Now that the Fair Work Act's redeployment requirements have taken effect, even seemingly "unpalatable" redeployment options should be offered to employees, says Kemp Strang employment lawyer Lisa Berton.
More than 50 per cent of SMEs have a poor understanding of the National Employment Standards, which came into effect on 1 January 2010, a survey of 350 employers has found.
As the introduction of the Fair Work Act approaches the six-month mark, HR Daily gives you a run-down of five recent bargaining rulings - and why they matter.
More than half of Australian workers don't currently feel able to negotiate pay with their employer, and less than half of those who do have taken action in the past year, according to the University of Sydney's Workplace Research Centre.
As the job market strengthens and inter-company movement increases, employers will be more likely to pursue litigation to guard their assets, predicts Harmers Workplace Lawyers partner Shana Schreier-Joffe.
With the holiday season approaching, employers need to beware that if they grant employees leave in advance there's a risk they won't be able to deduct it from the final pay packet, says DLA Phillips Fox senior associate Alex Manos.
Industries that use a lot of on-call workers are moving towards people management best practice, but there is still work to be done, says HR Centre strategist Katherine Graham.
The Australian Services Union hopes to raise the pay of community services workers by up to 30 per cent, in Fair Work Australia's first pay-equity test case.
The employers that will get the most benefit from enterprise bargaining negotiations under the new system are those that have a strong handle on the drivers of their business, and who embrace "new thinking and new skills", says workplace lawyer Chris Gardner.
Employers that restrict the influence executives have on their own pay packets can avoid being "tarred with the same brush" as organisations perceived as rewarding failed leaders, the Productivity Commission says, but it has rejected a push to cap executive pay and bonuses.
Some employers have successfully stepped up to the task of managing psychosocial safety, but in many other workplaces, initiatives are falling flat. Join us for an HR Daily webinar to understand what's holding back progress in this critical space and how to move forward.
