Local law firm, Australian Business Lawyers & Advisors (ABLA), will give businesses, large and small, the answers to if they’re clear on their legal responsibility as an employer or manager and more at their annual, free Workplace Update at Wallsend Diggers on Tuesday May 24.
ABLA Director and Head of the Newcastle team, Kyle Scott, said over the past two years, a number of landmark court decisions have sent shockwaves through the industrial relations landscape.
But he said the High Court has provided clarity for businesses in relation to the use of casuals and independent contractors. The Fair Work Act has already been amended to reflect these decisions.
“The cases have given businesses helpful, consistent definitions of casual employment and independent contractor engagements,” Kyle said.
“The decisions emphasise the importance of contracts rather than post contractual conduct.”
“This does mean it is important for businesses to have proper documents in place when engaging casuals and independent contractors. We will go through the ‘must haves’ during the event,” he said.
The session will also focus on two other hot topics for businesses. There is increased activity by regulators such as the Fair Work Ombudsman and Safe Work NSW.
Kyle will also discuss responding to the current wage pressure on businesses, exacerbated by the Federal election campaign focus on real wage growth and cost of living.
“Businesses are grappling with a lot of uncertainty and are time poor,” Kyle explained.
“This update will give employers, managers and HR professionals essential, need-to-know information to save time and reduce risk.”
“Consider it as your workplace compliance health check for 2022,” he said.
Kyle brings more than a decade’s experience as a specialist employment and industrial relations lawyer. He has particular expertise in managing complex terminations, enterprise bargaining, award compliance, post-employment restraints and employment litigation. He regularly conducts workplace investigations for both private and public sector clients.
The Workplace Update is being held at Wallsend Diggers from 8 to 9.30am. To book tickets visit events.humanitix.com/abla-workplace-update.
