July 1st 2009 - The first day of the new financial year will bring great changes to workplace relations.  The Industrial Relations Commission will be renamed to Fair Work Australia and will  have extended powers and authority.  

Unfair dismissal has been a great talking point following the announcement of changes in the regulations including the removal of the small business exemption that has been in place since March 2006.   What does this mean for growing business who now are affected by this change?  Initially they should review their existing procedures and processes to make sure that they can limit the possibility of any unfair dismissal action being taken by their employees.  

To do this every business should ensure that they have put in place: -

1. Job descriptions that are realistic and reflect the job role 
2. Prepare and provide to every employee written guidance on acceptable employee behaviour 
3. Include in the job description how an employee is to be measured when they perform their duties and what performance is considered acceptable
4. Maintain detailed records of reviews of employee performance and any disciplinary actions that may have been taken based upon the performance criteria
5. Put in place procedures to manage any disciplinary action and warnings  provided to employees

If further advice and guidance is needed any business should contact their local Chamber of Commerce who have been providing seminars on these changes. 

Business software can help with this issue and many more.  HR modules are available for most business systems and they can provide help when managing procedures, maintaining detailed records and providing reports on many aspects of HR.    They are often linked to Payroll so that a complete record can be maintained by any employer.

Contact Nik at Advance on               08 8238 6500        to find out more about how our business software solutions can deliver benefits to your business.