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Some Thoughts from the World of HR
Happy HR New Year – Tips for your business – immediate deductions
Businesses may be able to claim an immediate deduction for expenses through the temporary full expensing measure. This allows a business to claim an immediate deduction for new assets if they have a turnover of less than $5 billion, and for second-hand assets if the business has a turnover of less than $50 million. The assets must be first held, used or installed for use between 6 October 2020 and 30 June 2023.
People Planning Process
For many small business owners and managers, the idea of workforce planning may be a little intimidating but workforce planning doesn’t need to be corporate, complex or cold. The reality is quite different and is just as important for a smaller business as it is for a big business – possibly even more important! In large organisations, you always have someone to cover a role and more than one person with the skills but in a SME life isn’t like that. We all have to wear multiple hats and often we are the only person with the qualifications for our role. In a SME it’s critical to have the right people with the right skills.
Employment Agreements
When hiring people into your business one of the most critical pieces of the process is ensuring you have a written employment contract. The relationship between employee and employer is fundamentally contractual, and all employees and contractors should have the correct employment agreement in place. The employee will also be covered by National Employment Standards and the relevant award for their role, however the benefit of having an individualised agreement means you can outline specific relevant terms not covered by the Fair Work Act.
Pandemic leave
As of the 15th July 2022, full time, part time and casual employees covered by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Services Award; Aged Care Award; Ambulance and Patient Transport Award; Health Professionals and Support Services Award; Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Award; or Supported Employment Services Award can again access to 2 weeks’ unpaid pandemic leave. This leave is available immediately to all employees who are required to self-isolate. It does not need to be accrued first and employees do not need to use all their paid leave before accessing it.
Happy HR New Year – Tips for your business – employee support
For many of us working from home has continued to be a significant part of work life during financial year 2021-2022. Many employees don’t know they can claim a deduction for working from home expenses. Helping employees make the most of their tax return is a great way to set yourself apart as an employer who cares. There are three ways to calculate a claim. Employees should choose the one that helps them achieve the best return
Happy HR New Year – Tips for your business – business deductions
As a SME preparing for your tax return is an important part of the EOFY processes. If your business has invested in your employee’s development, protected the team with COVID and health related purchases, provided re-imbursement for travel and car expenses it is important to capture that investment in your tax return.
However, if your business has requested that employees claim this back as individuals it is important to remind them of the boundaries.
Redundancy
No one wants to be in the situation of needing to consider making a role redundant. Sometimes, this is the reality of business. Redundancy could be necessary for several reasons, including introduction of a new technology, a downturn in sales, permanent closure or needing to restructure. Regardless of the reason, the best we can do when redundancy is necessary is ensure communication is clear, decisions are fair and transparent, and everyone’s treated with respect. Each situation is unique, however, it’s important to consider the specifics of your business and employees (including your size and industrial agreements) prior to making any decisions.
It’s OK – It’s not COVID!
Over the past 2 years many of us have struggled with Covid lockdown requirements and the isolation that came with it. Whilst we understand why many wish to return to the office and be with others, employers are now more aware that having people in the office who are unwell comes with downsides. So, what can you do?
Boundaries: work vs life
In early 2020, the working world changed, potentially forever. We were told we had to work from home if possible and our working hours were filled with Zoom and Teams meetings. Many of us added into this mix responsibilities of caring for children and remote learning pressures. The boundaries and lines between home and work life, truly blurred. We know many working parents worked in shifts, with some working late into the evening to get work done which couldn’t be completed during traditional work hours due to remote learning priorities. We had meetings with children sitting at our feet in order to multitask our way through the juggle. The flexibility offered to manage work and family commitments was life changing in many ways, but let’s explore the costs. Now more than 2 years on, as we move back to a new normal, what impact has there been on the boundaries which should exist between our work and home life?
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