With Christmas fast approaching (not to scare you, but only 34 sleeps to go) and for many businesses the chance to shut down and enjoy the holiday period with family and friends, it is important to make sure you have adhered to the new rules around shutdowns and annual leave directions during the holiday season. For those of you who have missed it, from 1 May this year, the rules around employees taking annual leave during a shutdown changed for a long list of Awards.  As a reminder, a shutdown is when a business temporary closes, such as during Christmas and New Year.  Over 75 Award ..read more

Have you ever had a performance review that was just awful? Well, you are not alone! Whether you are a leader forced to deliver them or an employee who is forced to endure one, most Performance Appraisal systems suck balls. And believe me, after being in the HR game for over 20 years I have seen it all and you know what, I have tried it all too, yet most processes continue to miss the mark and instead instill feelings of dread amongst the people they are meant to be serving. So why do we still keep doing this? Have we not learned from our mistakes? Surely, most leaders and business owners real ..read more

Have you ever worked with an employee that struggles with crippling self-doubt and fear when you ask them to do something new? I have, and I’m not going to lie it frustrates the hell out of me. Particularly when the employee is saying they are wanting to grow and learn new things, or stretch beyond their role but whenever you ask them to do it, they freak out. Fear of the unknown is a really common trigger for many people, so how do we help people push boundaries and learn to be more resilient? It’s a common problem in workplaces today and many leaders struggle to help young people “learn on t ..read more

In the current world of increasing labour costs, inflation and interest rate rises, we are commonly asked about how to make efficiencies within businesses. This conversation, more often than not, results in our clients seeking our advice on redundancies and the right way to do them. When approached the right way, with empathy, transparency and procedural fairness, redundancies can be a good way to drive efficiencies and cut costs. But, more often than not we see them rolled out in a rushed, unstructured approach that can cost businesses lots of $$$. So, let’s take a look at some of the most co ..read more

The 4-day workweek debate has been gaining a lot of airtime recently, with a number of Companies participating in trials around Australia. It’s a hot topic as businesses attempt to create that elusive “work-life” balance that younger generations are craving post-COVID burnout. So, what is the 4-day work week? It’s a concept commonly referred to as the 100:80:100 model. Effectively employees get 100 per cent of their pay for working 80 per cent of their previous hours in exchange for a commitment to maintain 100-per-cent productivity. YES, you read right, and whilst most employees would ju ..read more

On 4 September 2023, the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes) Bill was introduced to parliament to close loopholes that undermine pay and conditions. In addition, the Bill aims to improve work health and safety laws in the Commonwealth jurisdiction amongst other things. Let’s take a look at what the key changes this Bill is actually proposing. Wage Theft As many of you will know from our previous blog, in Victoria, wage theft is already a crime so this isn’t exactly a new concept. However, this is new at a Federal level. To recap, “wage theft” is the deliberate and intentional u ..read more

Gender Pay Equality The recent case of Elena Sabbatini v Peter Rowland Group Pty Ltd has again highlighted the importance of fair and equal pay in the workplace. The case has some important takeaways for employees but also sends a crucial reminder to employers that the current frameworks implemented to protect employees against unfair pay conditions means that now, more than ever, employees are likely to identify discrepancies in their pay conditions, which could be costly for businesses. Overview of the case I won’t bore you with every specific of the case (you can read it here ..read more

Wage theft is now a crime Wage theft is costing Australian workers $850 million a year, demonstrating an “ingrained culture” of deliberate underpayment and the need for criminalisation at the federal level. Fair Work Ombudsman audits stretching back to 2009, shows that more than a quarter of audited businesses failed to observe the monetary obligations set out by industry awards or enterprise agreements. Its calculations show that nearly 27,000 businesses were found to have underpaid approximately 1.3 million Australian workers over that time frame. Wage underpayment also stretches deep into t ..read more

Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave Update From 1 August 2023, the entitlement for paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave now applies to all employees, regardless of the business size. Employees are entitled to: 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave Full-time, part-time and casual employees can take 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave in a 12-month period (it isn’t pro-rated for part-time or casual employees). All 10 days are available upfront – an employee doesn’t accrue it. The leave doesn’t accumulate from year to year if it’s not used. It’s a separate paid ..read more

COVID-19 – It Ain’t Over, But It’s Over by 11 August 2023! I’m sure everyone recalls the mandatory vaccination requirements in place in Victoria during the COVID-19 pandemic and the administrative nightmare they created – really, how could we ever forget? In mid-2022, vaccination requirements under pandemic orders were removed, and the Occupational Health and Safety Amendment (COVID-19 Vaccination Information) Regulations were enacted. These regulations meant businesses could continue to collect, record, hold and use COVID-19 vaccination information from employees, independent contractors and ..read more