Workplace & Employee Relations Articles

This week has seen a number of awards undergo variations because of the pandemic. With most variations, additional clauses or schedules have been added to increase flexibility around the taking of leave. Some awards have gone much further, and have included clauses...

A new year and the return to work after school holidays often brings turnover with it. One of the least understood parts of human resources is how much notice does an employee need to give when they resign from your business. How much notice is required when...

Recently we looked at when you can direct an employee to take annual leave. In this article, we will look at the other side of the equation: When can an employer refuse an annual leave request. All employees (other than casual employees) are entitled to paid annual...

Some employees can’t wait to take a holiday and take each day as soon as it accrues. Others like to collect their days off, which is great except when the collection turns into several years’ worth of leave. Why Do Employees Accumulate Leave? There is no one reason...

Sacking an employee is one of the most challenging HR tasks any manager undertakes. With all the changes to communications styles, with a greater reliance on text, Facebook Messenger, Yammer or WhatsApp as forms of team communication, can they be used to communicate...

Many businesses choose to pay their employees annualised wages.  Annualised wages are wages that are calculated by projecting wage rates, penalty payments, overtime, annual leave loading and allowances outlined in an award or industrial agreement to an annual basis...

In the past, employers used to report payroll activity to the ATO on an annual basis. The ATO has introduced what is called “Single Touch Payroll” (STP) requirements that means employers have to report after each payday. Businesses with more than 20 employees switched...

Some of the commonest searches on Google by employees for human resource matters relate to employer obligations concerning payslips. Your staff may not ask you directly if they have a question – but they will ask Google. Here are some of the most common questions...

The Fair Work Commission has handed down a ruling relating to flexible working arrangements applicable from 1 December 2018, as part of its push to improve family-friendly provisions in workplaces.While most awards and agreements have had workplace flexibility...

Where employees hand in their notice, but do not comply with the notice periods listed in their award or industrial agreement, employers are entitled to withhold some wages in lieu of notice.A recent decision by the Fair Work Commission clarified these provisions and...