Whilst most businesses are winding down for a break over the Christmas period, some employers in Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania are frantically trying to assess whether they will have sufficient staffing levels to survive the holidays.
As COVID-19 restrictions gradually lift across Australia, employees will be returning to work, or in some states, they may have already returned. It is important that employers therefore have a plan in place for their employees to return to work and how they will manage the COVID risk when they are back.
General Protections laws are intended to protect basic workplace rights, including freedom of association and shielding workers from workplace discrimination in accordance with international labour conventions. Under these laws, it is unlawful to take adverse action against a person because of a proscribed reason. Additionally, General Protections laws provide effective relief for persons who have suffered adverse actions, such as being discriminated against, victimised, or have experienced other forms of unfair treatment.
Wage theft has become a prominent issue in Australia, with the FWO recovering over $500 million in underpayments across the previous financial year. This figure has been growing year on year, highlighting that the issue has likely been there for sometime, yet is now coming into the spotlight. As a result, both Queensland and Victoria have brought in legislation.
A recent report published by the Franchise Council of Australia highlights how buying a franchise can be a very good business decision and can outperform the wider SME sector.
The termination of an employment relationship can carry risks for a business, especially if the employee doesn’t agree with the decision. Employer-initiated termination falls into two categories, dismissal of an employee or a genuine redundancy situation. As an example, an employee may be dismissal due to their continued poor performance whilst an employee can be made redundant due to their role no longer being needed within the business.
Conflicts or disagreements within the workplace are common, and often unavoidable. As a result, it is something employers need to have a strategy to come to a resolution without letting the conflict or disagreement develop and impact on the wider workforce and business as a whole.
State governments in Victoria and New South Wales are preparing to move into the next phase of the COVID-19 re-opening roadmap.
State governments in Victoria and New South Wales are moving into the next phase of their COVID-19 re-opening roadmap.
One of the most common workplace issue in Australia is work-related stress. As an employer, how should you be handling this?
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