Get your pay rates sorted

There’s been plenty of noise in the last few days about the difficulties employers are having paying staff the correct pay rates.

The introduction of the Modern Awards system, and the transitional arrangements that exist in some industries, have made some pay arrangements complex and difficult to understand, particularly for small businesses that may have limited resources to get across their obligations.

But a lack of knowledge won’t prevent the Fair Work Ombudsman from taking action against you if you underpay your staff. You need to get this right.

So where do you go for advice?

The Fair Work Ombudsman is a good place to start, but keep in mind their advice will be general in nature and so might not be tailored to your specific circumstances.

Joining an industry lobby group that has some IR expertise is also a great idea – they will have specific knowledge on your industry. A chamber of commerce can also help – most of these organisations have access to some level of IR advice.

But in the end, if you want complete comfort about your specific circumstances, you need to go to a lawyer. Get as much information as possible and make the process as quick (and cheap) as you can.

Get it done – today!