Employment Legislation
Sunday penalty rate reductions for employees covered by the Hospitality, Fast Food, Retail, Pharmacy and Restaurant Awards will be phased in over three to four years from 1 July. The Full Bench of the Fair Work Commission issued a decision on 23 February 2017 to reduce Sunday and public holiday penalty rates in the Hospitality, […]
An agreement between Airtasker and Unions NSW aims to improve conditions for workers who use the online job-posting platform, according to reports. In addition to updating its price guide to reflect award wages or higher, Airtasker will introduce a personal injury policy as well as a dispute resolution process to be overseen by the industrial umpire, Fair […]
The Fair Work Commission recently ruled that Sunday and public holiday penalty rates will be reduced for full-time and part-time workers in the hospitality, retail, pharmacy and fast-food industries. The Fair Work Commission heard evidence from 143 lay and expert witnesses during a prolonged period of deliberation. In addition 5,900 submissions were received from State […]
Deutsche Bank of Germany recently decided to cut bonuses for local employees as it struggles to turn a profit in the wake of a large litigation bill. The litigation issue stems from the mortgage market collapse in the lead up to the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, resulting in a $7.2 billion-dollar settlement with the US […]
In order to reap the benefits of offshoring non-core competencies, SMBs must effectively communicate the process to onshore staff while ensuring there is cultural transference, according to Scott Stavretis, the CEO of Acquire BPO, Australia’s largest outsourcer to the Philippines. Stavretis recently spoke to Dynamic Business about offshoring including the advantages for businesses, his predictions for the […]
Australian employees will now have their casual employment calculated towards their redundancy entitlements as a result of a recent Fair Work Commission ruling. The Fair Work Commission recently upheld an appeal made by the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union against a decision that allowed engineering and shipbuilding company Forgacs to only calculate the permanent employment period […]
Starting up and successfully running a small business can certainly be overwhelming at times and it is of the utmost importance that you get things right from the very beginning. Your employees are one of your greatest assets, vital in the growth and prosperity of your business. To make the most of this valuable resource […]
There comes a point when you can no longer go it alone. Forget flying solo. The time has come for your first hire, but there are so many considerations before you dive in. It’s early days for your business and you’re wondering if a new person is the growth you need. If it’s time for […]
Compliance and risk management don’t sound very attractive but they are crucial to having a sound business and are drivers to achieving business excellence – we call it Future-Proofing. Undertaking an annual legal health check of your company is one of the best decisions you will make for it’s reputation, growth and for your sanity. […]
So your business has expanded and you are considering employing your first member of staff. However, you are not sure whether to employee a full time, contract or even a casual worker. Before you go ahead start recruiting, here are some important legal issues to consider when hiring staff: Contractor vs Employee In law, there […]
The end of a calendar year marks a moment in time when we consider the goals we set for ourselves and measure them against what we achieved. We reflect on what went well and what needs improvement and we use those reflections to set our goals for the year ahead. What we don’t often do […]
Have you started noticing strange, odd behaviours from an employee? This may be occurring over time and can include the employee being too aggressive, too intimidating or just plain bizarre. If you’re the owner of an SME, you have the right to terminate an employee; however, you may be quite reluctant to dismiss the employee […]
The challenges for traditional industries are intensifying. After decades in the driving seat, technology is now striking the heart of what some industry sectors have traditionally kept to themselves. And arguably, it’s about time, as a new wave of technology enabled start-ups are finding more efficient ways to deliver services tailored to a client’s needs […]
Chances are if you’re the owner of an SME, you don’t have a large corporate office or big team. You may not even have separate departments, which means that your small number of staff has to work closely with each other on various tasks to keep the business running. As a result, conflicts in the […]
250 businesses in Melbourne’s Dandenong region will be audited by the Fair Work Ombudsman as part of a new campaign to check that employers are paying the correct minimum hourly rates, penalty rates, allowances, loadings and providing appropriate meal breaks. Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James says the Dandenong region is home to thousands of businesses […]
After a joint investigation by Fairfax and Four Corners uncovering widespread underpayment of staff by 7-Eleven franchisees, 7-Eleven has said in a statement that it will pursue franchisees to repay money owed to present and former staff. Chief Executive Officer, Warren Wilmot said “the viability of the 7-Eleven system is in no way, never has […]
7-Eleven store owner and operator, Harmandeep Singh Sarkaria will face the Federal Circuit Court over allegations that he underpaid two migrant workers almost $50,000 and created erroneous records for the workers. The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) who initiated the legal proceedings has alleged that Mr Sarkaria short-changed one migrant employee from Pakistan $43,633 between 2012 […]
Instead of just complying with the fringe benefits tax legislation, why not use it to your advantage? Salary packaging can maximise take-home pay and attract talent. Could salary packaging be a cost-effective way to attract and retain talent? By combining cash salary with other benefits, organisations have greater flexibility to negotiate remuneration, but that’s just one […]
The Federal Circuit Court has fined a former owner of the Crust pizza outlet in Maroubra $3825 for refusing to reimburse 8 underpaid workers. The 8 delivery drivers and sales employees who worked for the former owner, Sotirios Theocharidis, were underpaid a total of $25,995 in 2013. The underpayments were discovered by the Fair Work […]
25 Factory workers at Nambucca Heads on the NSW North Coast have been underpaid by a total of $45,000 over eight years. An investigation by the Fair Work Ombudsman discovered that the wages system had been set up incorrectly resulting in miscalculations of leave accruals, leave loading and superannuation entitlements between 2007 and 2015. The […]
