Family and Domestic Violence Leave – Payslip Compliance
A recent update from the Australian Payroll Association https://www.austpayroll.com.au/ An amendment was proposed and approved on Friday 3 February concerning the reporting of new paid family and domestic violence leave on an employee’s payslip. This alteration became effective on Saturday 4 February. Employers will need to keep a record of any leave taken and the […]
7 Effective Leadership Behaviours
Effective leadership is crucial for the success of any organisation. Strong leaders inspire and motivate their teams, create a positive work environment, and drive results. If you’re a leader looking to improve your skills, there are several strategies you can adopt to become a more effective leader. Here are 7 effective leadership behaviours that can […]
We’re Hiring: HR Consultant, Sydney
Position: Casual HR Consultant Location: Sydney, Australia Liquid HR is an established HR Consulting firm providing unrivalled support and advice to small and medium-sized businesses. We are seeking a casual HR Consultant to join our team and provide Sydney based clients with a broad range of HR Consulting Support, both onsite and remotely from home. […]
Understanding Modern Awards in the Workplace
Interpretation of a modern award is the process of understanding and applying the award to a specific workplace or individual employee. It is essential for employers and employees to have an accurate understanding of the award to ensure that all parties are compliant with the relevant legal obligations. This blog will discuss the key points […]
Secure Jobs, Better Pay Act
As another year comes to a close, we wanted to thank each of you for your support to Liquid HR over the last 12 months. Our business has seen substantial growth, with a lot of this growth coming from client referrals and recommendations. We wish you and your team a wonderful Christmas and New Year […]
Pre-existing medical history and disclosure requirements
Medical history is a sensitive topic that comes with responsibilities of confidentiality and privacy. For these reasons, it is highly unusual for current and or prospective employees to disclose their pre-existing medical history and this is also not always required. Should the pre-existing medical history have no bearing on the employee’s ability to undertake the […]
High Income Employees: Does the Award still apply?
An insightful article written by Andrew Bland from Blands Law https://blandslaw.com.au/ that recently addressed a question we receive from clients quite often. The high-income threshold, currently $162,000.00, is indexed annually and limits an employee’s eligibility to make an unfair dismissal claim where no award or agreement applies to their employment. Many employers also believe that […]
Navigating the Australian Labour Market
Navigating the Australian Labour Market According to the ABS, as at August 2022 the unemployment rate in Australia was 3.5%. This is 487,700 unemployed people who are of working age. The ABS Job Vacancies report recorded and estimated 470,900 job vacancies as at August 2022. “Job vacancies were 107.4% higher than they were in February […]
Upcoming public holidays for the rest of 2022
Upcoming public holidays for the rest of 2022 The Prime Minister has declared that Thursday the 22nd of September will be a public holiday for a National Day of Mourning for Her Majesty the Queen. There are several other public holidays coming up in each state in territory which can be found by clicking the […]
Changes to WHS laws announced by Safe Work Australia
Changes to WHS laws announced by Safe Work Australia The latest review found that whilst the WHS laws were achieving their intended purpose, there was still more that should be done to assist uphold the duties associated with psychological health. Furthermore, the intent is to ensure that monetary penalties for failing to uphold these duties […]
FWO Compliance Priorities Released
FWO Compliance Priorities Released The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) is the Australian Government body responsible for the education and enforcement of compliance with modern award requirements and the National Employment Standards. Each year, the FWO releases their compliance and enforcement priorities, highlighting the industries, occupations and areas they will focus on for the current financial […]
FWC wage increase handed down
FWC wage increase handed down This week the Fair Work Commission (FWC) has announced a 5.2% increase to the National Minimum wage, increasing the National Minimum Wage to $812.60 per week or $21.38 per hour. In addition to the above, modern award minimum wages will increase by 4.6% (or for wage rates below $869.60 per […]
Join Our Team
Are you an experienced HR professional who loves variety and flexibility? Maybe you’re looking for your next challenge and want to be part of a vibrant team Are you Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane based? If so, we may have just the opportunity you’re looking for…. Whether you’re seeking full/part-time work, a casual engagement, or project-based […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
End of Financial Year Payroll Requirements
As the end of financial year is approaching, it is important to be aware of your requirements as an employer to ensure you are meeting your obligations. This year there are new ATO requirements for Single Touch Payroll and recent Minimum Wage increases handed down by the Fair Work Commission that need to be considered […]
Salary Benchmarking
Remuneration benchmarking – is it relevant? My boss came to me recently after attending a conference and said, “we need to complete some remuneration benchmarking, to ensure we are paying the market rate for our employees”. I’d heard of remuneration benchmarking, but honestly, I wasn’t a huge supporter of it. Firstly, I often questioned the […]
Fair Work Commission increases wage rates by 3%
The Fair Work Commission has just handed down its annual wage decision. Effective the first full pay period on or after 1 July 2019 the National Minimum wage will increase by 3%, bringing it to $740.80 per week or $19.49 per hour. This is an increase of $21.60 per week. In addition to this, all […]
Industrial Relations in Review May 2019
Annual Wage Review 2019 The Fair Work Commission have commenced the process to review the national minimum wage. The current national minimum wage is $719.20/week or $18.93/hour. This rate applies to all award free employees. Casual employees also receive a 25% casual loading. For all other employees’ reference must be made to the applicable award […]
Industrial Relations in Review – March 2019
Upcoming Easter and ANZAC Day Public Holidays With Easter and ANZAC Day falling close together in April, employers should be aware of what days are considered public holidays for the purpose of determining an employee’s right to be absent from work or paid public holiday rates where specified under the applicable award or agreement. Below […]
‘Unattractive’ people are more likely to be ignored at work, research says
By Kate Neilson While previous research has shown that ‘attractive’ employees are likely to win out in a job interview, new research suggests the barriers of ‘lookism’ don’t stop there. It’s a powerful and pervasive form of workplace discrimination that doesn’t receive much attention. Researchers believe they’ve taken the first steps in uncovering how an […]
Industrial Relations in Review February 2019
Both employees and employers start out the employment relationship with good intentions. However sometimes for a variety of different reasons, the employment relationship does not end the way it was started. For employers, it is important to be aware of the different claims employees can make to ensure you are putting in place proactive steps […]
Industrial Relations in Review – January 2019
Welcome to 2019! We hope you had a relaxing and enjoyable break and some downtime over the Christmas and New Year period. We will be publishing a monthly IR update on our blog to ensure you are kept up to date on any key IR changes. Have a particular topic or question you would like […]
What Makes a Top Consultant?
I’m often approached by HR practitioners considering the switch across to consulting. With that often comes the question ‘what makes a good consultant?’ Whilst there is no exact formula to this question, some of the key characterises I’ve witnessed from great consultants over the years include: Flexibility Great consultants can go into a new environment, […]
The Case for Adverse Action
What is adverse action? Adverse action is action taken by an employer that is unlawful if it is taken for particular reasons. Employees cannot be harmed in any way at work because they have exercised a workplace right or engaged in industrial activity. The Fair Work Act 2009 describes the type of harm meant by […]
Smells Like Team Spirit
There’s no better time of year than now to plan the year ahead. Natasha Shaw shares how you and your team can plan a kick-off meeting for 2015. “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” These are the wise words of American industrialist Henry Ford—they hold true for every […]
