Brace yourself, EOFY is coming! The end of the financial year can be a hectic time in the business world, but fear not - BlueRock’s employment lawyers are here to help you achieve healthy and compliant Human Resources and employment processes in FY23.
Ensure Employment and HR Compliance With These Action Points
BlueRock’s law team are here to assist with any of these important action points:
✔ Check that your employees have been correctly classified under an applicable award
This requires taking the opportunity to check the details of the classifications and ensure that they match each employee’s position and job description. Also, ensure that you’ve considered what impact, if any, an employee’s qualifications have on their classification.
✔ Check that you’re paying the correct award rates
Have you allowed for any recent changes to the Award, including increases in overtime, shift loading, tools and equipment allowances, meal breaks etc?
✔ If you have casual employees, check whether any of them are eligible for casual conversion
✔ Review arrangements with your independent contractors
Ensure they remain properly classified as independent contractors. Incorrectly classifying a worker as an independent contractor exposes the business to significant penalties and orders to pay unpaid entitlements.
✔ Consider whether you’re obliged to make superannuation contributions for independent contractors
✔ Review your existing employment agreements
Ensure that they meet the minimum compliance criteria and protect your business.
✔ Review your employee handbook to ensure it's up-to-date and includes necessary policies
For example, Privacy, Whistleblower, Intellectual Property, Confidentiality, Acceptable Workplace Behaviour, Workplace Health and Safety and COVID-19 . Ensure that you do not have policies which create unnecessary liability for your business.
✔ Review your workplace health and safety compliance
✔ Ensure all employees have received acceptable workplace behaviour training
✔ Review salary increases and bonuses
Where employees are not receiving increases or bonuses, ensure that your decision and communications meet the terms of any applicable employment agreement or policy as well as any legislative requirements.
✔ Review your performance management framework
Ensure you’re managing employee performance (or poor performance) correctly and with minimal risk to your business.
Get in Touch With Our Employment Law Specialists
As a small business owner or a lean HR team, this might seem like a long and daunting list, but as always BlueRock is here to assist you . Catherine Stephens, our Associate Director of BlueRock Law is an employment law specialist who is happy to assist with any questions, concerns or HR compliance issues you might have. Let us ensure a happy new financial year for you, your business and your staff.
