Fair Work Commission Announces Annual Wage Increase of 1.75%
Every year the Fair Work Commission undertakes a review of the minimum wages in modern awards. This review considers the current economic environment, feedback from employers, unions and industry bodies as well as taking into consideration other factors such as the cost of living. This year, one of the primary factors for consideration was the […]
Updated Modern Awards
The Fair Work Commission is extensively varying existing awards as a result of the 4 yearly review of modern awards. The next round of awards that have been varied are listed below. The variations will come into operation on the 18th of June 2020. – Aircraft Cabin Crew Award 2010 – Amusement, Events and Recreation […]
Casual Employees and Leave Entitlements
Court ruling that some casual employees are entitled to paid leave On Wednesday the 20th of May, the Federal Court handed down a ruling in the case of WorkPac Pty Ltd v Rossato [2020] FCAFC 84 In this case Robert Rossato was engaged as mine worker. He was employed by WorkPac as a casual employee for […]
What if employees don’t want to return to the workplace?
As businesses reopen and look towards recommencing their normal operations in accordance with their State or Territory’s framework, there will come a time where employees will be asked to return to the workplace. There are businesses that require employees to attend the workplace in order to operate, such as waitstaff, nail technicians and retail assistants, […]
Transitioning Back To The Workplace
A return to work, whether after a complete mandatory shutdown or after remote working, is inevitable as COVID-19 restrictions are reviewed throughout the country. On 30 April 2020, Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner announced the easing of many COVID-19 restrictions including a gradual return of people to their workplace, subject that businesses have a […]
JobKeeper Applications are Open
Under the JobKeeper payment, businesses impacted by the coronavirus will be able to access a subsidy from the Australian Government to continue paying their employees. Affected employers will be able to claim a fortnightly payment of $1,500 per eligible employee from 30 March 2020, for a maximum period of 6 months. You can now enrol […]
Pandemic Leave and Changes to Modern Awards
The Fair Work Commission has the power under Section 157(3) of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) to vary modern awards to achieve the awards objective. On Thursday the 2nd of April the FWC issued a statement outlining their provisional view (subject to consultation) to make amendments to 103 modern awards during the COVID-19 pandemic. […]
Key COVID-19 Updates for Organisations Employing Staff
The employment landscape is rapidly changing as the government and related organisations are seeking to roll out initiatives to support employers and employees through this unprecedented time. Below is an overview of all the changes you should be across. For specific advice related to your organisation, please get in touch with us directly. Click on […]
COVID 19 – Options for Employers Webinar
Practical HR advice for employers navigating downturns and government orders to close. Further questions? For more information on the topic, please contact us on 1300 887 458 and speak with one of our HR Consultants. If you are interested in learning more about our HR services, including HR Outsourcing, HR Consulting, HR Advisory Services, contact us […]
Stage 1 Lockdown – What Does This Mean For Your Business?
With the announcement last night (22nd of March) that the following businesses will be shut down from midday 23rd of March, every business should now assess what it will mean for their business if a shutdown is imposed at a later stage. Pubs and clubs Casinos Gyms Cinemas Places of worship Restaurants and cafes (takeaway […]
Employer Information for Coronavirus
In the wake of the World Health Organisation declaring the coronavirus a global pandemic, many organisations are facing questions from employees, board of directors, shareholders and customers regarding what steps their organisation is taking to support the welfare of their employees, customers/clients and the business viability. We are acutely aware that there is an overwhelming amount […]
Parental Leave – A Guide for Employers
2020 marks the 10-year anniversary since the Rudd Labor government introduced the Paid Parental Leave scheme, changing the landscape of the Australian workplace and the lives of families all over the country. At Liquid HR, we often get questions about the details of Parental Leave – who can take it? How long it is for? […]
Annualised Salary Provisions Webinar
Modern Award annualised salary changes will go live from March 2020. From 1 March 2020, new annualised salary clauses will be introduced into a number of modern awards. For more information on the topic, please contact us on 1300 887 458 and speak with one of our HR Consultants. If you are interested in learning […]
Wahun Novel Coronavirus
Over the past week, the news has been dominated by reports of the spread of the Wuhun Novel Coronovirus (more commonly referred to as “coronavirus”) which at the time of writing this has killed 132 people and infected 6000 – spreading so rapidly that confirmed cases rose by nearly a third overnight. With Australia ranked […]
Employment Law Webinar 6 – The Role of Government
This session is going to focus on providing you with an overview of the main government agencies that you are likely to interact with if you employ staff. Each of these agencies play a specific role in ensuring employers are compliant with employment legislation in Australia. For more information on the topic, please contact us […]
Community Service Leave
On 19 December 2019, the NSW Government declared a State of Emergency with more than 4.4 million hectares of Australia’s east coast engulfed by bushfire, 1200 homes destroyed, 23 lives lost and 150 fires ablaze in NSW and Victoria alone to date. With this much danger and destruction across the nation, the question becomes what […]
Employment Law Webinar 5 – Unions and the Workplace
This session focuses on unions and the role they play, in particular what union rights you need to be aware of particularly as it relates to entry to your workplace, employee representation and enterprise bargaining. For more information on the topic, please contact us on 1300 887 458 and speak with one of our HR […]
How to Retain High Performing Employees
It is Monday morning and one of your highest performing employees asks to meet with you. He advises you that he has been offered another role with a competitor. He will be paid 20% more in the new role. You begin by asking him if you can do anything to retain him, including matching the […]
Human Resources Outsourcing
Curious business owners and CEOs often ask us to explain how HR Outsourcing works for small/medium sized businesses, and what the benefit would be. In wanting to give a concise answer, we suggest the interested party consider HR Outsourcing in three segments: 1/ Outsourcing of HR Administration This spans across the entire employee life cycle, […]
The new world of HR and AI
It’s hard to ignore the AI (Artificial Intelligence) hype that has gained unwavering momentum over the past 5 years. We continue to hear how HR is one of the key business functions where AI can be applied, so we are taking a look at how this can be applied practically in the workplace. Onboarding New […]
Underpayment of Wages
Underpayments are fast becoming the Achilles heel of the modern business world, with many Australian household names in the media spotlight recently for failing to properly compensate employees. The Fair Work Ombudsman is cracking down on ‘wage theft’ after a number of prominent Australian names such as Woolworths, Qantas, 7-Eleven, the Commonwealth Bank, Dominos, Oliver […]
Employment Law Webinar Part 4: Bullying, Harassment & Discrimination
In this session we cover: What constitutes bullying, harassment and discrimination in the workplace Your obligations as an employer – policy, training, resolving claims, taking appropriate action Employee complaint avenues For additional information on how our HR Outsourcing and HR Consulting team can support your business call us on 1300 887 458.
Employment Law Webinar Part Three: Termination, Adverse Action and Redundancy
In this session we cover: Notice of termination (outside of the NES) and minimum employment period under the Fair Work Act 2009 Termination on the grounds of performance or serious misconduct Adverse Action Unfair dismissal and redundancy If you’d like to learn more about the topic, speak to one of our Human Resources Consultants or […]
Managing Long Term Absence
It is a question we get asked often by our clients. What happens when an employee has been absent for a long period of time (i.e. in excess of 6 weeks) due to personal injury or illness? First and foremost, supporting employees who have a long term illness or injury is important. The employee is […]
Employment Law Webinar Part Two: Leave and the NES
In this session we cover: The National Employment Standards – what they are and what you need to know to ensure you are compliant Who the National Employment Standards apply to An overview of the leave entitlements for your employees If you’d like to learn more about the webinar topic and other Human Resources topics, […]
Accrual and Taking of Personal Carer’s Leave – Full Federal Court Decision
On the 21st of August 2019, the Full Federal Court of Australia handed down a decision in relation to accruing and taking of paid personal/carers leave in Mondelez Australia Pty Ltd v AMWU [2019] FCAFC 138. This decision has a profound impact on how many employers in Australia currently accrue and deduct personal/carers leave for […]
Employer pays over $200,000 for poorly managed performance improvement plan
By Jasmine Crittenden Getting performance improvement plans wrong can cost your business, as this recent Federal Court decision shows. There’s no doubt that a performance improvement plan (PIP) can be a fair and effective tool for remedying under performance. However, the consequences of inappropriate use of a PIP can be devastating – both personally and legally […]
Employment Law Webinar Part One: Awards, Enterprise Agreements, Award Free Employees and the Fair Work Act 2009
As an employer, it can be quite complex to be across the legislation related to employing staff. At Liquid HR, we have developed 7-part employment law webinar series to help you develop your knowledge to ensure you are compliant with the Fair Work Act 2009 and associated regulations. Our first session covers Awards, Enterprise […]
We’re Hiring
Are you an experienced HR Consultant looking for a flexible work opportunity? We are looking to engage a HR Consultant to join our team in Sydney and Melbourne. A little bit about us… Liquid HR is a HR Consulting firm that was established in 2011 with a vision to become Australia’s premier Human Resources partner […]
Changes to Whistleblower Laws
Effective 1 July 2019 new Federal whistleblower laws took effect. The key changes include: A requirement for larger Australian companies to introduce a Whistleblower policy by 1 January 2020. A larger company is defined as a company that meets 2 or more of the following requirements: Consolidated group revenue in excess of $50m Consolidated gross […]
