Switching off: do employees need a “right to disconnect”?
Unions are calling for greater protections for employees working from home, including mandating work/life balance. Federal Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter has urged employees to return to the office as soon as possible. “As our economy continues to recover, it is important that Australian workplaces get back to normal as quickly as possible, which includes […]
Performance Management and Unfair Dismissal Applications
There is little as frustrating for a manager than an employee that constantly under performs or behaves inappropriately. When this happens, it is important that a correct and fair process is followed to deal with the issues. When it comes to dismissing an employee, there is a chance that they may seek compensation or reinstatement […]
Modern Award wage increase – 1 November 2020
You may recall that when the Fair Work Commission handed down a wage increase of 1.75% this year, they separated the modern awards into three categories: Category 1 awards – the increase came into operation on 1 July 2020 Category 2 awards – the increase comes into operation on 1 November 2020 Category 3 awards […]
Financial Budget – incentives and tax cuts
The Federal Budget has a number of incentives in place for employers to encourage job growth. This update provides an overview of the two key incentives, as well as information around the income tax cuts that came into operation on the 13th of October 2020. JobMaker Hiring Credit From 7 October 2020, eligible employers will […]
Productivity Myths That Are Holding Your Team Back
Reading about productivity is almost like reading about some kind of mythical creature. All that news outlets and business gurus talk about is either ways that people can get more productive or reasons why people aren’t as productive as they should be. The hard truth is that the road to productivity looks different for everyone, […]
Providing Feedback to Employees
Employee feedback – it’s something we know we all need to do, but do we know why we do it? It is not uncommon for a business to have mandatory performance reviews every six to 12 months, which are often linked to salary increases. But what do you as the employer get from these reviews? […]
Online Workplace Compliance Training
Liquid HR is constantly seeking to build and improve on the service it offers its partners. Therefore, we are excited to announce our commercial endeavour with Sentirent, which will provide a complimentary, reliable workplace compliance solution for our existing clients. The online platform enables the training of employees, contractors and volunteers and the sign-off of […]
Further changes announced to JobKeeper
The stage 4 lockdown in Melbourne has seen the Australian government announce some additional amendments to the JobKeeper program. From 3 August 2020 the relevant date of employment will move from 1 March to 1 July 2020. Previously the scheme was only open to employees who were employed by the business as at 1 March […]
Victorian Pandemic Leave Payment
The Victorian Government is providing one-off payments to financially support Victorian workers, including parents and guardians, who are required to self-isolate or quarantine due to coronavirus (COVID-19). To be eligible for the one-off $1500 Coronavirus (COVID-19) Worker Support payment you must: Have been instructed by the Department of Health and Human Services to self-isolate or […]
Changes to JobKeeper Scheme from September 2020
With ongoing economic uncertainty from COVID-19, today the Australian Government announced changes to the future of the JobKeeper scheme, taking the program until March 2021. Below is an overview of the key dates and changes you should be across. Business Eligibility In order to be eligible for the JobKeeper Payment after 27 September 2020, businesses […]
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 […]
