Author Archives: Hannah Hoffman

Procedural fairness and your employer obligations

Let’s talk about procedural fairness. Do you understand your employer obligations when terminating an employee? We recently answered this question. “Over time, I have given my employee several warnings (both written an verbal). Can I dismiss them without giving them a right of reply?”   ANSWER No, you shouldn’t. Firstly, employees are entitled to an […]

Parental leave and your employer obligations

Parental leave, do you know your employer obligations? With the Toowoomba region topping the state for most babies born in 2020, understanding parental leave and employee rights is important. So, what exactly do you need to know? An employee has the right to come back to the job they had before going on leave. They’re […]

Minimum wage increase set to take effect from 1 February 2021

Last year, the Fair Work Commission increased the national minimum wage by 1.75% using a three-stage, staggered approach. From 1 February 2021, the third and final stage will take effect. So, what does this mean for you as a business owner? If you employ staff under a Modern Award listed in Group 3, their wage […]

The Pastoral Award: Time not worked due to wet weather

Do you employ people under the Pastoral Award? We recently got asked this question. “Our cattle enterprise employs staff under the Pastoral Award. We would like to know, if it’s too wet for farm work, how should time not worked be treated?” So, what is the answer? Firstly, as the Pastoral Award makes no reference […]

Leave without pay and public holidays

Do you have staff taking leave without pay over the holidays? Do you know your employer obligations for public holidays that fall during leave without pay? Read the below Q&A to get up-to-speed.   QUESTION We have a number of employees taking leave without pay over the Christmas and New Year period. Are we still […]

Changes to casual overtime rates

Overtime provisions in several modern awards have been amended for casual employees from the first full pay period on or after 20 November 2020. The changes made by the Fair Work Commission (FWC) aim to simplify overtime for casual employees and reduce common confusion around casual loading versus overtime penalty rates. Making variations to several awards, casual […]

Christmas 2020: Queensland Public Holidays and Pay Rates

With the festive season almost here, now is the time to get up-to-speed with Queensland public holidays and pay rates. To help your business get it right, we have put together a quick guide.   Common Awards and Public Holiday Rates Here is a  selection of public holiday pay rates for common awards. These details […]

Award changes from November, is your business ready?

Is your business up-to-speed with the latest award changes? The new minimum wage changes for Group 2 are due to kick off from the first full pay period on or after 1 November 2020. So, what exactly does your business need to know? About the changes In line with the Fair Work Commission’s announcement in […]

Are your employees happy? Find out with employee surveys

Let’s face it, 2020 has been an unprecedented year especially when it comes to the workplace. How have your staff coped and how are they feeling about their job satisfaction? Do you know? Here is one way you could find out. 👉 EMPLOYEE SURVEYS 👈 Whether it’s how your employees rate their job satisfaction or […]

Motor vehicle kilometre reimbursements 

We recently answered this question about motor vehicle kilometre reimbursements. “We currently offer to reimburse staff for business use of their personal vehicle using the ATO cents per kilometre method. However, only a handful of employees submit requests in this way. Most claim it as a personal tax deduction when they do their tax. We […]