Fairwork

Upcoming Changes to Workplace Laws

Fair Work often updates the rules regarding payroll and right now is no different! Several aspects of payroll have or will change in the very near future. Read below for the details.

1. Small Business Employers Must Offer Paid & Domestic Violence Leave from 1st August 2023

All employees in the Fair Work system, including part-time and casual employees, will soon have the right to 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave within a 12-month period.

This new entitlement will be available to employees of small business employers (employers with less than 15 employees on February 1, 2023) starting from August 1, 2023. Employees of non-small business employers have already been able to access this leave since February 1, 2023.

Employees will receive the full 10 days of leave upfront, without needing to accumulate it over time. To help you understand and manage your new responsibilities, access the Fair Work fact sheet here. You can also find a summary of the details in our blog.

2. Paid Parental Leave Scheme Changes

From July 1, 2023, there will be some changes to the paid parental leave scheme. One of these changes is that the current 18 weeks of paid parental leave pay will be combined with the current 2 weeks of Dad and Partner Pay. This means that partnered couples and single parents will now be able to claim up to 20 weeks of pay. For more details go to this Fair Work page.

3. Right to Superannuation in the National Employment Standards (NES)

Starting January 1, 2024, the National Employment Standards (NES) will have a new provision that guarantees superannuation contributions for employees. This means that employees, employee organisations, and the Fair Work Ombudsman can make sure that employers pay the correct amount of superannuation or address any unpaid amounts under the Fair Work Act. 

Employers are already required to contribute to superannuation for eligible employees according to existing laws. As long as employers meet their obligations under these laws, they will not be in violation of the NES provision.

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) will continue to oversee employer compliance with superannuation guarantee laws.

4. Changes to Unpaid Parental Leave

Starting July 1, 2023, the Fair Work Act will bring in more flexibility for employees who take unpaid parental leave. This change is in line with updates to the Paid Parental Leave scheme. Now, employees can take up to 100 days of their 12-month leave entitlement flexibly within 24 months after their child is born or placed with them. This is a significant increase from the previous allowance of 30 days.

Pregnant employees will also have the choice to access their flexible unpaid parental leave up to 6 weeks before their expected due date.

Furthermore, employees will no longer be limited to taking a maximum of 8 weeks of unpaid parental leave at the same time as their spouse or de facto partner. Both parents can now take up to 12 months of unpaid parental leave within 24 months of their child’s birth or placement, and they can even apply for a 12-month extension beyond the initial leave period.

5. Authorised Employee Deductions

Starting on December 30, 2023, employees will be able to authorise recurring salary deductions from their employers, even if the deduction amounts change. Before, they had to provide a new written authorisation every time the deduction amount changed. With the new law, employees can give a single written authorisation that allows their employer to deduct varying amounts from their salary. The employee can still withdraw this authorisation in writing at any time. It’s worth noting that deductions for specific amounts can still be authorised if they mainly benefit the employee and are provided in writing.

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Employing staff and Coronavirus: Fairwork directions

Coronavirus (COVID-19) has brought with it great uncertainty and worry amongst the general population, not the least of these, employers and staff. There are many unknowns relating to how to manoeuvre in these difficult times as an employer, especially in terms of ensuring staff are treated correctly and fairly. Recently, Fairwork released some direction for employers on their website. We advise you read the bulk of the details on their page yourself but we do provide a “taste” of the information provided below.


My employee (or his family member) has Coronavirus. What now?

You must direct the employee not to come to work and to only return when s/he has been given medical clearance. If the employee is part or full time, s/he will be able to take paid personal/carers leave. Casual workers will need to take unpaid leave given they do not receive leave entitlements. Workers refusing to use their leave entitlements are not required to be paid. You can ask the employee for evidence of the illness or emergency i.e. doctor’s certificate if required.

My employee wants to stay home to avoid contact with others.

In this case, you need to discuss this with the staff member and come to an agreement that suits you both. If working from home is an option and your staff member agrees to do so, then make arrangements together to ensure this can occur easily and smoothly. If the employee cannot work from home, then you must decide if paid or unpaid leave will be provided. Where an employee refuses to take paid leave (where it is available), then that employee cannot be paid.

I want to tell my employee/s to stay home.

From Fairwork: ” Under workplace health and safety laws, employers must ensure the health and safety of their workers and others at the workplace as far as is reasonably practicable. ” If you believe that it would be best to instruct your staff to stay home due to possible risks from COVID-19, then you certainly can do so. You can organise a “work-from-home” scenario where possible or if not possible, you can direct staff to remain off site but you must be aware as per Fairwork ” where an employer directs a full-time or part-time employee not to work due to workplace health and safety risks but the employee is ready, willing and able to work, the employee is generally entitled to be paid while the direction applies”, and also “standing down employees without pay is not generally available due to a deterioration of business conditions or because an employee has the coronavirus.”

I want to direct staff not to travel.

While you can direct your employees not to travel for work-related events, meetings etc because you want to reduce the risks associated with COVID-19 at your workplace, you cannot ask them to cancel personal travel/trips.


So, in summary, you need to ensure your workplace is safe and you can do this by keeping unwell employees at home and/or all staff at home if required. If your business is structured in such a way that working from home is possible, then certainly bring that to the table and discuss with staff how best to handle that scenario. Part and full time staff should take personal leave if affected by the virus or unpaid leave if they prefer. Similarly, if staff unaffected by COVID-19 request to remain at home and also cannot work from home, they must opt to take annual or unpaid leave. If you direct staff to stay home and there isn’t any evidence that they have been affected by COVID-19, that is, they are well and able to work, then you must continue to pay them as normal. To read the full list of instructions provided by Fairwork, download their factsheet below.

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Employers’ Toolbox (free download)

Are you a new employer? Do you need help with getting started? Do you know what your employer obligations involve? Being an employer is a huge responsibility and brings with it added compliance to which you must adhere if you want to get it right. To assist you in this task, we have created the “Employers’ Toolbox”, a simple guide to getting started including all of the resources you will need along the way.

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The difference between full time, part time, casual and temporary employees

Employing staff can be a minefield even for the best of us! One of the confusing aspects can be understanding the difference between employment statuses and what each one can mean for your employees. Today’s blog will hopefully shine some light on the topic.

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Employment Statuses

There are four employment statuses to choose from:

  • Permanent Full Time
  • Permanent Part Time
  • Casual
  • Temporary

Here is an explanation of each employment status:

Permanent Full Time Employee

Full-time employees have been employed on an ongoing basis for an average maximum of 38 ordinary hours per week. They are entitled to:

  • Annual leave
  • Personal leave
  • Public holidays
  • Parental leave
  • Long service leave
  • Superannuation guarantee
  • Period of notice if job is terminated

Permanent Part Time Employee

Part-time employees work less than 38 hours per week but these are usually set hours and/or days. They are entitled to:

  • Annual leave
  • Personal leave
  • Public holidays
  • Parental leave
  • Long service leave
  • Superannuation guarantee
  • Period of notice if job is terminated

Casual Employee

Casual employees do not have regular work hours and are not guaranteed to get regular work. They are paid for the hours worked and receive a loading (usually 25% but you must check the relevant award as this can vary) to compensate them for not receiving the same benefits as full or part-time workers. Casuals can be entitled to penalty rates, loadings, and allowances – again check your award for further details. Casuals are entitled to:

  • 2 days unpaid carers leave per occasion
  • 2 days compassionate leave per occasion
  • Community service leave (except paid jury service)
  • Unpaid parental leave
  • 2 days unpaid adoption leave
  • Superannuation guarantee
  • A day off on public holidays unless a work day has been arranged between the worker and the employer
  • A maximum of 38 hours per week, plus reasonable additional hours
  • After a period of regular employment across 12 months (and if the position is to continue), casuals are entitled to flexible working hours and parental leave
  • Casuals may also be entitled to long service leave and paid parental leave

Temporary Employee

Temporary employees are engaged for a specific period of time either via a fixed-term contract or to assist in a particular project which has an end date. These employees are also considered to be temporary if they replace permanent employees who may have taken long service leave, parental leave, or who are injured. Workers engaged via an agency would also be classified as temporary. Temporary employees are eligible for the same entitlements as described above depending on whether they are employed on a full-time, part-time or casual basis.

More information about this topic can be found on the Fairwork website.

I hope you now have a clearer understanding of the difference between the 4 employment statuses than you did before! This is a very basic description of employment statuses. For more specific information related to your industry and employees, please refer to your award.

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Employers’ Toolbox (free download)

Are you a new employer? Do you need help with getting started? Do you know what your employer obligations involve? Being an employer is a huge responsibility and brings with it added compliance to which you must adhere if you want to get it right. To assist you in this task, we have created the “Employers’ Toolbox”, a simple guide to getting started including all of the resources you will need along the way.

Toolbox

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What’s this Fair Work Thing?

Are you up to speed with the new Fairwork Industrial Relations? If you aren’t, you should be especially if you are an employer! This modern awards system together with 10 national employment standards began on 1st January 2010. There’s a lot to know about so please read on……..

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