Employment Law Articles

Expert articles and practical legal guides on employment law for australian businesses.

Notice Period Rules for WA Employers

Notice Period Rules for WA Employers

If you employ staff in Western Australia, notice periods can feel deceptively simple - until you’re dealing with a resignation, a termination, a restructure, or an employee who stops showing up mid-notice....

18 June 2026
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Medical Certificate Rules for Australian Workplaces

Medical Certificate Rules for Australian Workplaces

When you’re running a small business, unexpected staff absences can quickly affect rosters, deadlines and customer service. That’s why many employers want clear, consistent processes around medical certificate requirements for work -...

18 June 2026
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Christmas Casual Pay Rates in Australia: Award Rules and Penalties

Christmas Casual Pay Rates in Australia: Award Rules and Penalties

For many small businesses, Christmas is the busiest (and most profitable) time of year. It’s also the time you’re most likely to bring on extra staff, extend trading hours, and roster people...

18 June 2026
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How To Structure Employee, Contractor And Founder Payments In Australia

How To Structure Employee, Contractor And Founder Payments In Australia

When you’re building a small business, your approach to financial remuneration can feel like a constant balancing act. You want to attract great people, keep cash flow healthy, stay competitive in your...

18 June 2026
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How to Set an Option Exercise Price for Startup Equity in Australia

How to Set an Option Exercise Price for Startup Equity in Australia

If you’re building a startup and considering an employee or adviser equity plan, one of the first (and most important) commercial decisions you’ll face is setting the option exercise price . Set...

18 June 2026
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Incorrect Pay: What Employers Must Do When Staff Are Underpaid or Overpaid

Incorrect Pay: What Employers Must Do When Staff Are Underpaid or Overpaid

Few things create stress in a small business faster than getting pay wrong. Sometimes it’s a simple admin error (a timesheet glitch, a wrong pay rate, an allowance missed). Other times it’s...

18 June 2026
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Notice Period Terms in Employment Contracts in Australia

Notice Period Terms in Employment Contracts in Australia

When you’re running a small business, it’s easy to focus on the day-to-day priorities (customers, cash flow, hiring, growth) and assume the “HR paperwork” will sort itself out later. But in practice,...

18 June 2026
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Employer Negligence and Duty of Care for Australian Small Businesses

Employer Negligence and Duty of Care for Australian Small Businesses

Running a small business means wearing a lot of hats. You’re building a team, serving customers, managing cash flow, and trying to grow sustainably. In the middle of all that, workplace safety...

17 June 2026
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Reducing High Absenteeism And Complying With Australian Employment Law

Reducing High Absenteeism And Complying With Australian Employment Law

High absenteeism can quickly turn into one of those “silent” business problems that impacts everything - customer service, quality control, team morale, and your bottom line. When you’re running a small business,...

17 June 2026
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Job Offer Letter Sample PDF: What Australian Employers Need For Compliance

Job Offer Letter Sample PDF: What Australian Employers Need For Compliance

If you’re hiring your first employee (or scaling up and hiring more staff), it’s normal to search for a job offer letter sample PDF so you can move quickly and keep the...

17 June 2026
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6 Weeks Annual Leave: Employer Entitlements, Contracts And Requests In Australia

6 Weeks Annual Leave: Employer Entitlements, Contracts And Requests In Australia

“6 weeks annual leave” is one of those phrases that can instantly raise questions for a small business owner. Is it actually a legal entitlement in Australia? Is it only for certain...

17 June 2026
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Maximum Working Hours for Employees in Australia: Legal Limits and Exceptions

Maximum Working Hours for Employees in Australia: Legal Limits and Exceptions

When you’re building a small business or startup, it’s normal to have periods where everyone is “all hands on deck”. A big client deadline, a new product launch, a seasonal rush, or...

17 June 2026
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Equal Opportunity Regulations in Australia: Key Employer Obligations

Equal Opportunity Regulations in Australia: Key Employer Obligations

When you’re building a small business or startup, it’s easy to focus on the “big” priorities first - customers, product, cash flow, and hiring great people. But as soon as you start...

16 June 2026
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JobKeeper Meaning: What It Means For Australian Businesses

JobKeeper Meaning: What It Means For Australian Businesses

If you ran a small business through the early days of COVID-19 (or you’re reviewing your obligations now), you’ve probably searched for the meaning of JobKeeper at some point. “JobKeeper” became one...

16 June 2026
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Examples of Codes of Practice: Creating Effective Workplace Guidelines in Australia

Examples of Codes of Practice: Creating Effective Workplace Guidelines in Australia

When you’re running a small business, it’s easy to focus on the day-to-day: winning work, keeping customers happy, and making payroll. But as soon as you have a team (or even a...

16 June 2026
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Portrait Rights in Australia: Using Employee and Customer Photos Legally

Portrait Rights in Australia: Using Employee and Customer Photos Legally

If you run a small business, you’ve probably relied on photos to market what you do. A team headshot on your website, a “meet the crew” post on social media, customer testimonials...

16 June 2026
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Your Business’s Duty Of Care To Clients In Australia: What To Know

Your Business’s Duty Of Care To Clients In Australia: What To Know

If you run a small business, you probably already care about your clients - you want them to have a great experience, get results, and come back again. But a business’s duty...

16 June 2026
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Fair Work Instant Dismissal Rules In Australia: A Practical Guide

Fair Work Instant Dismissal Rules In Australia: A Practical Guide

Instant dismissal can feel like the fastest way to protect your business when something serious happens at work. But from a legal risk perspective, it’s also one of the easiest ways to...

16 June 2026
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Pay Rise Rules for Australian Small Business Owners

Pay Rise Rules for Australian Small Business Owners

Pay rises are a normal part of running a business in Australia. They can help you keep great people, boost motivation, and stay competitive in your market. At the same time, a...

15 June 2026
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7 Practical Employee And Founder Incentive Examples For Startups In Australia

7 Practical Employee And Founder Incentive Examples For Startups In Australia

If you’re building a startup, you’ve probably already felt the push-and-pull between doing more with less and still needing great people to get the work done. That’s where incentives come in. A...

15 June 2026
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What Is WorkSafe Australia?

What Is WorkSafe Australia?

If you’re starting or growing a business in Australia, workplace safety is one of those topics you can’t afford to “set and forget”. A single incident can trigger injuries, downtime, insurance issues,...

15 June 2026
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Can You Be Forced To Work When Sick? Employer Obligations And Rights

Can You Be Forced To Work When Sick? Employer Obligations And Rights

No one starts a business hoping to end up in a dispute about sick leave. But when you’re short-staffed, facing customer deadlines, or trying to keep the doors open, it’s easy for...

15 June 2026
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Drafting Severance Clauses in Australian Employment Contracts

Drafting Severance Clauses in Australian Employment Contracts

If you employ staff (or you’re about to), chances are you’ve seen the words severance clause pop up in templates, negotiation emails, or even in a clause someone insists is “standard”. But...

15 June 2026
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Loaded Rate Of Pay: How It’s Calculated And When To Use It In Australia

Loaded Rate Of Pay: How It’s Calculated And When To Use It In Australia

If you’re running a small business in Australia, you’ve probably heard people talk about using a “loaded rate of pay” for employees, contractors, or project work. On paper, it sounds simple: instead...

15 June 2026
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