We are super excited to be a part of HR Monthly’s vlog series. Our first vlog looked at this topic, but just because we’re lawyers and we like writing much more than we like talking on camera, we decided to set out some of the key points from our vlog on this blog post.

7Eleven are in hot water this week and it’s not the first time. On Monday night, Four Corners aired their expose on the franchise chain, shining a light on the abuse of workers and the restrictions of 7Eleven’s franchise model.

The joint investigation by Fairfax and the ABC raised some very serious issues deserving of public attention, but it’s not just the general public who should be paying attention to this story, franchisees and franchisors can learn a lot from the 7Eleven saga.

We were very lucky to have the pleasure of hearing Deb Coakley’s (Executive GM of People and Property Services at Dexus Property Group) inspirational “sermon” (her words not ours) at our most recent Table for 10 forum.  Deb kindly agreed to share wisdom on “why it’s not an HR issue, it’s a business issue” with our invitees. 

Employers are often asked to provide reference checks for current or former employees. Its common practice, but what obligations do employers have when they receive these types of phone calls?

As part of its four yearly review of modern awards, the Fair Work Commission has turned its attentions to overtime and time off in lieu (TOIL). In a decision earlier this month, the FWC decided that TOIL provisions should be included in all modern awards that deal with overtime. 

 We felt very privileged to be able to share some of our knowledge with Dress for Success clients this week.  Our seminar “The A, B and C of Your Rights at Work: What to Know and Where to Go” was delivered as part of the Job Support Group that Dress For Success Sydney runs.  

Our morning mission was to empower the attendees around their workplace rights, particularly in relation to pay and leave entitlements, discrimination, bullying and harassment.  We also wanted to enforce that they deserve to be treated lawfully and to help guide them through the best ways to deal with workplace issues that they may face now, or in the future. 

Being a receptionist takes skill and experience, yet, to be the new receptionist at Lorna Jane your skills and experience won’t matter unless you measure a size small.

In a recently advertised position, active-wear brand Lorna Jane listed a set of requirements for a receptionist/fit model ‘dream job’ at its head office. The ad listed the necessary skills and experience required for the receptionist part of the position but the only requirements of the fit model part were a set of specific body measurements and patience when required to stand for periods of time. The ad drew all kinds of negative attention for its strange combination of jobs, including suggestions that the company was trying to veil a desire to only hire thin, attractive women. 

Given we are celebrating the first birthday of THE WORKPLACE this month, we thought we’d share our top 7 reasons why you should call an employment lawyer in your first year of business.

• Workforce Modelling – Knowing the difference between different types of employment and the rights, obligations and costs associated with each is essential for any new business.  Labour costs are the biggest threat to every new business and with Australia having some of the highest labour costs in the world, having a lawyer assist with workforce modelling and advising on what mix of employees will keep your labour costs to a minimum, is money well spent.

Earlier this month, the Fair Work Commission handed down a decision about the way modern awards deal with excessive accrual of annual leave. There were two main take away points for employers: firstly, employers will be able to direct their employees to take excessive accrued annual leave and secondly, employees will be able to cash out part of their annual leave.

Today, the Fair Work Commission (FWC) delivered its 2015 minimum wage order. The order included a determination that the federal minimum wage will increase by 2.5% to $656.90 per week and the new minimum hourly rate is $17.29. Modern award minimum rates were also increased by 2.5%.  Weekly wages will be rounded to the nearest 10 cents. For businesses across the country this means updating payroll systems and making sure rates of pay are correct. The changes announced by the FWC will take effect from 1 July 2015, so employers should start getting ready now.