Pandemic Leave Disaster Payments extension

Posted on 15 September 2022 | by Allan Hall

Pandemic Leave Disaster Payments will be extended indefinitely

The Prime Minister has confirmed that pandemic leave payments will be extended indefinitely following this week’s National Cabinet meeting.

That’s the payment to COVID-struck workers who don’t have access to sick leave and are forced to stay home under mandatory isolation periods.

The scheme was to be turned off at the end of September 2022, despite the 5-day isolation requirement remaining in place. Sick people, “whether from COVID or from other health issues”, should stay home — and there’s a responsibility for the government to cover them financially for the appropriate period which is designated,” the Prime Minister said.

Federal and states/territories are splitting the bill. At the next meeting, the National Cabinet will look at shortening the isolation period, with the Prime Minister noting other nations are “gradually moving towards COVID being treated like other health issues.”

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One-off Public Holiday on 22 September 2022

Posted on 14 September 2022 | by Allan Hall

Key areas for employers to consider

Thursday 22 September 2022 has been declared a one-off public holiday for the National Day of Mourning for Queen Elizabeth II.

Many of our clients have voiced concerns regarding the impact of this decision on their business, particularly in relation to an unexpected loss of trade, staff rostering, additional overtime payment costs, and reduced cash flow and profits.

Key areas for employers to consider

1. Open for trade – normal public holiday rules and entitlements will apply:

Trading rules: Employers who decide to trade on the public holiday must abide by the public holiday trading rules set out by the applicable state/territory government. Further information regarding the public holidays in your state or territory, can be found here: National Day of Mourning and other upcoming public holidays – Fair Work Ombudsman
Penalty rates and other award requirements: Employers who choose to remain open on the public holiday are obligated to pay the penalty rates set out in the applicable modern award or enterprise agreement. Other obligations may also apply in relation to the public holiday and your employees. Employers are encouraged to check the applicable modern award/s or enterprise agreement for the current penalty rates and other requirements. Should you need support, our experienced HR Consultants at Allan Hall HR are available to help.

2. Closed for trade:

Permanent employees who would usually work on 22 September are entitled to take the day off, and will be paid their base pay rate for the ordinary hours they would have otherwise worked on that day. The base rate of pay does not include:

Incentive based payments
Bonuses
Loadings
Monetary allowances
Over time
Penalty rates

Employers cannot change an employee’s days/hours to deliberately avoid this payment. Full-time and part-time employees have the right to be absent from work on public holidays, or to be paid the appropriate penalty rates under the applicable award or industrial instrument.

3. Staff scheduling changes:

Casual workforce: Employers may need to consider whether they will reduce their casual workforce to save costs or increase their casual workforce to meet an increased demand. Make note of any rostering requirements as per your company policy.
Notice regarding a change in roster: An applicable award or industrial instrument may contain requirements in relation to the period of notice required to be given by an employer to change an employee’s roster.

4. Changes to payroll:

If payroll is scheduled for 22 September, employers will need to consider delays in bank transfer of wages and whether they may need to move the pay date forward.
If an employee already has an annual leave day scheduled on Thursday 22nd, this will now need to be treated as a public holiday for payroll and leave accrual purposes.

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Our experienced HR Consultants are available to support you with any employee-related questions. Please get in touch with us today on 1300 675 393 or at [email protected].

How businesses with accurate data insights are surviving inflation

Posted on 12 September 2022 | by Allan Hall

Article by SmartCompany: The Great Data Divide

How SMEs with accurate data insights are surviving the inflationary cycle

Key points

Real-time data is more accessible to small and medium businesses than ever before
It’s allowing a generation of business owners who’ve had to rely on experience and gut feel to transform their businesses into data-driven operations and grow their revenues and margins in the face of difficult economic headwinds

Regardless of industry, businesses can be divided into haves and have nots by the accuracy and recency of their data. For those running on gut feel, or how they’ve always done it, a perilous combination of economic drivers could push them to the wall.

With every news story headline, the outlook seems to get more challenging for SMEs. With supply chains stretched, prices rising and skilled employees impossible to find, there are pressures across every single facet of business.

Unfortunately, if you believe the forecasts — it’s likely to stay that way for a while yet. It seems that business owners are confronted with a never-ending set of challenges, and to make money in the current climate, good data, far more than good luck, is required.

In the current environment, and for a long while into the future, the divide between those who have data and those who don’t, is akin to a forecast about who will (and won’t) thrive, or even survive. While big data remains the province of large corporates and governments, real-time data is more accessible to SMEs than ever before.

This article also references the Xero Small Business Insights Report findings for July 2022.

Read the full article here »

At Allan Hall we’re experts in Xero – online accounting software that’s easy to use. Find out more about Xero here or drop us a line to get started. A better way to work – together with us, share access to your business numbers so everyone is up to speed. Xero accounting software lets you work anywhere.

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