​With the end of the original JobKeeper program coming to an end on 27th September 2020, the legislation to extend JobKeeper until 28 March 2021 has now passed Parliament.
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There are some important points to note regarding ongoing JobKeeper wage subsidy eligibility as well as changes to the Job Keeper Enabling Directions that many businesses have relied upon to get through the last months in a manageable way.

​Australian law dictates that businesses are required to register and pay for workers compensation insurance.  This provision ensures that your employees will be financially protected if they are injured at work and can also fund beneficial programs such as return to work so that you get your good people back on deck.  But like anything that is meant to serve the greater good, there are those that choose to attempt to misuse this insurance.  Let’s take a look at a real-life example one of our clients endured recently…

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​In the midst of the craziest year most of us have ever lived through, we finally see a sliver of light with a common sense decision coming out of the High Court.  Court decisions don’t always make for very exciting reading but we think this one is definitely worth highlighting given the implications of the original ruling for businesses. ​

​The outbreak of COVID-19 and the varying levels of restrictions has meant that many of employers have had to move people to work from home at very short notice.  It is important to remember that employers have the ultimate responsibility for ensuring a safe work environment, wherever that work is carried out. This includes employees working from home.  With more and more employees being asked to work from home particularly in Victoria with Stage 4 restrictions, we felt it was timely to remind employers of their legal obligations.

Unfortunately, the introduction of Stage 4 restrictions in Melbourne has seen additional businesses that had not qualified for Job Keeper earlier, now become eligible.  We are aware that many of these businesses had been doing okay during the last few months, so have not had to pay much attention to the Job Keeper legislation and what can and can’t be done……

​To help those businesses out, and also remind everyone else of what additional options you have available under the JobKeeper Enabling Directions legislation, here is a quick snapshot for you:

​The key to your business bouncing back from this lock down is your people.  You need willing and able teams to be up and ready to go when Victoria opens up again, whether it is on the factory floor or at an executive level.  The people who know your business, who are connected to your business, and who have been cared for by your business, will be the difference when you look to reboot.  To help you through, we have a few suggestions to help you lead your team through this really tough time.

​​​Under the Stage 4 restrictions in Victoria, there are new requirements for businesses that are able to remain operational.  Key points that you MUST know are below.

​Premier Daniel Andrews has today announced the changes that will impact workplaces as part of Stage 4 restrictions in Victoria.  More details will be announced as the week progresses but we have the following overview of the current information.  

More often than not, the same old thinking leads to the same old results.  To move forward we all need to adjust, adapt and review processes which means change is inevitable in any business that wants to be successful.   Sometimes it is not the idea or the change that we fail on, it’s how we manage the launch and implementation of the change. .  If you don’t have your team on board then the great idea or plans for change are at higher risk of failing.  How you manage change can determine whether or not you will have a successful outcome. There are some easy steps to follow to ensure you have the whole team driving in the same direction when you try to initiate change…..

​​Face masks will be compulsory for many in Victoria after 11:59 pm on 22 July and it has raised some questions as to what this means for businesses who have employees that are required to attend their workplace.  Let’s take a quick look at what your obligations and considerations are as an employer.

​Over the past few weeks much noise has been made about JobKeeper and demands to extend it, review it, amend it.  On Tuesday 21 July, the Morrison Government addressed these concerns about JobKeeper and outlined the changes that would see the subsidy extended.

​There are a million fads out there when it comes to business, leadership, coaching and performance management.  But EQ, or Emotional Intelligence, isn’t one of them.  Understanding the EQ of yourself and your employees is extremely powerful as business success can be driven by our ability to read other people’s signals and how we then react based on these cues.  

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​When it comes to workplace events that produce resentment and anxiety, few score higher than the big annual performance review. This dreaded process is a relic of the industrial age and in today’s world of working, getting feedback once a year no longer serves a purpose. It comes as a verdict, a judgment, whereas the intention needs to be course-correcting.

​On Friday 19 June 2020, the Fair Work Commission handed down its latest decision regarding the National Minimum Wage.  With the impact to business by COVID-19, the application of the increase has been varied with different industries set to apply the increases at different times.   As an employer, you need to be across these changes and how they apply to your business.

It is with great relief that Covid-19 imposed restrictions are starting to lift across the nation.  Kids are back at school and moving back to sport, cinemas are opening up, you can sit down in a café and you can get back to camping and use shared facilities.  But what about getting your team back into the workplace?

​Each state is at a different stage based on how they are managing Covid-19 and how it has been transmitted within communities.  So let’s take a look…

So this happened……

As a trained and accredited drug and alcohol tester, I am often asked by a range of clients to attend their worksites for the purposes of facilitating random drug testing.
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Since COVID-19 came crashing into town studies have shown that there has been a significant increase in the Australian public using illegal drugs, prescription medication and alcohol to assist them to cope with COVID-19 related anxiety, negativity, stress and the ever changing environment

The perils of employing casuals has hit the media again. Back in 2018, the Federal Court determined in WorkPac Pty Ltd v Skene that a casual employee may be able to claim annual leave and personal leave even though they were knowingly engaged as a casual employee and were paid the applicable loadings.  Or in simple terms – double dip.  Naturally enough, this set off alarm bells for employers with casual team members but a case that was decided this month has further ramifications.

Covid-19 has resulted in a huge work from home experiment that may result in changing the way many businesses operate when restrictions lift and we move to our new normal.  As many business leaders have learned, the sky hasn’t fallen in with teams working off site but others have come to understand that some employees are better suited to working on site.  With any new process, it’s worth looking at the learnings we can take from this experience and weigh up the pros and cons to help you decide how you direct your teams when the world opens up again.

HR Staff n’ Stuff are huge advocates of having clear and appropriate policies in place to protect both the employer as well as your employees.  They establish standards of behaviour and allow for consistent and fair responses from employers if they are breached.  If established correctly, communicated clearly to employee and consistently adhered to, they are a valuable asset when an employer needs to defend themselves in an unfair dismissal claim.  However, use them inconsistently and it will cost you!

​The JobKeeper Scheme is an extremely important piece of the survival puzzle for many businesses and, as with many decisions occurring during the pandemic, adjustments and updates have occurred along the way.   There have been a few – mostly helpful – updates to the JobKeeper Scheme that have come into play as it goes live.  To make it easier for you, we have a quick overview. 

For the last six or so weeks we have seen considerable and fast-moving change as we all adapt to the transformations that Covid-19 has wrought upon the world.   It’s stating the obvious but with so much still to learn about the virus, our lawmakers are constantly playing catch up as they try to adapt current laws and enact new ones that will allow businesses to survive and jobs to be maintained.   With so much change, there are many questions that arise so let’s take a look at an area that is impacting many of our clients – when can an employer actually direct an employee to take leave?

​Look at the news and we see leaders of all shapes and sizes talking about what we need to do and how we will operate in order to make it through the pandemic.  It’s clear that there are some strong and worthy leaders out there whilst there are some just trump(et)ing noise.  A crisis is THE time when you will see who truly shines as a leader in your business.  Whether it’s you or members of your team, strong and positive leadership will help your business as we navigate everything COVID-19 is throwing out.

​Your team is working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.  It’s the right thing to do as you are all connected into the business network and everyone has the tools and access they require to do their job.  But this is making you extremely stressed, worrying about productivity and how remote working will impact the survival of your business when restrictions are lifted.   You are not alone so let’s take a look at how you can make this situation more successful.

​Happy Easter from the Australian Federal Treasury – the JobKeeper subsidy passed through Parliament last night and now we have some surety as to what you can do as an employer.  To provide you some peace of mind before the Easter break, here is a quick overview as to what’s happening:

In these times of rapid change as we respond to Covid-19, there are a lot of employers operating like cowboys but eventually, they will be caught out by Fair Work and the lawyers that are going to have a field day in a post coronavirus world.   Operating ethically and legally is just as important now as it ever was so just because someone else is doing something, it doesn’t mean you should.  So let’s take a look at what’s happening and what you can and can’t do as employment law currently stands.