The indicators employers need to report against under the Workplace Gender Equality Act include information that many organisations don't yet capture, and might have to create systems for, according to Ashurst lawyers Michael Tamvakologos and Melissa Bulat.
The first reporting period under the Act (1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014) will require all non-public-sector employers with 100 or more employees to submit a written, public report on six "gender equality indicators" (GEIs) by 31 May 2014.
The GEIs employers must report on are:
1. Gender composition of the workforce - such as data by gender on the employment status and "occupational category" of staff, and strategies or policies that support gender equality, like targeted recruitment, retention or development programs;
2. Gender composition of governing bodies - such as details of any targets or strategies the employer has in relation to the gender composition of a governing body;
3. Equal remuneration between women and men - such as remuneration data by gender and occupational category, and details of any gender pay equity strategies the employer has;
4. Availability and utility of employment terms, conditions and practices relating to flexible working arrangements - such as the proportion of the workforce that has access to employer-funded paid parental leave for primary and secondary carers, and data by gender and manager/non-manager on the availability of flexible work arrangements;
5. Consultation with employees on issues concerning gender equality in the workplace - such as information about the categories of employees consulted on gender equality; and
6. Sex-based harassment and discrimination - such as details of any sex-based harassment and discrimination prevention strategies and policies.
Every year the Minister for the Status of Women will outline exactly which details should be reported on under each GEI. The Workplace Gender Equality (Matters in relation to Gender Equality Indicators) Instrument 2013 outlines requirements for the upcoming period.
"A failure to comply with the reporting requirements or, from 1 April 2014, the new minimum standards, could lead to public naming of employers or affect an organisation's ability to win government work," Tamvakologos and Bulat warn in their alert on the topic.
After lodging their report, the Act requires employers to notify staff and shareholders as soon as practicable. Staff and shareholders must also be told how they can access a copy, and advised that they can pass on comments to the employer or the Agency.
Consultation "a principal object" of the Act
According to the Agency, fostering workplace consultation between employers and employees on issues concerning gender equality in the workplace is "a principal object" of the Act, and should be a critical component of all gender equality strategies.
GEI 5 requires employers to report on consultation with the workplace on gender equality matters, including the mode of consultation and the categories of employees consulted.
Consultation should help employers to identify gender equality issues in the workplace, and enable employees to participate in decisions and to share responsibility for action, the Agency says.
It identifies three levels of consultation that indicate a "progressive approach" to using it as a means of identifying and addressing gender equality issues in the workplace.
First, starting out: issues are raised in employee meetings, by consultative committees, in exit interviews, and in employee surveys.
Second, moving forward: consultation occurs via task groups, employee surveys, focus groups, diversity committees, and performance management programs.
Third, leading the way: consultation extends to one-on-one interviews, employee surveys, women's network meetings, 360-degree feedback findings, and diversity summits.
"Organisations that are focused on improving productivity and impacting the bottom-line use meetings of employees and managers to share information and discuss issues of concern," the Agency says.
"Where all meeting members are encouraged to participate actively through input into meeting agenda items, contributing to meeting discussion [and] rotating the meeting leader role, issues of concern can be raised and addressed, including issues which impact on gender equality in the workplace."
The Agency says that minutes of these meetings should include issues raised, recommended actions and progress towards outcomes.
A subsequent review of the minutes should indicate:
• what issues relevant to gender equality were raised in meetings;
• what action was taken to address them; and
• what issues still need to be actioned.
Investing in your employees statistically results in a higher quality of work from them. Pouring resources into developing employee satisfaction, a sense of worth, and creating the right work environment has a crucial impact on your bottom line: happy employees are productive ones. Here’s how to keep your team motivated all year round.
Be Visible
You need to demonstrate your own commitment to the company if you are expecting it from your employees. Walk around the office and talk to people- show your face so that they know you are available to listen to whatever it is they have to say. Offer to make the coffee or pick up pastries from the bakery. Be present to prove that you care, and you’ll see the difference in how your colleagues respond to you, and your business.
Give rewards
This doesn’t always have to be financial- although it helps. In simply recognising the achievements and dedication of your key players you can boost morale. Promote staff with a title change or different responsibilities when they prove themselves, and send a company email announcing it. Paying attention when your workforce go the extra mile lets them know that nothing they contribute goes unnoticed.
Team Meetings
This can be a ten-minute check-in daily, or a weekly breakfast meeting to talk about the week. It can be quarterly staff drinks or an annual Summer BBQ. Whatever it is, keep your team talking with you. It gives everyone an opportunity to informally contribute to the business, and invest emotionally. If employees feel listened to, they add value. Simple.
Promote Intrapreneurship
Employees will flourish if they are invested in a project they have to deliver on, and the highest levels of empowerment and engagement will develop if the assignment is their own idea. By having workers identify what needs to be done and then allowing them the creative space to execute it in the way they see fit, you are demonstrating that you trust them- and that will be rewarded with only the best results.
Make the team a family
Give staff an opportunity to bond- without you. Organise think tanks, collaborations, book swaps or info-exchanges: anything them gets them talking about their role within the business and how that fits with the work of others. We all need to feel part of something bigger than just ourselves, so in facilitating this kind of unmonitored inter-employee dialogue you’re giving your employees a wider context for their work. This helps them to recognise their value in the functionality of the company as a whole, and that’s priceless.
Take a look at your own attitude
Assess the impact of your own attitude and behaviour on the motivation of your staff. Are you smiling when you talk? Giving as much praise as constructive feedback? Dressing smartly, looking fresh-faced, taking pride in your appearance and investing in your wellbeing? Most communication is non-verbal, so take a look at the silent signs you’re giving to your workers about the approach you have to your own job: your team will absolutely being following suit.
(This post is from Milestone Operations, a U.K.-based recruitment company specialising in HGV jobs that motivate, stimulate, and reward.)
Does your business shut down over Christmas and New Year period? Many Modern Awards have clauses which allow the employer tell their employees to take annual leave when they shut down their business for a day or more. Employees do have an entitlement to public holidays during shutdown periods. You can ask your employees to take paid annual leave during a shut down if:
The relevant award or agreement allows it, or
Your business is not covered by an award or agreement.
If an employee does not have enough leave you can discuss with them the option of them taking unpaid leave or annual leave in advance.
While Christmas can be a quiet time for many businesses you may want to keep things ticking without the need for employees to be on site for the full working day. Or you may need to have things in place so that if an emergency /incident occurs there is a procedure in place to manage it. A good way around this is to have employees on call. Taking advantage of technology can make this a handy option nowadays. Having your on call employees organised in advance of the Christmas shut down period means that any calls that come in can be managed quickly and efficiently without an employee having to sit in the office all day. If required, having employees on call ensures the best customer service for your clients.
How to pay employees on call:
A call-out allowance is payable to employees who are rostered to be on call. It is best to refer to the relevant award/agreement for the amount of the allowance. Fair Work Australia refer to it as an “Availability for Duty” rate. Where an employee is on availability duty, the employee must be paid availability for duty allowance of a % of the weekly standard rate per week and if required to work must be paid at the appropriate rate for actual time worked. Availability duty means that the employee concerned must be available to the employer by means of telephone at any time the employee is receiving the availability for duty allowance.
Further information on “availability for duty” allowances are available from FairWork Australia or contact Inspire Success and we can advise you.
Getting organized and being productive are often on our New Year’s resolution lists. Productive people ensure their time is spent working towards their goals. They prioritize what must be done to reach them, recognizing when an activity ultimately delays their success. Being productive means steering clear of distractions and not succumbing to procrastination. Here are some tips to help you get 2013 off to a productive start and make the most of your time every day at work.
Set goals – setting goals at the start of the year is important and tracking the progress you make towards your goal ensures you keep on track. Setting goals keeps you focused and motivated. By considering whether the things you do are carrying you closer to meeting your goals, you’ll be able to focus on genuine productivity.
Manage time and improve your time management skills. Time management requires discipline but gives you a greater degree of control over what you do during the day. Good time management makes you more efficient and can make improvements to your life at work and at home.
Get organised – make a to do list, keep track of due dates and long term reminders, manage interruptions and work on one task at a time are some ways to help get your organised. Being overwhelmed by a lack of time, space or energy won’t allow you to set goals. Breaking the process down and being organised at every step will see you setting goals in next to no time.
Keep meetings to the set time – schedule meetings for a set time, ensure the meetings start on time and don’t go over the time allocated
Manage your inbox – email is essential for businesses but managing your inbox can be hugely time consuming. It is important to think about how you organize, reply to and even think about your emails. Some tips include setting a time frame on how long you spend on email every day, act upon an email with a response, save it or delete it, prioritise/use folders for emails, have a separate account for personal and work email and unsubscribe from excess email subscriptions. Email is a fantastic tool when managed well but does take some work to get them under control
Manage time on mobile phone –The use of smartphones is on the rise and this means we can now use our phones for a lot more than calls and text messages. We can now check emails, use the internet, open documents, work on different software etc. On the plus their usage can help increase your productivity, you are accessible 24/7, you never miss emails, messages or updates. The downside of this is the risk of burnout and constant distraction. It’s important to manage the time spent on them and not be completely dependent on it.
Stamp out stress – stress has many causes including long hours, heavy workload, job insecurity and work conflicts. If stress is excessive and going on for some time it can lead to physical and mental ill health. Learn about methods to prevent and reduce your job stress
Go paperless - Get things done efficiently (and save the environment) by going paperless in 2013. Going paperless can save money, reduce clutter, save space, keep your data safe and allow documentation and information sharing. Just ensure you back up the information and documents!
Be productive while working on your PC – are your systems out of date, slow or problematic – improve your PC systems to increase your productivity. Upgrading your systems (when required) enhances security and helps increase productivity and decrease costs
Have fun - finally, all the above mentioned tips are meant to make you productive enough to take time out now and then, and enjoy time away from your desk. Getting to know your team/colleagues and enjoying social events with them can help to make people more motivated. And what better way than the upcoming Christmas parties...Have fun!
Is this something that could be an issue at your place? Inspire Success is all about implementing practical solutions that help create high performing workplaces which are customer focussed and free of conflict - no matter what size your business is. Contact Rae Phillips at Inspire Success for further information raephillips@inspire-success.com
With employees working long hours and a focus being put on maximising the efforts of the workforce pressure is inevitably felt, pressure which we all call stress. For those whose work week has been stretched to the limit work life imbalance is created and work eats into personal time. Sacrifices are made to keep the wheels churning at work. Here we look at stress management tips in the workplace for the individual and the business owner ...
Some stress can be a positive thing.... stress can be a motivator, some of us enjoy working under pressure or feel we work best when we have some pressure or stress. However, when stress is having a negative effect on your wellbeing it’s time to look at ways to get the balance back. Finding ways to manage workplace stress is not about making huge changes to every aspect of your work life or rethinking career ambitions. Stress management requires focus on the one thing that’s always within your control: you.
Tips on managing job stress:
Take care of yourself – when stress is adversely impacting your health or interfering with how you do at work or on your personal life it’s time to make changes. When you take care of yourself you are stronger and more resilient to stress. Even small changes can give you back control and make you feel happier and more energetic. Changes can include small but positive lifestyle choices and ensuring you stick to them – an exercise class, yoga, meditation, listening to music, a weekend away etc whatever helps you unwind, enjoy it. It’s a very important way to improve your physical and emotional well-being.
Reduce job stress by prioritizing and organizing – create a balanced schedule, don’t over commit and plan regular breaks. If you have too much on your plate list what “must” be done and what “should” be done and push the to do items that are not essential to the bottom of the list. Take breaks during the day to clear your mind. Stepping away from work to briefly relax and recharge will help you be more, not less, productive.
Reduce job stress by breaking bad habits – resist being perfect, reduce clutter, rule out negative thinking. No project, decision or person is perfect so don’t set unrealistic goals or expectations of yourself. Aim to do you very best and be happy that you have done that. Reduce the clutter, tidy your desk, file documents, get your emails organised and stick to your to-do list and cross off items as achieved. These will all help you to feel less overwhelmed every day. Focus only on the things you have control over and don’t stress or worry about the things out of your control.
Connect with others at work – listen to your colleagues, communicate with them, enjoy some social time with colleagues after work hours. Being part of a supportive team can really help relieve stress and make you happier in the workplace.
Reducing stress of your employees:
Happy people are more engaged with their work, build better relationships with colleagues and clients, have less sick days and tend to remain in a role longer. It's in your best interest to keep stress levels in the workplace to a minimum. Managers/ leaders can act as positive role models, especially in times of high stress. If you can remain calm in stressful work situations, it is much easier for your employees to also remain calm. Here are our top three tips to reduce stress in your workplace:
1. Improve communication
Share information with employees to reduce uncertainty about their jobs, questions, futures
Clearly define employees’ roles and responsibilities
Make communication friendly and efficient
2. Consult with your employees
Give your employees opportunities to be involved in decisions that affect their jobs
Ensure your team’s workload is suitable to their abilities and resources
Avoid unrealistic deadlines
Show that your employees are valued
Offer rewards and incentives
Praise good work performance, both verbally and officially, one example would be having an employee of the month award
Provide opportunities for career development
Promote a work culture that gives employees more control over their work.
3. Have a friendly social climate
Provide opportunities for social interaction among your employees
Establish a zero-tolerance policy for harassment
Make management actions consistent with organizational values.
Is this something that could be an issue at your place? Inspire Success is all about implementing practical solutions that help create high performing workplaces which are customer focussed and free of conflict - no matter what size your business is. Contact Rae Phillips at Inspire Success for further information raephillips@inspire-success.com
Whether you love it or dread it the holiday season is here. Shops are decorated, Christmas tunes are playing, turkeys are plentiful, and the kids are making their lists for Santa Claus. Your work Christmas party is booked, the time and date highlighted in your employees’ diaries. It’s a time for everyone to have some fun together, to celebrate the end of a year and get ready to welcome in a new one together. You want your team to enjoy themselves and the party to be a relaxed and enjoyable get together. However, a relaxed and sociable environment mixed with alcohol means that there is an increased chance of risky and/or inappropriate behaviour, which you, the employer will be held liable for, even if the event is not held on work premises.
In a recent HR daily article employment lawyer Luke Connolly outlines the obligations of employers serving alcohol falling into four key areas:
Duty of care - encompassing a common law duty to provide a safe workplace;
Sexual harassment - while not isolated to functions, this is "obviously an area that is exacerbated by drug and alcohol taking", and is the biggest area of risk at end-of-year celebrations, Connolly says;
Occupational health and safety - "Under OHS legislation an employer has very serious and primary obligations to ensure the health and safety of employees (and others), and excessive consumption of alcohol and/or drug taking can have a direct impact upon that obligation"; and
Workers' compensation - "If there's an incident at a work function, it will be work related and workers' compensation will be applicable, which has a direct impact upon premiums but most importantly the expense, cost and time of having to rehabilitate an injured worker."
In most legal contexts, the Christmas party (and any work function) will be considered as part of the 'workplace' even when not on the work premises. As such, all the duties and obligations of the employer that apply in the office/workplace continue to apply for the duration of the function or party.
Here are our top 10 tips to minimise risk at your work party:
Ensure all your HR and Work, health and safety policies are up to date – with particular focus on discrimination, bullying, harassment, workplace behaviour, alcohol and drug use. Ensure you have a clear grievance resolution procedure in the event that there is an incident at the party. Circulate these policies, discuss them at weekly team meetings, ensure the messages of these policies are clearly understood by all employees and any questions they may have answered. This will ensure your employees know what is expected of them in terms of behaviour at all times
If using an offsite venue ensure it is inspected and deemed to be safe with clear emergency exits
While alcohol is usually the norm at parties, have non-alcoholic drinks available also. Provide plenty of water so employees consuming alcohol can slow down the pace if required. When supplying/serving alcohol ensure normal responsible service of alcohol standards are adhered to.
Do not allow any types of drinking games, high alcohol consumption prizes etc
Food and plenty of it should be provided at the party
Let your employees clearly know the start and finish times
Consider providing transportation for employees after the party ends, like a mini-bus or Cabcharge vouchers (or at least inform employees of transport options available). Providing transportation is not obligatory for employers but can be a very effective risk minimisation measure
Ensure responsible managers clearly understand substance abuse and alcohol policies and that they know to step in should any situation get out of control
Check your insurance covers Christmas party activities
Clearly advise employees beforehand that any festivities continuing after the Christmas party conclusion time are not endorsed by the employer and are on the employees’ own time.
With organisation and good preparation, you can ensure that it is a happy, safe and incident-free holiday season. Enjoy...
At a recent training session I sat with a group of HR professionals where we discussed the importance of reference checking and how references can really add value and be the final step of your recruitment process. However, the concern voiced around the table was that often the right questions are not asked and the wrong questions are asked during references being checked.
Reference checking is a very important part of the recruitment process and should be a step in your hiring process. In fact a decision to hire a new employee should not be finalised until after the reference checking is completed. A reference check is not a fishing expedition or a friendly chat or a chance to network ....it is a structured and important part of the recruitment process.
Some problems with how reference checks are being done that were voiced in our discussion included:
1. They are badly done rather than being of little value
2. The wrong questions are asked – this can mean discriminatory questions being asked or invalid questions being asked
3. Probing is not done
4. Candidate provides referees rather than the company/employer stating who they want to obtain the reference from.
All of the above points are important and must be tackled but point 4 is certainly one that we at Inspire Success have seen happen a number of times and can really remove the value this step can add. A survey by Balance Recruitment earlier in 2012 revealed 4% of employees have used a fake referee. According to Balance Recruitment, which conducted a survey of nearly 1000 workers in the IT and finance sectors, 39% of referees are personal friends, suggesting references are often biased. In addition to the prevalence of overly-positive references, 4% of the workers surveyed admitted to providing a fake referee.
Reference - http://www.workplaceinfo.com.au/recruitment/problems-and-challenges/alarming-number-of-fake-it-references
Verify, a background check firm, wrote an article discussing that as many as 75% of CVs contain an inaccuracy. Some are fairly minor in nature, while others are serious mistruths and designed to tailor the CV to a specific job or to mask aspects of their background that are less favourable. “A candidate’s resume is their marketing tool to gain employment and hence they use it to portrait themselves in the best light possible,” Greg Newton from background-search firm Verify said.
According to Verify, the most common omissions or embellishments include:
1. Leaving out positions which are less flattering to their application
2. Modifying job titles to a higher level position than they had in reality e.g Executive when they were an Officer
3. Listing qualifications that were only commenced and not yet completed
Newton said every demographic is prone to the practice. “As a generalisation, the more mature applicants tend to leave out jobs early in their career and list qualifications not necessarily completed. Younger applicants are more prone to embellish their responsibilities,” Newton commented.
Full article reference - http://www.mpdpeople.com.au/2012/09/three-quarters-of-applicants-have-already-lied-to-you/
Reference checking is your way of confirming what was said in interview and what is on a candidate’s CV. So how do you improve your reference checking practice:
1. The Right Referee:
Often a candidate will provide you with two or three names for reference and these referees may be associates of the candidate rather than having managed the candidate. Be specific with the candidate about who you want to contact for reference. In some cases it can be valuable to check references from a 360 approach - Executives (one over one); Direct Manager; Peers; Direct reports; Clients and customers.
2. Competence based Reference Checking:
Often companies don’t use reference checks to assess competencies. The ideal recruitment process would include screening, interviews, testing and reference checking– and all of these stages well prepared and planned. By clearly defining key competencies for your open position and recruitment and then developing structured reference checking around these, the candidate’s competence can be identified and validated throughout the recruitment process.
3. The right person taking the reference:
Whether it's an external recruiter, the HR Manager or Direct Manager it is important that the same person does all the reference checks so the validity of the reference check will be variable. Also, the person taking the reference must have been involved throughout the full recruitment and understand the competencies that are important. They must also probe at reference stage if it is necessary, identify any inconsistencies and uncover any reservations (if any).
It is very important in reference checking that you have a business-related reason for asking for and using the information. Ask only questions that you can ask an applicant. Also, get the candidate’s permission to contact their referees before you action. Finally, remember that reference checking must comply with the Equal Employment Opportunity and Privacy Act. Reference checks are completed in confidence and only stakeholders involved in the recruitment process will have access to this information.
At Inspire Success we believe that past performance is often the best predictor of future performance, the best way to verify an applicant’s background and job suitability is to conduct a thorough reference check. Inspire Success are specialists in Recruitment and Selection and have vast experience working with employers throughout recruitment processes for positions of all levels. Contact us for further information - raephillips@inspire-success.com.
The Australian Government is declaring 12–16 November 2012 as National Telework Week and is encouraging businesses, not-for-profits and government agencies to commit to participating. Telework offers a range of benefits to both employers and employees. Employers find it easier to attract staff from outside of their local areas. They find they are less likely to lose teleworkers, who appreciate the benefits of telework and are often more productive than their office counterparts. Telework provides employers with a way to save on office costs and increase business continuity during disasters and crises. Meanwhile, teleworking employees typically report a better work/life balance, reduced cost and stress from less daily commuting and better job satisfaction.
Finding the best candidate is never easy in recruitment. Advertising, recruitment agencies, job boards all are methods you are familiar with and no doubt have had success with them. But, in today’s economy, more and more companies are realising the power of employee referrals. Referrals can be a very effective way to attract quality candidates and is a lot lower in cost than other recruitment methods used.
Are employee referrals a big part of your recruiting success?
Well, they should be. It means that everyone in your company can be involved in your recruitment process. Having an employee referral program is a great way of getting employees involved and offering them a reward if the referral is hired. It must be well organised and structured and in touch with your employees. Employee referrals can provide strong candidates because employees know your company culture and have an idea about what employees work successfully in your company. Employee referrals also reflect on the referring employee who wants to be positively regarded in your company.
SEVEN POINTS TO REMEMBER WHEN USING A REFERRAL PROGRAM IN YOUR COMPANY:
Make sure your employees know about the program and are involved: launch the program, advertise internally and discuss it frequently. Ask your employees their opinion on the employee referral program. Get clear direction on how they want to refer candidates so the process can be made easy.
Make it easy to refer someone: make sure that the referral program has a structure that is easy to understand and manage (any forms easy to fill and understand etc)
Senior Management Buy-In – Once you define a structure and communicate with all employees, it is then up to the leaders within the business to drive it, not HR. Therefore they should lead by example, start to refer people themselves and share success stories always.
Offer a bonus or reward for each successful referral: take time to decide what the bonus/reward will be for a successful referral – one that turns into a hire. Ensure the bonus/reward is provided at an agreed date (x amount of time after hire) and stick to this time – don’t let it go late or the validity of the program will suffer. Management should praise those involved in team meetings. Create a good feeling in your company about successful referring.
Provide feedback to referring employees: don’t be afraid to tell referring employees if a particular referral was not strong —it gives them a chance to be more successful in making future referrals
Respond to the referred applicant promptly: ensure you respond to referred applicants asap
Social Media - Referral through social media such as LinkedIn, Twitter networks are a great way of attracting the right talent. You know your workplace better than anyone else. So, use social media to show why your company and company culture is inviting and progresses the careers of its employees.
Every company will achieve different results and find different things work them around referring, but you can’t ignore that referrals can be very successful and should be part of your company recruitment strategy!
Is this something that could be an issue at your place? Inspire Success is all about implementing practical solutions that help create high performing workplaces which are customer focussed and free of conflict - no matter what size your business is. Contact Inspire Success for further information raephillips@inspire-success.com
There are changes occurring to workers compensation and key dates are as below.
17th September 2012 – the seriously injured workers – permanent impairment of more than 30% as a result of injury - will move onto a revised scheme and begin receiving increased benefits
1st October 2012 – workers who make a claim on or after this date will be covered by new legislative provisions. Their weekly benefits will be calculated on their actual pre-injury earnings and will be subject to new step down provisions which occur at 13 weeks (not 26 weeks). The Work Cover Independent Review Officer (WIRO) will commence from 1st October – their role is to review decisions about benefits and work capacity
1st January 2013 – All workers injured before October 1st (other than the seriously injured workers who previously transferred) will begin to transition to new arrangements.
New forms and procedures have been released recently. There will be further changes around claims for injuries being finalised between now and 1st January 2013.
What the changes mean
There will be greater focus on returning to work and more attention paid to work capacity.
Under the changes:
weekly payments are linked to return to work, with more benefits during the first 13 weeks (when 80 per cent of injured workers return to work) and thereafter if the employee works for at least 15 hours a week
WorkCover NSW inspectors have additional powers to enforce the employer’s obligation to provide the employee with reasonable suitable duties for their return to work.
Benefits for new claims are now based more closely on the employee’s real earnings prior to injury – incorporating overtime and shift allowance in the initial 52 weeks of weekly payments.
For the first 13 weeks of a claim, the employee will receive up to 95 per cent of your pre-injury earnings
In weeks 14–130, their benefits will be made up to 95 per cent of their pre-injury average weekly earnings if they return to work for at least 15 hours a week. Otherwise, they will receive up to 80 per cent
After 130 weeks, if they have capacity to work but are not working at least 15 hours a week and earning at least $155 per week then their benefits will cease. If they are working at least 15 hours and earning at least $155, or have no capacity to work, their benefits will continue
For most workers, weekly payments are limited to five years from the date of their claim (or when they reach retirement age, if that is sooner – at which stage they may receive commonwealth benefits
If employees were claiming prior to these reforms, from 1 January 2013 a ‘transitional amount’ (which is significantly higher than the old statutory rate) will be used as their deemed pre-injury earnings.
Is this something that could be an issue at your place? Inspire Success is all about implementing practical solutions that help create high performing workplaces which are customer focussed and free of conflict - no matter what size your business is. Contact Inspire Success for further information raephillips@inspire-success.com
Reference checking is a very important part of the recruitment process and should be a step in your hiring process. In fact a decision to hire a new employee should not be finalised until after the reference checking is completed. A reference check is not a fishing expedition or a friendly chat or a chance to network ....it is a structured and important part of the recruitment process. 
