Managing a business is hard at the best times, but no more so than during a pandemic. Depending on the industry, there are different Awards employers have to get their heads around to ensure they’re abiding by Fair Work standards. Whether it be the rate of pay, the hours certain employees can work, or the leave they’re entitled to, there are a myriad of workplace complexities that must be maintained.
The Children’s Services Award is one of a number of Awards that have seen important changes recently. Since November 1, 2020, employees who have their roster changed in an emergency are entitled to overtime rates. What’s interesting about this is the term ‘emergency’ includes cases where an employer is locked down due to a Government direction. We’ve seen thousands of businesses affected by this as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. While this change is good for the employee, it leaves a greater financial dent on business owners, who need to change or adapt their operations to accommodate the extra cost.