In brief - With the pandemic of COVID-19 occupying much of
management time at present, it would be easy to lose track of the
recent key changes to workplace laws. While most employers are
rightly prioritising the safety of their workers, employers also
need to keep an eye on the new compliance requirements.
Employers and HR teams should be making plans for the following
changes:
Annualised salaries
On 1 March 2020, annualised salary clauses were inserted into
several modern awards. This follows the decision of the Full Bench
of the Fair Work Commission, which was made in response to
widespread issues of 'wage theft' and employers failing to
comply with awards.
These changes include obligations to audit annual salaries,
record hours of work, and back payments of any shortfall when
annual salaries are audited against modern award entitlements.
