The beginning of the year is the ideal opportunity to reassess your HR documentation and organisational strategy. This can include employment contracts, resetting expectations about standards of behaviour and revising working arrangements. In 2022, be proactive and confident to recast your existing approach with a new strategy.

The Commercial Tenancy Relief Scheme is ending on 15 January 2022. Although eligible tenants will no longer be entitled to rent relief after this date, tenants and landlords will still have access to support via the Victorian Small Business Commission.

On 1 July this year, WorkSafe Victoria introduced provisional payments to provide better support for workers with a mental injury. Eligible workers and volunteers who submit a mental injury claim can now access provisional payments for reasonable treatment and services while their claim is being determined.

Thousands of businesses providing educational experiences for Victorian schoolchildren will be given a boost under the Victorian Government’s $112.9 million Positive Start in 2022 initiative. The funding, announced by Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister for Education James Merlino, aims to get children back enjoying the experiences they missed out on during Victoria’s lockdowns in 2020 and 2021.

As Victoria emerges from COVID-19, the State Government has bolstered the confidence of organisers of creative, sporting, business and community events to plan and stage events with an interruption insurance scheme and restart package.

The Fair Work Commission has upheld the CFMMEU’s challenge to BHP’s Site Access Requirement rendering a mandatory vaccination requirement unlawful and unreasonable.

Over the next three years, the Victorian Government’s $64 million Digital Jobs program aims to produce up to 5,000 job-ready candidates with up-to-date digital skills that will help Victorian businesses thrive.

There has been a substantial increase in staff turnover around the world as restrictions ease and employees have been able to return to the workplace. Here are some simple tips to help ensure your business can adapt and tackle the great resignation head on.

As many businesses continue to grapple with the complex laws around wages, mistakes can easily be made and quickly add up to substantial underpayments.

The Fair Work Commission has refused to award compensation to a hotel worker who would not agree to a temporary reduction in hours, despite finding that she was unlawfully stood down. The Commission maintained she failed to “share the burden of the pandemic.”

The Fair Work Commission has confirmed a company’s rejected request for an employee to return to full-time hours was consistent with the Small Business Fair Dismissal Code and did not warrant an unfair dismissal.

The Victorian Chamber is delighted to extend an invitation to our members and clients to participate in a design workshop to help identify innovative and practical education approaches to improve equality in the workplace.

We know business and workers need to do their bit to manage and slow the spread of COVID-19. Every business should: have a COVIDSafe plan; provide hand sanitiser; regularly clean high-touch surfaces; comply with rules regarding vaccination; ensure staff wear face masks where required; and use QR codes. In addition, some businesses must conduct COVID-19 surveillance tests and some are recommended to implement a testing scheme.

Enterprise bargaining can be an intimidating and tiring task. Make sure you invest time in planning and developing your bargaining strategy before you begin the process.

The Victorian Chamber in partnership with the Victorian Government Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions has launched the Victorian COVIDSafe Business Awards to recognise and reward Victorian businesses that have put an enormous amount of hard work and effort in responding to the pandemic through COVIDSafe measures.

The Fair Work Commission has determined an employee’s dismissal was unfair despite finding the staff member guilty of engaging in sexual harassment.