New guides to help small to medium businesses with workplace law
The Fair Work Ombudsman has developed a set of guidelines for small to medium sized businesses aimed at assisting employers to better understand aspects of workplace laws.
The benefits of family-friendly workplaces, gender pay equity and good faith bargaining are among the issues canvassed in the series of guidelines that can be accessed on the Fair Work Ombudsman website.
Eleven best practice guides have been developed to assist employers make better use of the provisions of the Fair Work Act and better understand other aspects of workplace laws.
Executive director Michael Campbell says the guides will particularly benefit employers with limited workplace relations or human resource management experience.
“With this latest initiative, we have sought to explain in simple language the concepts of best practice in key areas which can promote harmonious, productive and co-operative workplaces,” Campbell said.
The new guides cover Work & Family, Consultation & Co-operation, Individual Flexibility Arrangements, Employing Young Workers, Gender Pay Equity, Small Business, Workplace Privacy, Managing Under-performance, Effective Dispute Resolution and Improving Workplace Productivity in Bargaining.
A guide for young workers has also been prepared, outlining things young people need to know before they start work and after they take a job, including protections against harassment and discrimination and the right to join or not to join a union.
The information can be accessed at the Fair Work Ombudsman website at fwo.gov.au . Employers can also contact the Infoline on 13 13 94 between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday for assistance.