HR
Businesses are struggling to offer staff flexible work arrangements as they expand beyond four employees, according to cloud accounting provider, MYOB. Although employees have a legal right, under the Fair Work Act, to request flexible work arrangements, MYOB’s latest SME snapshot shows that just one in two businesses with under 20 staff (54%) afford their […]
A lack of training and career development is fuelling employee dissatisfaction amongst Australia’s IT workers, with 49% actively looking for new work and a further 40% open to jumping ship for the right offer. These findings are from a survey of nearly 2000 tech workers undertaken by IT workforce solutions specialists Greythorn, which gathered data […]
In the United States, it is becoming vogue for companies to pay for female employees to freeze their eggs, with the likes of Apple, Facebook and Google introducing the policy. It’s being sold as a means for women to further their careers, free of pressure to have children at a particular point in time. However, […]
Rising employee turnover remains a significant challenge for Australian businesses. Every time a resignation letter lands on your desk, it will cost you up to 150% of the vacant position’s annual salary to restaff the role. That comes in the form of recruitment and advertising expenses, as well as training costs and lost productivity as […]
An analysis of the Fair Work Commission 2016-17* report reveals an employer was hit with an unfair dismissal claim every three and a half minutes last financial year, according to Employsure. The workplace relations specialist also found that employers lost 60% of the 14,135 unfair dismissal applications brought against them in 2016-17. Commenting on the finding, Ed […]
Half of Australia’s small businesses not only lack an action plan to address workplace bullying, they don’t understand the legal requirements, according research undertaken by workplace relations specialist Employsure. Conducted by Galaxy Research on behalf of Employsure, the Workplace Safety Index also found that amongst businesses with between two and four employees, only 40% know […]
For organisations, big or small, accusations of sexual harassment are alarming. With the current press surrounding the allegations of sexual harassment made against Harvey Weinstein, businesses world-wide should reflect on their own internal policies and how they would deal with allegations of this nature. In Australia, we have an abundance of laws protecting employees from […]
A 7-Eleven Franchisee in Brisbane is facing court for allegedly dismissing a worker by removing him from the roster after he refused his employer’s request to repay an amount he had been paid. Balaji Australia Pty Ltd and current director and shareholder Madhav Ponnada will also face the Federal Circuit Court on allegations that false […]
Every small business understands the key to growth lies in its people – the driving force. By hiring the best talent, small businesses know they can become much larger businesses by outperforming their competitors and pouncing on new opportunities the moment they arise. Sounds like a straightforward growth strategy but, it turns out, it’s not […]
“At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel” ― Maya Angelou A well-known entrepreneur once said to me, “If a business owner can’t keep the members of their family happy and engaged at home, how can they expect to keep their employees happy […]
The workplace is changing. By 2025, 75 per cent of the workforce will be made up of millennials. For employers and business leaders, empathising and engaging with this generation is vital. We’ve all heard the jokes about entitled millennials with an unhealthy avocado toast obsession. Yet they’re fast becoming an influential presence in the corporate […]
You may have been told once before that it is not polite to discuss religion or politics at the dinner table, but what about at work? The political landscape is somewhat of a mine field with vast political opinions on all matters of social issues and policy, and most likely your opinion won’t necessarily match […]
Richard Branson is right about many things…but he’s wrong about attitude. One of his famous observations was that “you can learn expertise and gain experience but attitude is inherent”. In other words, you can’t train for attitudes – you hire attitudes. I believe that view is now defunct. By failing to train for attitude, organisations miss out […]
With winter well and truly kicking in, it’s that time of the year when people get particularly vigilant about their own health. And there’s always that one person in the office who, upon hearing the hint of a sniffle, finds the culprit and demands they go home immediately to protect the well-being of everyone else. […]
Just as Australia’s population is ageing, so too is the nation’s workforce, with an increasing number of workers seeking to remain in employment longer. According to Susan Ryan, who was Australia’s Age Discrimination Commissioner up until 2016, this is a huge opportunity for employers. ‘Good business sense’ Tapping into this growing talent pool, Ryan explained […]
Since launching in July 2015, the Federal Government’s employment services program, jobactive, has helped employers from across Australia recruit more than 400,000 suitably skilled workers. The popularity of jobactive with employers is attributable to the range of services, available through the program, that make it cost-effective and hassle-free for businesses, especially SMEs, to recruit staff who […]
There’s a lot of research into diversity and its impact on the workforce. The main message that’s currently broadcast is that diversity is a great thing and beneficial to business. It can be a good thing, but it can also be problematic. I looked into both these aspects in my recent PhD into diversity in […]
The Fair Work Commission today delivered its annual wage review. This decision will have a significant impact on all businesses and industries and over 2.3 million employees who are paid at the National Minimum Wage or minimum Modern Award rates. From the first full pay period commencing after 1 July 2017: all Modern Award rates will increase by […]
The 2016-17 Annual Wage Review has been handed down, with the Fair Work Commission determining the national minimum wage (NMW) should be increased by 3.3% from 1 July 2017 to $18.29 per hour or $694.90 per week. The Commission has also resolved to increase modern award minimum wages by 3.3 per cent. In deciding to […]
Workplaces continue to evolve. The needs of employees are constantly changing. It has never been so pertinent for businesses to adopt innovative strategies, become more flexible and address the emerging needs of their people and the new business environment. Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) introduced an ‘anywhere working’ initiative last year across all five of its […]
