Fact Sheets on Topical Workplace Matters
Business Chamber Queensland members can access, at no cost, Fact Sheets that have been developed by the Workplace Advisory Services team.
All fact sheets are available to download in the member area.
Fact Sheets are not available to non-member businesses – they are a membership benefit.
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Fact Sheets
The following Fact Sheets are available for Business Chamber Queensland members:
Fair Work Act 2009: Definition of a stand down fact sheet
When a stoppage of work occurs due to unforeseen and unpreventable circumstances, employers can stand down their employees for a period of time without being required to pay them. This can only occur when a business or part of a business shuts down its operations due to reasons beyond the business’s control.
Provisions for standing down employees can be found in the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) and/or in a company’s Enterprise Agreement or company policy. This fact sheet will help employers understand their obligations when standing down employees.
2024 Public Holidays
This Fact Sheet lists the 2024 public holidays for Queensland and provides some guidance on entitlements for work on a public holiday. Employers located outside of the Brisbane area can also access details on the Show Holidays for their area via the Fact Sheet.
Abandonment of Employment
For an employee to be considered as abandoning their employment, they need to demonstrate that they no longer wish to be bound by the terms of their employment contract. Modern Awards no longer contain provisions on the abandonment of employment however some enterprise agreements may contain clauses on abandonment of employment.
This fact sheet contains:
- Explanation on abandonment of employment
- Case law
- Steps to establish abandonment of employment
- Termination entitlements
Business Record Keeping and Pay Slips
It is essential for a business to keep accurate and up-to-date records as this helps to minimise losses, manage cash, meet the requirements of any legal, regulatory or taxation authority as well as improve financial analytics.
This fact sheet explains:
- Employer obligations
- Information to be kept in employment records
- Pay slip obligations
- Information not to put on pay slips
- Deductions from pay
- Issuing electronic pay slips
- Contravention of record keeping obligations
Paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave
The Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) provides all employees with a new entitlement to 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave (‘FDV leave’) every 12 months. The entitlement commenced for employers with 15 or more employees on 1 February 2023, and will apply to all other businesses from 1 August 2023.
This Fact Sheet provides information on:
- definitions of family and domestic violence
- leave entitlement details, who can access it and when
- evidence requirements
- payment of leave
- payslip requirements
- record keeping
- interaction with other leave entitlements.
Pay Secrecy
This Fact Sheet provides an overview of new requirements, commencing December 2022, with respect to pay secrecy terms in employment contracts, and employee rights to disclose their pay and pay related conditions to other employees. The Fact Sheet also contains template letters for use when informing employees of updates to their employment contracts.
Redundancy
This Fact Sheet provides information of what a genuine redundancy is, per the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) definition, as well as the following important details:
- Ensuring the redundancy is genuine, including meeting consultation and redeployment requirements
- Suggested process for consulting with employees about the redundancy of their position
- Notice and severance payment requirements
- Documentation of the redundancy process
- Looking after the workplace when a redundancy occurs
- Case law examples of best practice
Sexual Harassment
This Fact Sheet provides details on the prohibition of sexual harassment in the workplace, including the definition of sexual harassment, and steps an employer can take to prevent this form of unacceptable conduct in their workplace.
Wage Theft (by Employers)
This fact sheet provides details on what is considered to be wage theft under Queensland’s Criminal Code, and the consequences of any deliberate wrongdoings to not pay employees. This fact sheet also provides information on one of the lesser known types of wage theft, which is the misclassification of employees in accordance with the relevant Modern Award or industrial instrument, as well as what occurs when an honest mistake is made.
HOW CAN I OBTAIN A COPY?
Business Chamber Queensland members seeking a copy of any of the listed Fact Sheets are encouraged to log into their member area and select the "Resources" menu or click the link below.