Home topics news News Small Business News Paper identifies ways to simplify the workplace relations system for the small business sector James Harkness April 27, 2018 The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Kate Carnell, has released a position paper identifying ways to reduce the complexity of the workplace relations system for small businesses. “We have had significant consultations with small businesses over the last two years and the overwhelming view is the legislation is far too complicated for the majority of Australian businesses with less than 20 employees and no expert HR or legal departments,” she said. “Our paper, Workplace Relations-simplification for small business , contains practical and realistic solutions that attempt to make it simpler for businesses to do the right thing and build their confidence to employ, which is what the economy needs. “Some of these achievable recommendations can be accomplished without legislation, and others can be realised with very minor legislative changes.” Achievable non-legislative solutions identified by the paper include: The further development of the Small Business Showcase by the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) to include an online decision-making and pay calculation tool, whereby a small business that has made a genuine effort to comply, but makes an error, will have a ‘safe harbour’ from prosecution, penalty or fine, but must still repay any underpayments to staff. Ensuring unfair dismissal claims are substantiated before elevation, and dismissal claims are not judged solely on procedural errors. The publication of Fair Work Commission (FWC) outcomes in plain