CHANGES NEEDED FOR SMALL BUSINESS

From Peter Strong, CEO of the Council of Small Business of Australia. Over 96% of businesses are small. Over 60% of workplaces employ less than 5 people. Over 7 million people earn a living from small businesses. Yet the workplace relations systems have been designed for the 4% of businesses who have pay clerks and experts. If we want improvements in productivity and innovation we must change the way we approach workplace relations. All sides of politics need to agree on a simple system for the small workplace. We need a system that isn't based on philosophy and vested interests - we need a system that is based on reality and people. WorkChoices and FairWork Australia are and were systems based on outmoded beliefs about the way the workplace should operate and behave. One system was designed by big business to suit their belief in what a workplace should look like and the other system is designed by the union movement with the support of big business, to reflect their needs. In the end these systems, their development and implementation (and their eventual dismantling and reconstruction into another system) has failed everyone except the vested interests. We should accept the reality of our working world and have two systems: one for big business and its experts and one for small business. We firstly need a small business award that is easy to understand and can provide certainty to all people in the small workplace.

Workplace flexibility

With the introduction of the Fair Work Act and amendments to Equal Opportunity Legislation, every employer needs to be prepared for requests for flexibility from eligible staff.

A practical and realistic guide has been developed to assist employers in implementing this strategy into your workplace.

This guide is unique in that it covers issues at the enterprise level such as policies and procedures right down to the individual request and specific role arrangements. All content has been legally verified and the content can be simply adapted to your business needs.

This guide will save your organisation many hours of internal policy development and procedural wrangling. Simply adapt the templates in this guide to suit your company's situation.

Available in hard or soft copy, this guide is suitable for companies of all sizes and industries and is completely customisable to accommodate your brand and internal processes.

For more information contact Teresa on 0407092966 or email info@laconcierge.com.au for a quote - price dependable on employee numbers.

Your Business Matters

A new section of LaConcierge is coming soon. The new site, Your Business Matters will be launched soon.

Are you confused with the new FairWork Act?
Are you paying your team members their correct payments?
Is your brand trade marked?

Then Your Business Matters can assist you in:
• Human Resource management resources
• Branding and Intellectual Property assistance

Your Business Matters is a service provider assisting business operators with resources, information, workshops and forums.