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Some Thoughts from the World of HR
Paid Parental Leave 2023 update – what’s changing?
For babies born or adopted after 1st July 2023, there are some important changes to Australian Government funded Parental Leave Pay system. The current entitlement to 18 weeks of parental leave pay at minimum wage will increase to 20 weeks, or 100 days for those who work 5 days a week. This is a family entitlement which means that if you have a partner, they’ll access at least 2 weeks of this leave. Single parents can access the full 20 weeks themselves.
Award update and the national wage increase
The Fair Work Commission recently announced Australia’s minimum wage will increase from 1 July 2023 to $882.80 per week, amounting to an increase of 5.75%. The new national minimum wage will be $882.80 per week or $23.23 per hour based on a 38-hour work week.
As an employer there are several actions you can take to ensure your business is paying your employees correctly, aligned with the new rates, protecting employees and your business against financial and well-being risks.
Psychosocial Hazards
Our mental health is just like our physical health and is just as important. Just because you can’t necessarily see a mental health concern, this doesn’t mean it isn’t real or important. Psychosocial health should be considered in the same way that physical health is in the workplace. This means managing hazards, removing or minimising risks and providing safe and supportive work environments.
No-cost and low-cost single touch payroll solutions
In a Micro business every dollar counts, and time is money as the saying goes. So at this time of year when there are extra administration and governance burdens on business owners, it is important to save time and effort where you can. The ATO has put together a no-cost and low-cost Single Touch Payroll (STP) product register to help micro employers (those with one to four employees) who need to report through STP more effectively.
When an employee’s health issues affect performance
Managing performance can be difficult to approach. Adding an employee’s medical issues into the mix can make matters more complex very quickly. The most appropriate strategy to reach a resolution is dependent on the medical issue you are dealing with.
Job description vs job ad – do you know the difference?
If your organisation has a position to fill it can be quite confusing on what’s needed. Do I need a job description? Do I need to write a separate job advertisement? The answer is: you need both. There is a common misconception that these documents are similar however a job description and a job ad serve different purposes and contain different information. Understanding the difference between them can be useful for both employers and job seekers.
What is a Better Off Overall Test (BOOT?)
A common question we receive, when we’re investigating flexible options for our clients is what is a Better Off Overall Test (BOOT)?
A Better Off Overall Test is a requirement when creating an individual flexibility agreement for employees. This tool is used to determine whether the proposed change to an employee’s terms and conditions of employment will leave the employee better off overall than they were before the change. For example, proposed changes to hours or pay against the minimum terms and conditions in the relevant award.
Unlimited Annual Leave – does this work?
Introducing an unlimited annual leave policy to employees should be done in a clear and transparent manner taking into consideration the minimum requirements of the relevant award. This is a significant change and requires careful consideration and planning for any employer.
If implemented correctly, this is a great benefit to retain the current team and attract new people as well as demonstrating the trust you have for your employees.
Flexible work requests
As part of the secure jobs and better pay Fair Work Act (cth) amendments changes to flexible work take effect from the 6 June 2023. The scope of employees will widen to who can request for flexible working arrangements to:
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