In recent months, I’ve spoken to many HR professionals about employee relations (ER).
The challenging nature of the role for those in ER was a common theme.
The role of ER has never been more valuable to Australian employers, whose workplaces have never been more regulated.
Yes, compliance is a must, but meeting business objectives is
As we discussed in our previous blog on non-competes (as well as other types of restraint of trade), the move to add regulation has been gaining momentum since Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced in August 2023 a Competition Review to examine competition laws, policies and institutions.
Whilst the move to ban non-competes in Australia has
Almost eight years ago, we wrote about some lessons that could be taken from The Simpsons episode ‘King-Size Homer’ (first broadcast in 1995). You will remember that Homer is so lazy that he sets up a “drinking bird” to automate pressing buttons on his home computer that is being used to monitor the
In our previous post celebrating the firm’s decade in Australia, our partners shared their insights into the most significant changes in employment and safety law that have affected leading employers. This post further explores our partners’ perspectives on the major changes and trends that they anticipate will have a major impact on Australian businesses in
It is worth noting that under the original timetable of the Hon Tony Burke MP for the Closing Loopholes Bill, it would have been passed as law this week.
Instead, in the face of Senate scrutiny, the Bill was pushed into Committee for examination until February 2024. In the time since, fundamental problems with the
In his press club speech on 31 August 2023, just days before the public release of the Closing Loopholes Bill, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations the Hon Tony Burke MP described the problem of the labour hire loophole as follows:
“But if you have an enterprise agreement in place, the labour hire loophole
The use of contracting arrangements is widespread; however, around the world, we are seeing trends suggesting this type of work arrangement may become more restricted, higher cost or higher risk to companies in the future. We asked several partners to share their insights on what’s changing for companies that use contractors and what the key
This is The Australian’s 8 December 2022 headline. It reflects the result of its 2022 CEO Survey. We’re not surprised. It echoes the observation made in our previous blog about the new laws getting much C-suite interest.
This interest, and those concerns, stem from the likely shift away from enterprise bargaining and towards terms and
Across a range of disciplines, the Fair Work Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Act 2022 will bring a paradigm shift. Indeed, on our count, there are thirteen new civil penalty laws aimed at employers arising from new obligations.
But the most profound change will be in the area of workplace bargaining as our previous blogs
In our previous blog, Chris Gardner and I explained why in our view, if the Secure Jobs, Better Pay Bill was made law, it would spell the end of single-enterprise bargaining. We said this would happen because many employers would be roped-in or otherwise pressured to join multi-enterprise deals, resulting in industry-level enterprise agreements much