Employment Law Articles
Expert articles and practical legal guides on employment law for australian businesses.
How To Register For PAYG Withholding In Australia: Step-By-Step Guide
If you’re hiring your first employee, putting a director on payroll, or paying workers as part of a growing startup, you’ll quickly run into the question of how to register for PAYG...
30 April 2026
Who Can Witness a Signature in NSW? Small Business Requirements
As a small business owner, you’ll sign (and ask other people to sign) a lot of documents - contracts, declarations, leases, finance paperwork, employment records and more. One detail that often causes...
29 April 2026
How the 10/12 Limit Applies to Casuals and Contractors in Australia
If you roster casual staff (or engage contractors) you’ve probably heard someone mention the “10/12 limit”. It usually comes up when: a “casual” starts working every week like a permanent employee; you’re...
29 April 2026
How Many Days Is 4 Weeks Annual Leave? (Australia)
If you employ staff in Australia, you’ve probably seen the phrase “4 weeks annual leave” in the National Employment Standards (NES), Modern Awards, enterprise agreements and employment contracts. But when you’re actually...
28 April 2026
Annual And Sick Leave Entitlements In Australia: What Employers Need To Know
Running a small business often means wearing a lot of hats. One week you’re focused on sales and growth, and the next you’re dealing with rosters, payroll and leave requests that need...
28 April 2026
Legal vs Preferred First Name: Employer Rules for Contracts, Payroll & Records
As a small business owner, you’ll deal with names constantly: employment contracts, payroll onboarding, super, bank details, email accounts, staff rosters, ID checks, workplace policies, and even customer-facing name badges. It sounds...
28 April 2026
Heat-Of-The-Moment Resignations: A Safer Employer Response
In a small business, resignations don’t always come through neatly as an email with a clear last day and a handover plan. Sometimes, an employee quits in the moment - on a...
28 April 2026
If You Get Overpaid, Can Your Employer Take It Back?
Payroll mistakes happen - especially in small businesses where you’re wearing multiple hats and running payroll between everything else. But when a mistake results in someone being overpaid, the big question we...
28 April 2026
What Is a Performance Management Plan in Australia?
If you’re running a small business or startup, you already know how much your team can make (or break) your momentum. When someone is underperforming, it can feel like everything slows down...
27 April 2026
Payment Terms And Conditions In Australia: What To Include And Enforce
If you run a small business, getting paid on time isn’t just a “nice to have” - it’s what keeps the lights on, wages paid, and stock moving. But many payment disputes...
27 April 2026
When To Book An Employment Lawyer Consultation In Australia
As a small business owner, you’re probably making employment decisions every week - hiring, rostering, managing performance, approving leave, and handling resignations. Most of the time, it’s straightforward. But every now and...
27 April 2026
What Is Wellbeing Leave? Employer Obligations In Australia
“Wellbeing leave” is one of those workplace terms you’ll hear more and more often - especially as employers focus on mental health, burnout prevention, and building sustainable teams. But from a small...
27 April 2026
Hospitality General Award Pay Rates: Wages, Penalties And Overtime
If you run a café, restaurant, pub, bar, takeaway shop or catering business, getting pay right is one of the fastest ways to protect your margins and avoid disputes and backpay risk....
26 April 2026
How To Calculate Personal Leave Under Australian Employment Law
Managing leave correctly is one of those “small” admin tasks that can quietly turn into a big risk for a growing business. If you have employees (or you’re about to hire your...
25 April 2026
Uniform Policy in Australia: Drafting, Compliance and Employee Rights for Employers
If you run a small business, uniforms can be one of the simplest ways to create a professional brand and a consistent customer experience. They can also help with workplace health and...
24 April 2026
Full-Time Employee Sick Leave: Employer Requirements In Australia
Managing sick leave for a full-time employee is one of those “everyday” employment issues that can quickly become complex for small businesses. On one hand, you want to support your team and...
24 April 2026
Sexual Harassment Laws in Australia: What Employers Need to Know
When you’re building a small business or startup, it’s easy to focus on growth: hiring your first team members, landing customers, shipping product, and keeping cashflow moving. But there’s one area you...
23 April 2026
Employee Share Purchase Plans For Startups And SMEs In Australia
An employee share purchase plan can be a powerful way to attract, motivate and retain great people - especially when you’re an Australian startup or SME competing with bigger businesses on salary...
23 April 2026
Legal Records Management: Compliance, Retention And Risk Reduction In Australia
When you’re building a startup or running a growing small business, it can feel like you’re constantly creating “paperwork” (even if it’s all digital): customer agreements, invoices, supplier quotes, employee files, emails,...
23 April 2026
Why Every Australian Business Needs A Social Media Policy
Social media is one of the fastest ways to grow your brand in Australia - but it’s also one of the fastest ways to create legal, reputational and operational headaches if you...
23 April 2026
Casual Employment in Australia: Rights, Pay and Contracts
Casual staff can be a great fit for small businesses in Australia. They can help you cover busy periods, seasonal spikes, extended trading hours, and last-minute absences without locking you into fixed...
23 April 2026
Restraint Area Meaning: Geographic Restrictions in Australian Agreements
If you’re hiring employees, buying a business, selling a business, or bringing in a senior contractor, you’ve probably seen restraint clauses that talk about a “restraint area”. On paper, it can look...
23 April 2026
Lawful And Reasonable Directions Under The Fair Work Act For Employers
Managing people is one of the most rewarding (and challenging) parts of running a small business. On any given day, you might need to direct a team member to change a shift,...
23 April 2026
Can an Employer Reject a Resignation in Australia?
Resignations are a normal part of running a business. Sometimes they’re expected (like when a casual worker moves on), and sometimes they land out of nowhere at the worst possible time (like...
22 April 2026
Need help with your business legals?
Speak with Sprintlaw to get practical legal support and fixed-fee options tailored to your business.