be plenty of businesses that are impacted and many of which will be unable to open. So what are the employer’s responsibilities towards their employees?
Avoiding an unfair dismissal case when you buy a business and keep the employees
September 9, 2022
There is a common theme in many of the cases we read now, about getting the process right and following often simple steps, to avoid employee relations issues such as unfair dismissal cases. This applies to many situations, but more so with a transfer of employment situation.
Proactive Steps for Sexual Harassment Compliance – A Positive Duty to Combat a Negative Problem
September 8, 2022
We recently held a webinar on the topic of reducing the risk of sexual harassment in the workplace, which can be viewed below.
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