What is workplace compliance?
There are laws and regulations in Australia that applies to all workplaces, no matter the size or the industry. Workplace compliance in businesses means following the relevant laws and regulations for your industry. This is important to ensure a safe, fair, and healthy work environment for your employees.
This, in turn, is beneficial for maintaining a productive and secure workplace. These workplace laws ensure that all employers know their obligations in the workplace.
What workplace compliance do I need to implement?
There is a wide host of compliance regulations that businesses need to implement. This includes equal opportunity, workplace health and safety, privacy laws, maintaining minimum employment conditions, etc.
Focusing on maintaining minimum employment conditions alone, businesses need to ensure they are enforcing accurate minimum pay rates, leave entitlements, or following correct termination procedures. The Fair Work Ombudsman regulates these employment standards, and these regulations are updated every year.
Ensuring workplace compliance
Identifying workplace laws and regulations is the first step in ensuring workplace compliance. Businesses should then capture these regulations, for example, by building a collection of employment contracts and policies that are business compliant. These contracts and policies should:
- Enable an employee to understand their rights and obligations clearly;
- Set out consistent processes and structures in-line with up-to-date regulations; and
- Execute their day-to-day business following the contracts and policies
Regular review of compliance
Over the years, the volume of laws, regulations, standards, and guidelines has increased exponentially. Our society and environment constantly evolve, and laws change accordingly to reflect this. As such, businesses also need to adapt to ensure they maintain compliance.
If your business has not undertaken a review of your contracts and policies in the last year they may be outdated or incomplete. Regulators such as the Fair Work Ombudsman or the government update their regulations annually. In turn, businesses should regularly review and implement these changes, reducing the risks of being non-compliant.
Talking to a professional can be beneficial in ensuring workplace compliance for your business. Start your conversation with W Legal today to see how we can help you with your meet compliance.
