Use workplace compliance as a guide to help maximise employee performance and productivity
How about that as a conversation starter! Whilst there are a number of Australian regulatory bodies that businesses come into contact with such; the Australian Securities & Investments Commission, Australian Securities Exchange, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Australian Taxation Office and so on, I am not talking about compliance & regulation in its entirety and I am sure that is what Businesses Owners refer to when they make the comment, ‘Compliance is too much for businesses’. What I am referring to is the employment related regulatory bodies.
The employment regulatory bodies are; Fair Work Commission, State based Industrial Relations bodies, WorkCover and other state based worker’s compensation bodies, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland and Electrical Safety Office – Department of Justice and Attorney-General and other state based bodies such as Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. So, the question is, Is employment compliance and regulation too much for businesses in Australia?
As we know, rules of any type are established because of the few that don’t do the right thing and our history in Australia I feel has contributed to the establishment of all these employment related ‘rules’. But, is it too much for businesses?
I think anyone can argue from one perspective that there is a lot for business owners to get their head around. At times situations can become complex and that’s why external partners such as ourselves exist to assist with guiding businesses through these times. Whether it is being proactive and establishing compliance or dealing with issues that arise and therefore needing to manage them in a compliant manner. There is a lot of information available to educate business owners with or without internal resources and understanding responsibilities and obligations is part of the gig.
For those that think that legislation creates roadblocks in doing business I would like to share my experience that in the many situations where we have been working with clients I can’t recall one that we haven’t been able to provide a workable solution. We give our clients options and answers without putting road blocks up. It’s not just what you do, it’s how you do it and when we are talking about impact on employees, their pay and conditions and health and safety, how you do something needs to be considered.
So, I might very well be the wrong person to be answering this question because I understand the ‘rules’ and the workplace legislation and when you understand them, it doesn’t seem so onerous makes it easier to comply (or make efforts to comply at least). That’s part of what we do, helping business to comply with the various workplace legislations. But why?
Because… There is so much more to compliance than mitigating risks and I believe that is how businesses need to view it. Use legislation as a guide to help maximise productivity and performance and therefore the ROI from people within the Organisation. I can assure you that; consulting with your employees, giving them an opportunity to speak, paying them at least fairly, ensuring and caring about their health and safety whilst at work, will actually assist in maximising productivity and performance of your team.
Maybe overall there is too much compliance and regulation however when it comes to employment compliance I find it difficult to come to that conclusion. In saying this I understand and sympathize that business owners often don’t have the time to spend researching solutions to regulatory compliance issues.
At HR Business Direction we are able to assist with these compliance issues and find solutions for them and we love doing it! Contact us here.
Leisa Messer BBus(HRM); GradDipIR; CAHRI; IRSQ
Managing Director | HR Strategist
leisa.messer@hrbd.com.au
07 3890 2066
www.hrbd.com.au