Industrial & Employment Relations Summit 2023 – Key Takeaways
How is it nearly April - the question many of us are asking right now! A bonus to this, however, is seeing all of the hot cross buns on display in supermarkets (some would argue; tempting but dangerous).
I was recently lucky to attend the 37th Industrial & Employment Relations Summit 2023 and learned a lot about common HR matters that are continually arising in the workplace, including new legislation that could be coming to light in the near future and something to watch out for.
Curious what these are? Keep reading to check out some of my key takeaways and points below!
These key points are essential and beneficial for workplaces to be thinking about, we recommend keeping the knowledge up your sleeve, as we all know the HR world is everchanging and you need to move with it – particularly as some of these processes are occurring more often than not:
What terms must Fair Pay Agreements Include:
Standard hours of work
A minimum base wage rate, and when it applies
Overtime and penalty rates, and when they apply
Adjustment of wage, overtime, and penalty rates
Training and development arrangements
Leave entitlements
Start and expiry of the FPA (in force for 3-5 years)
Governance arrangements that will apply when in force
A process for varying the FPA
Important factors to consider when following medical incapacity:
Duration of the incapacity – prognosis for the return
Nature of the incapacity – serious? Likely to recover?
Nature of the Employment – how long can you cope with the absence
Other options available – light duties/part-time or medical retirement
Terms of the Employment Agreement – check IEA/CA and what you have agreed
Length of employment to date – long-serving vs recent arrival
Is the employer at fault?
Mental health was a common discussion point across the two-day seminar. It is clear employees are burnt out or are getting to burnout point. It’s important as organisations, you understand the health and safety obligation you have when it comes to your employee’s mental health.
Organisations are required to:
Provide and maintain a work environment that is without risks to mental health
Provide and maintain safe systems of work
Provide information, training, instruction, and supervision that is necessary to protect persons from risks in their mental health arising from work or activity that is carried out by the organisation
Monitor the mental health of workers and conditions of the work workplace to prevent illness of workers arising from the work or activity that is carried out by the organisation
Sick leave is something many employers are struggling with in the workplace at the moment and the theme throughout the seminar was that its happening across all industries and frustrating for many.
Below are some key takeaways on how to deal with repetitive sick leave and some techniques to use that have proven to deter employees taking sick leave for unnecessary reasons:
Require notification by call to a manager – a lot of employees are scared of calling
Always require a medical certificate – yes it costs the business but is also handy
Conduct return to work interviews – great way to check in with employees, especially if they are taking random days sporadically
Consider attendance management – isn’t disciplinary action but a great way to monitor an employee
This seminar provided a lot of learnings, key insights and I hope some of the tips above can also support you and your workplaces to ensure you have policies and procedures in place that are up to date, relevant with what is happening in the market and that will enable you with tools to fall back on when problems do arise.
Behind the scenes, our team have been working on an awesome project that is going to make your life easier.
We have recently uploaded a fun and interactive way to help you with Employment Agreement Reviews, HR Warrant of Fitness and Position Descriptions. Please see the links below:
These are awesome tools to use to understand where the risks might be in your organisation and how the team at People Passion may be able to assist you.
If you would like to discuss any of the points above or are dealing with situations that you could use a third party perspective, book an appointment with us here.
With Easter coming up, I hope you have a wonderful break and we look forward to supporting you throughout the rest of 2023.
Georgia Dickson
HR Partner