Hundreds of cleaners across Australia are sharing in a $242,000 pay out after investigations by the Fair Work Ombudsman found they were being underpaid, reports the Canberra Times.
A total of 621 cleaners in Australia were rewarded back pay after Fair Work investigators looked into 315 companies as part of a nationwide campaign.
Of those 315 companies, 117 were found to have breached workplace law, with the most common breaches being underpayment of penalty rates and inadequate record-keeping practices.
United Voice branch secretary, Lyndal Ryan commended Fair Work Australia but said the issue went beyond the 11 employees.
''The problem of underpayment is probably not reflected in the figures because it is more widespread,'' she said.
Fair Work Ombudsman Nicholas Wilson advised that they were alerted to a potential issue within cleaning services when records between March 2006 and April 2010 showed it was generating the fourth-highest number of complaints.
So how can you safeguard your organisation from a potential underpayment case?
Ensuring that you are compliant with penalty rates and modern awards can represent a major headache for many organisations, with recent workplace cases such as Toys 'R' Us having to pay back up to $1 million to more than 1000 young employees, highlighting the importance of effective Award Interpretation and Time Management processes.
An automated Time and Attendance System can take the stress out of employee allowances and entitlement calculations via an in-built, fully customisable Award Interpreter.
Easily calculate base and overtime pay, weekend and public holiday penalties, as well as leave loading and shift penalties, ensuring consistent application of your business rules. A direct interface to your external payroll application further reduces payroll administration and the potential for costly payroll errors.
Visit our website to find out more about effective Award Interpretation and automated Time and Attendance Systems or feel free to call us on 1300 884 831 (Aus) or 09 363 9557 (NZ).
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook, or join our Linkedin group for updates on employee time management solutions.
Can you afford not to?
Monday, July 18, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Mitrefinch to exhibit at NZ Payroll Expo as part of the NZPPA Annual Conference in Auckland
Mitrefinch Group are looking forward to being a part of the upcoming New Zealand Payroll Practitioners' Association (NZPPA) Annual Conference and Payroll Expo in Auckland this coming Thursday and Friday (21-22nd July).
The NZPPA Annual Conference is the largest payroll event in New Zealand, drawing over 150 payroll professionals from small, medium and large businesses across the region.
This year’s conference has a “Benchmarking Payroll - Improvement, Performance, and Achievement” theme and will feature an impressive line-up of speakers including the Minister of Revenue, Peter Dunne and best-selling Author, Debbie Mayo-Smith.
The conference program aims to enage attendees with a number of interactive sessions; round table discussion with a range of government, technical experts and payroll related organisations, practical training on conference related topics, and case studies from payroll practitioners providing real-world advice.
Running in conjunction with the conference, the Payroll Expo will provide attendees with the opportunity to learn about the latest payroll technology and tools to implement best practices, operational efficiencies and cost savings. The Mitrefinch team will be showcasing our range of Employee Time Management solutions at Booth 11.
“Mitrefinch are delighted to be associated with NZPPA and the Payroll Expo. We look forward to meeting fellow NZPPA members and demonstrating our new biometric time and attendance solutions, as well as mobile applications for effective job costing and time management of remote staff”, said Jamie Fitzsimons, Mitrefinch AsiaPac Marketing Manager.
As an event sponsor, Mitrefinch have negotiated a special deal for clients who want to attend the conference at the discounted NZPPA member rate. For those who can’t make the conference, the Payroll Expo is open to the general public and entry is FREE.
The NZPPA Annual Conference and Payroll Expo takes place on July 21 - 22 at the Rendezvous Hotel in Auckland, to register or to find out more about event visit http://www.nzppa.co.nz
The conference program aims to enage attendees with a number of interactive sessions; round table discussion with a range of government, technical experts and payroll related organisations, practical training on conference related topics, and case studies from payroll practitioners providing real-world advice.
Running in conjunction with the conference, the Payroll Expo will provide attendees with the opportunity to learn about the latest payroll technology and tools to implement best practices, operational efficiencies and cost savings. The Mitrefinch team will be showcasing our range of Employee Time Management solutions at Booth 11.
“Mitrefinch are delighted to be associated with NZPPA and the Payroll Expo. We look forward to meeting fellow NZPPA members and demonstrating our new biometric time and attendance solutions, as well as mobile applications for effective job costing and time management of remote staff”, said Jamie Fitzsimons, Mitrefinch AsiaPac Marketing Manager.
As an event sponsor, Mitrefinch have negotiated a special deal for clients who want to attend the conference at the discounted NZPPA member rate. For those who can’t make the conference, the Payroll Expo is open to the general public and entry is FREE.
The NZPPA Annual Conference and Payroll Expo takes place on July 21 - 22 at the Rendezvous Hotel in Auckland, to register or to find out more about event visit http://www.nzppa.co.nz
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Mitrefinch feature in The Guardian's HR Supplement
The Guardian newspaper in the UK recently published a supplement on HR Software, focusing on how IT is enhancing organisational performance.
The publication examined how different sized organisations, across the UK are benefiting from cost savings, improved efficiency and enhanced commercial performance as a result of implementing HR systems.
Mitrefinch's Technical Manager, Andrew Stead, had the pleasure of being interviewed for the supplement and his thoughts were published as part of the experts’ panel.
Subscribers of The Guardian or The Observer can download the supplement here
Alternatively, we have included Andrew's contribution below:
The Guardian: HR is all about people, so how do you ensure your workforce engages with a piece of software?
AS: By providing functionality that the employees find useful. An example would be the ability to book and view their holidays on-line 24/7. Using this functionality allows the employee to check if any ‘leave slots’ are available first before attempting to book their holiday.
Depending upon the setup of the system, the holiday can be authorised immediately if enough cover is available. If not, their line manager can be emailed, thus reducing the amount of time taken to authorise their absence. As holiday booking is an emotive subject, this immediately provides a major benefit to the employees.
The implementation of an HR solution can often generate employee concerns around a ‘Big Brother’-type environment. By allowing employees to maintain their own personal data, the employee can ensure that any data stored about them is accurate.
By providing visibility to HR data, concerns about the system can be considerably reduced, thus producing a better working environment. Self-service training modules can also allow employees to book themselves on relevant training courses allowing for their own personal development. This can help foster employee goodwill, providing major benefits to both the individual and to the company as a whole.
The Guardian: Does HR software provide one true source of data?
AS: In smaller companies, the HR software can often be the true and accurate source of data. However, in larger organisations, it will more likely be interfaced with data from other sources to provide the full employee record, for example, IT -based data, Time & Attendance and Security Systems.
Because the majority of today’s HR solutions provide extensive import and export functionality, it is relatively simple to link data from several sources together to provide this record. For example, if an employee changes their telephone number via the HR self-service module then this number can be automatically updated in the email system and any other relevant systems.
However, data linked to IT resources will often be updated in a separate application which may, in turn, then update the HR system with this information.
Using this technology ensures data integrity across systems and ensures an authoritative source for all pieces of information. With this in place, it is simple for a company to prove their compliance with legislation such as the Data Protection Act 1998 which includes the requirement that data is accurate and kept up-to-date.
The Guardian: Does HR software just streamline HR administration or is it a business application?
AS: In the initial stages of any implementation, the primary focus will always be ensuring that the HR software delivers on the major benefits i.e. reducing HR administration. When these benefits have been realised, the second and subsequent phases of the implementation will move to making the HR software an integral part of the business.
At this point, the solution becomes more than just about reducing administration costs but more of a business application which helps provide major benefits across the entire organisation. An example of a major business benefit surrounds the issue of absence management.
With an HR solution, it becomes straightforward to investigate where the major absences which impact on the business occur. With this information, the whole company can generate a strategy which will help alleviate the impact of absences on the company. Automating the company’s employee administration can help move the burden to better placed personnel within the organisation.
With this in place, the HR Department can provide more of an employee relations function rather than just standard administrative function. This will help ensure a more efficient and effective workforce. However, it should not be forgotten that any successful HR solution should just be a tool to aid the company deliver a better service/product to their customers.
Any HR solution should never cause an obstruction to this.
If you would like more information on Mitrefinch or our range of Employee Management Solutions please feel free to visit us online, email sales@mitrefinch.com.au or call us on 1300 884 831 (Aus) or 09 363 9557 (NZ)
The publication examined how different sized organisations, across the UK are benefiting from cost savings, improved efficiency and enhanced commercial performance as a result of implementing HR systems.
Mitrefinch's Technical Manager, Andrew Stead, had the pleasure of being interviewed for the supplement and his thoughts were published as part of the experts’ panel.
Subscribers of The Guardian or The Observer can download the supplement here
Alternatively, we have included Andrew's contribution below:
The Guardian: HR is all about people, so how do you ensure your workforce engages with a piece of software?
AS: By providing functionality that the employees find useful. An example would be the ability to book and view their holidays on-line 24/7. Using this functionality allows the employee to check if any ‘leave slots’ are available first before attempting to book their holiday.
Depending upon the setup of the system, the holiday can be authorised immediately if enough cover is available. If not, their line manager can be emailed, thus reducing the amount of time taken to authorise their absence. As holiday booking is an emotive subject, this immediately provides a major benefit to the employees.
The implementation of an HR solution can often generate employee concerns around a ‘Big Brother’-type environment. By allowing employees to maintain their own personal data, the employee can ensure that any data stored about them is accurate.
By providing visibility to HR data, concerns about the system can be considerably reduced, thus producing a better working environment. Self-service training modules can also allow employees to book themselves on relevant training courses allowing for their own personal development. This can help foster employee goodwill, providing major benefits to both the individual and to the company as a whole.
The Guardian: Does HR software provide one true source of data?
AS: In smaller companies, the HR software can often be the true and accurate source of data. However, in larger organisations, it will more likely be interfaced with data from other sources to provide the full employee record, for example, IT -based data, Time & Attendance and Security Systems.
Because the majority of today’s HR solutions provide extensive import and export functionality, it is relatively simple to link data from several sources together to provide this record. For example, if an employee changes their telephone number via the HR self-service module then this number can be automatically updated in the email system and any other relevant systems.
However, data linked to IT resources will often be updated in a separate application which may, in turn, then update the HR system with this information.
Using this technology ensures data integrity across systems and ensures an authoritative source for all pieces of information. With this in place, it is simple for a company to prove their compliance with legislation such as the Data Protection Act 1998 which includes the requirement that data is accurate and kept up-to-date.
The Guardian: Does HR software just streamline HR administration or is it a business application?
AS: In the initial stages of any implementation, the primary focus will always be ensuring that the HR software delivers on the major benefits i.e. reducing HR administration. When these benefits have been realised, the second and subsequent phases of the implementation will move to making the HR software an integral part of the business.
At this point, the solution becomes more than just about reducing administration costs but more of a business application which helps provide major benefits across the entire organisation. An example of a major business benefit surrounds the issue of absence management.
With an HR solution, it becomes straightforward to investigate where the major absences which impact on the business occur. With this information, the whole company can generate a strategy which will help alleviate the impact of absences on the company. Automating the company’s employee administration can help move the burden to better placed personnel within the organisation.
With this in place, the HR Department can provide more of an employee relations function rather than just standard administrative function. This will help ensure a more efficient and effective workforce. However, it should not be forgotten that any successful HR solution should just be a tool to aid the company deliver a better service/product to their customers.
Any HR solution should never cause an obstruction to this.
If you would like more information on Mitrefinch or our range of Employee Management Solutions please feel free to visit us online, email sales@mitrefinch.com.au or call us on 1300 884 831 (Aus) or 09 363 9557 (NZ)
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Are your Payroll and HR Departments ready for the New Financial Year?
As businesses around the country prepare for the end of the financial year, experts are warning organisations they need to be aware of the legislative changes that will come into effect on July 1.
A raft of new legislation including paid parental leave, unfair dismissal thresholds, new minimum wage requirements and award increases will be introduced on Friday, and according to industry experts many companies aren't prepared.
Speaking to SmartCompany, Alison Baker, Partner at Hall & Wilcox advises, “Many employers will need to get cracking and get the right advice about the paid parental leave obligations. There's not much time left."
Here are some of the new legislative requirements businesses will face:
Minimum Wage Increase The $19.40 per week increase on the minimum wage comes into effect from July 1. Employers need to ensure they meet all necessary pay requirements and update their payroll schedules to ensure employees are not underpaid.
Modern Award Increases The recent 3.4% increase in modern award wages, handed down by Fair Work Australia (FWA) will take effect from the first pay period to start on or after July 1. Revised modern awards which include the increased wages will be available on the FWA website.
National Paid Parental Leave Scheme While the Paid Parental Leave (PPL) Scheme was introduced at the beginning of this year, this was only the first stage of a two-phase introduction.
Government processing of the Scheme expires on June 30, so from July 1 employers will be responsible for processing the payments (18 weeks' pay at the national minimum wage to eligible employees who have or adopt a child from that date).
Under the Scheme, employees are obligated to request the benefit from the Family Assistance Office (FAO). Once the FAO is satisfied the employee is eligible for the benefit, it contacts the employer to say the employee has submitted an application, met the criteria, identified them as their employer. If the employer agrees with the application, they then need to provide the FAO with their bank and pay cycle details. The FAO then makes the payment to the employer, who passes it onto the employee.
Baker advises employers to ensure they have processes in place for dealing with the PPL scheme and to be aware that any existing parental schemes they have will also need to be paid.
Still confused? Centrelink have compiled a Paid Parental Leave Toolkit designed to assist employers and HR staff in preparing for their role in providing PPL to their eligible employees. You can download it by clicking here.
Reducing End of Financial Year Stress
Did you know that an effective Time and Attendance System can help reduce the workload associated with the transition to a new financial year?
Here's how:
If you would like to find out more about automated Time and Attendance Systems and how they can help you manage your end of financial year payroll woes contact Mitrefinch today on 1300 884 831 (Australia) or 09 363 9557 (NZ). Alternatively visit us online
A raft of new legislation including paid parental leave, unfair dismissal thresholds, new minimum wage requirements and award increases will be introduced on Friday, and according to industry experts many companies aren't prepared.
Speaking to SmartCompany, Alison Baker, Partner at Hall & Wilcox advises, “Many employers will need to get cracking and get the right advice about the paid parental leave obligations. There's not much time left."
Here are some of the new legislative requirements businesses will face:
Minimum Wage Increase The $19.40 per week increase on the minimum wage comes into effect from July 1. Employers need to ensure they meet all necessary pay requirements and update their payroll schedules to ensure employees are not underpaid.
Modern Award Increases The recent 3.4% increase in modern award wages, handed down by Fair Work Australia (FWA) will take effect from the first pay period to start on or after July 1. Revised modern awards which include the increased wages will be available on the FWA website.
National Paid Parental Leave Scheme While the Paid Parental Leave (PPL) Scheme was introduced at the beginning of this year, this was only the first stage of a two-phase introduction.
Government processing of the Scheme expires on June 30, so from July 1 employers will be responsible for processing the payments (18 weeks' pay at the national minimum wage to eligible employees who have or adopt a child from that date).
Under the Scheme, employees are obligated to request the benefit from the Family Assistance Office (FAO). Once the FAO is satisfied the employee is eligible for the benefit, it contacts the employer to say the employee has submitted an application, met the criteria, identified them as their employer. If the employer agrees with the application, they then need to provide the FAO with their bank and pay cycle details. The FAO then makes the payment to the employer, who passes it onto the employee.
Baker advises employers to ensure they have processes in place for dealing with the PPL scheme and to be aware that any existing parental schemes they have will also need to be paid.
Still confused? Centrelink have compiled a Paid Parental Leave Toolkit designed to assist employers and HR staff in preparing for their role in providing PPL to their eligible employees. You can download it by clicking here.
Reducing End of Financial Year Stress
Did you know that an effective Time and Attendance System can help reduce the workload associated with the transition to a new financial year?
Here's how:
- Minimise risk by automating compliance with Modern Awards and work rules
- Ensure consistent application of pay rules, policies and workplace legislation
- Cut Payroll Costs by reducing costly payroll errors and inflation
- Reduce Payroll Processing time by automating the transfer of hours direct to your payroll system
- Safeguard you and your business with a complete Audit Trail
If you would like to find out more about automated Time and Attendance Systems and how they can help you manage your end of financial year payroll woes contact Mitrefinch today on 1300 884 831 (Australia) or 09 363 9557 (NZ). Alternatively visit us online
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Start the new financial year well-prepared for the HR challenges that lie ahead
Struggling to control labour costs, reduce absenteeism, and manage multiple sites and a mobile workforce? All while trying to comply with the latest legislative requirements?
Sounds like you need a sophisticated Employee Management Solution to help make your life a little easier.
Yet for many organisations, investing in separate Time and Attendance Systems, Rostering Packages and HR Management Software would be out of the question.
But what if you could get all of these systems for the price of one?
Mitrefinch’s Employee Management Solution (Mitrefinch TMS) combines a robust Time and Attendance System with HR Management and Employee Scheduling functionality in one complete package.
Mitrefinch’s Time and Attendance capabilities allow you to manage your staff with greater efficiency. By accurately tracking and analysing your employees’ time, you will benefit from reduced staff costs, increased productivity, better job costing, and more effective planning of future projects - all while taking full advantage of today’s flexible working practices.
Mitrefinch’s HR functionality ensures all your employee data, files and correspondence are centrally stored, making the filing and retrieving of vital information quick and easy to manage, and reducing the risk of error. The stored information can be used to run reports on past and present data, such as training and development requirements.
While Employee Self Service features provide employees with the ability to view their available Annual Leave entitlements and send Leave Requests direct to HR. This greatly reduces time spend on data-input, filling out forms, and dealing with employee questions. Employee reviews and recruitment processes can also be monitored and recorded within the system.
So why waste your time and money on numerous systems when you only need one?
To see how much money Mitrefinch TMS can save your business, try our ROI Calculator online or call 1300 884 831 (Australia)/09 363 9557 (NZ) to book a FREE Consultation or Demonstration.
Sounds like you need a sophisticated Employee Management Solution to help make your life a little easier.
Yet for many organisations, investing in separate Time and Attendance Systems, Rostering Packages and HR Management Software would be out of the question.
But what if you could get all of these systems for the price of one?
Mitrefinch’s Employee Management Solution (Mitrefinch TMS) combines a robust Time and Attendance System with HR Management and Employee Scheduling functionality in one complete package.
Mitrefinch’s Time and Attendance capabilities allow you to manage your staff with greater efficiency. By accurately tracking and analysing your employees’ time, you will benefit from reduced staff costs, increased productivity, better job costing, and more effective planning of future projects - all while taking full advantage of today’s flexible working practices.
Mitrefinch’s HR functionality ensures all your employee data, files and correspondence are centrally stored, making the filing and retrieving of vital information quick and easy to manage, and reducing the risk of error. The stored information can be used to run reports on past and present data, such as training and development requirements.
While Employee Self Service features provide employees with the ability to view their available Annual Leave entitlements and send Leave Requests direct to HR. This greatly reduces time spend on data-input, filling out forms, and dealing with employee questions. Employee reviews and recruitment processes can also be monitored and recorded within the system.
So why waste your time and money on numerous systems when you only need one?
To see how much money Mitrefinch TMS can save your business, try our ROI Calculator online or call 1300 884 831 (Australia)/09 363 9557 (NZ) to book a FREE Consultation or Demonstration.
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