If you haven’t already heard, the way you will report an employee’s tax and super information to the Australian Tax Office (ATO) is changing. This online reporting change is called Single Touch Payroll (STP). Employers with 20 or more employees are now classified as ‘substantial employers’ and they will have mandatory STP reporting of payments such as salaries and wages, pay as you go (PAYG) withholding and superannuation information from 1 July 2018. To find out if you are a …
“I don’t need a big contract of employment because my staff trust me and I pay above the industry – so no problems”. In an ideal world, we’d all get along, know and trust what we were entitled to and never have a disagreement that we couldn’t just shake hands on. I like to personally ‘play with a straight bat’ approach to everything we do but unfortunately, the real world doesn’t always like to reciprocate such good faith; which is …
As a child in Scotland, Clare remembers being taught about how Robert the Bruce was despondent at his efforts to secure Scotland’s freedom. As he considered his future after a recent defeat he watched a spider try again and again to reach across a wooden beam. The spider finally managed it on the seventh attempt and Robert was encouraged to pick himself up and dust himself off to fight another day… We’re learning that starting a business, running a business …
It is not uncommon to find that an employee’s personal life sometimes comes crashing into their work place. Perhaps it’s just the Saturday morning netball injury meaning they’re off work for a week or a more serious illicit drug or alcohol problem where the employee is absent for days at a time (or every second Monday for some reason). But what about when things turn serious and suddenly you find an employee is in custody? Surely these types of examples …
Do you know all the workplace laws governing how you pay your employees (overtime, penalties, minimum wages etc) and your pay slip and record-keeping requirements? The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) recently released their findings from a campaign targeting these issues amongst Barossa region employers and found that half the employers investigated were breaching these requirements, some without even realising it. Apart from issuing on-the-spot fines, the FWO also directed the back payment of wages to workers who were affected by …
Whether it’s because your business is expanding or you’re replacing someone who has moved on, here are three things to consider that can smooth the process and save you time and headaches later on. 1. Take a step back and be really clear on what you’re looking for from a new employee: In addition to the skills you need now, what might you need in the medium term? Can you recruit someone who can grow with your business? Can you find someone …
A written job description can help you, your business and your employee to thrive. All businesses suffer when an employee’s performance isn’t meeting the needs of the business. Often when looking into the issue, the employee isn’t always completely clear on what’s required of them, or how they fit into the business (see our earlier article on this topic). Other businesses have a blank-page approach to the role and then find out too late that not considering (or confirming with the employee) …
Planning and targeting will save you time and help build a strong team Now you know the kind of person and skills you’re looking for and you’ve captured that in a job description – how do you find them and attract them to your business? Before you start to spread the word about the role – think two things: #planning and #targeting Planning Like any task in your business, recruitment will take time. Things to plan in advance: how will you manage the recruitment …
Hiring someone who’s wrong for your business can be costly. Anecdotal evidence suggests that time starved businesses often concentrate on filling a gap right now versus finding the ‘right candidate’ who will add value and strengthen the business. In this case, the future under-performance of an employee can often be traced back to the interview process where a candidate’s skills and knowledge compared to the job you need done is incorrectly matched… and whose fault is the future under-performance in …
A clear recruitment procedure – which can be very practical and tailored to your small business – involving some standardised approaches can help you save time and headaches later on. Be clear about the skills and experience you really need this person to have Prepare two or three questions to find out more about their experience – and don’t be shy to probe for specific details. If the person talks about what the team achieved, or what “we did…”, ask them what …
