? COVID Update
– NSW will make significant changes to COVID restrictions from 1 December 2020, with up to 50 people allowed to gather at private residences. The Premier is still asking us to exercise commonsense! For the full list of changes, see https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/what-you-can-and-cant-do-under-rules
– Last week, Victorian restrictions also eased significantly to “last step” level. Congratulations to Victoria for having no more active cases in the state! For details, visit https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus
? HR Update
– NSW will no longer require employers to allow employees to work from home from 14 December 2020 as part of easing COVID restrictions.
– Victoria has announced a pilot program to give some casual and insecure workers paid sick leave and carers leave in the future, beginning in late 2021/early 2022. Up to 5 days of leave will be paid by the government for workers in priority industries.
– The Federal Government is planning to bring a raft of industrial relations reforms to parliament before Christmas, including award simplification, the enterprise agreement system (involving softening the Better Off Overall Test (BOOT)), casuals and fixed term employees, compliance and enforcement systems around payroll accuracy, and the establishment of greenfields agreements. It’s going to be a fight, and we will keep you posted on the details and how any changes passed will affect your business.
– Will your business require proof of a COVID vaccine from customers, like Qantas has foreshadowed? https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-24/covid-19-vaccine-passport-australia-qantas/12914246
ℹ️ What lessons about mental health in the workplace can we take from this year into 2021? Join us on Wednesday at 5:30pm for a Facebook Live webinar with Consultant Psychologist Jessica Pearson.
