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Some Thoughts from the World of HR
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:
New shutdown rules for awards
From 1 May 2023, many awards will have updated rules on taking annual leave during a shutdown.
The 9-day fortnight
According to the Human Capital Management Institute, companies that invested one dollar per employee into wellbeing initiatives outperformed their competitors and experienced a 12% gain in productivity. The 9-day fortnight is one of the latest wellbeing initiatives gaining popularity and may soon be the difference between keeping and losing the best performing staff.
As a mental health and overall productivity-enhancer, it’s hard to argue that we wouldn’t all be better off if we worked less. Recruitment and training costs reduce too, with less turnover of staff and fewer sick days taken.
Annual reviews and salary increases
I know I should be having annual reviews with my team, but if I do won’t they all just ask for more money? This is a question we often get asked as HR professionals. If you conduct an annual review, does it set in mind of your team that they will receive a salary increase? Based on our experience, yes, this can be the case. So, if pay increases are not on the agenda, should you bother to do annual reviews at all?
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a workplace-based program that provides employees with a range of services designed to support their well-being and address personal and work-related issues that may affect their job performance, health, and overall quality of life. An EAP is usually offered as part of the overall benefits package and is intended to help employees cope with a variety of issues, including stress, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, financial problems, legal issues, and relationship problems.
The importance of salary benchmarking
Salary benchmarking is a useful tool to add to your salary review process to ensure your business remains competitive in the market. The data from salary benchmarking will help to retain your team members by ensuring salary is paid at a competitive market rate and helps to ensure the team is paid equitably.
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