CHRONICLE COLUMN | 18 June 2024
Labour pains: It’s time for businesses to prepare for the arrival of major workplace reforms
The business world’s version of January 1 will be a case of ‘Nappy New Years’, with key changes to parental leave provisions coming into effect as part of new industrial relations reforms.
So, what should business owners be preparing for?
For starters, they should anticipate that staff could take more leave to care for new arrivals in light of expanded time-off allowances.
From July 1 through until 2026, the number of weeks of paid parental leave covered by the government will grow from 20 to 26, increasing by a fortnight each year.
Parents will also be entitled to extra flexible unpaid leave days. The current entitlement of 100 flexible parental leave days will increase by 10 each financial year, to ultimately stand at 130 for parents of children born post July 2026.
During the new financial year there will also be significant changes to workplace laws, including the ‘right to disconnect’, which provides employees the right to refuse unreasonable attempts for contact outside of work hours.
Workers will essentially have the right to refuse to monitor, read or respond to contact, or attempted contact, from an employer outside working hours – unless that refusal is unreasonable.
Businesses also need to be aware of new ‘same job, same pay’, measures intended to prevent employers undercutting bargained wages in enterprise agreements by engaging labour hire workers. There will be a new ‘casual employee’ definition and a new criminal offence for wage theft aimed at preventing intentional underpayments.
Business Labour Pains
It’s a lot to absorb. That’s why Focus HR is partnering with the Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce to help businesses navigate the changes. The breakfast, open to all business managers and leaders, is titled ‘IR unpacked: your 1 July guide for navigating new workplace legislation’. To book a ticket visit the chamber website.
Naomi Wilson is the Founding Director of Focus HR Platinum Partner Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce
