Employers' underpayment self-disclosures are becoming a routine occurrence in the media, but their causes and circumstances are far more nuanced than many reports suggest. Watch this webcast to understand where underpayment risks are most likely to arise and which steps help prevent them.
Payroll audits have had their day in identifying potential underpayments, and it's time for employers to embrace analytics, says former Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James.
Westpac has entered into an enforceable undertaking and is backpaying employees $6 million after self-reporting that it had underpaid long service leave entitlements.
The Federal Court has found an employer threatened employees with repatriation to "intimidate them into silence", knowing they would put up with below-award rates and conditions.
Coles has been accused of giving a "poor excuse" for underpaying its workers. Also in this article, the FWC has expressed provisional views on whether gig workers should have their own modern award.
Annualised salary arrangements are a key pain point for employers at the moment, but HR leaders can mitigate "inevitable" payroll mistakes using a back-to-basics approach, a lawyer says.
Employers don't have an obligation to self-report inadvertent underpayments, but "it's a bit naïve" to think the Fair Work Ombudsman won't find out they've occurred, a lawyer says.
All employers should consider putting in place a workplace s-xual harassment prevention plan, even though such plans are only expressly prescribed in one jurisdiction, according to a risk management expert.
Recent events have shone a spotlight on whistleblowing, placing employers firmly on notice that their response to a protected disclosure could be subject to intense scrutiny. Watch this webcast to understand the role HR plays in this challenging space.
