The road ahead. 2015 promises to hold further changes.
Employers can expect to see change in the following key areas:
Changes to Government's Parental Pay Scheme
The Government intends to expand the existing scheme to provide the primary carer with their full pay for 6 months, capped at $50,000. This bill would also amend the Paid Parental Leave Act 2010 (Cth) to remove the requirement for employers to provide government-funded PPL payments directly to employees, unless both the employer and employee agree for the employer to make the payments.The Bill is yet to be passed. Employers with PPL policies can prepare for the possible new PPL scheme from 1 July 2015 by:
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- Ensuring that they reserve the right to vary, withdraw or replace their PPL policies;
- Updating PPL policies with information about the transition to any new PPL laws and limiting payments under current policies to children born or adopted before 1 July 2015 to limit or remove providing employees with any unintended, “double dipping” opportunity.
Superannuation
Under SuperStream legislation, a government reform aimed at improving the efficiency of the superannuation system, all employer contributions (both data and payments) must be made electronically for all businesses with 20 or more employees before 1 July 2015. If you have 19 or fewer employees (small employer) SuperStream you have until 30 June 2016 to meet the SuperStream requirements when sending superannuation contributions on behalf of your employees.
Employee Complaints
There is an emerging shift in the nature of complaints. Where it was once about pay and conditions, complaints are increasingly being received relating to inappropriate employee behaviour, general protections or “adverse action” and flexible work arrangements. Increased awareness of employment obligations has required better processes by employers who have endeavoured to ensure that internal processes exist to deal with complaints rather than have employees feel that they must look to an external party, such as the Fair Work Commission to resolve matters.There will continue to be increased pressure on employers to ensure that any investigation that they undertake regarding a complaint remains impartial and decisions are not formed and actions are not taken until all the facts are determined.
Your HRmanager will continue to run its very popular Workshops in 2015. A selection of key ones include:
- Workplace Behaviours
- Managing Employment Risks
- Ramping Up Performance
- Improving Recruitment & Selection
- Driving Increased Sales
Please contact us to learn more about these.