With over 100 Industry and Occupation Awards in Australia, it’s no wonder that we are known as one of the most confusing countries to hire and employ staff.
Generally speaking, an award is a contract that outlines the minimum pay and conditions for a particular employee. To make things even more complicated an employee could in fact be covered by more than just one award. Awards are often hundreds of pages long and can be very confusing to interpret.
It is the employer and employee’s responsibility to ensure that they are covered by the correct award and receiving the correct entitlements. Therefore, it’s really no surprise that Fairwork Australia are a very busy organisation ensuring that everyone is doing the right thing.
At Calculated Accounts, we are partnered with an HR company who know all these awards and how to interpret them. Their legal team can assist your business to ensure that you are doing the right thing by your employees. Of course, they will also ensure that you have the correct contracts in place so you are also protected if an employment situation turns bad.
Contract are an essential part of employing staff and are there to protect both parties. Being open and honest about the role is really important so that there is transparency in all dealings between employee and employer. These contracts will explain all the details and expectations of both parties from required hours of work through to remuneration and allowances.
We can not emphasise enough how important HR is within a company. Most small business owners do not have the capacity, funds or requirement for an HR person within their team. This is why using an external HR company is the best solution. This service can be built into your monthly set cost so that you know you’re covered without blowing your set budget – or can be an ad-hoc service when required.
Make sure you contact us to discuss your options and find a solution that will suit you and your employees. Although it is very cliche the saying is completely true – Look after your employees and they will look after you!
