The rules of recruiting staff differ depending on which Australian state your company is situated in. As a result, putting some time and effort into researching the relevant regulations is well advised to ensure compliance.
In order to keep an accurate budget when employing staff you’ll need to take into account all the costs involved and compare them with expected productivity gains and impact on your bottom line. As well as the staff wages and bonuses to consider, there’s superannuation, workers’ compensation insurance, annual leave, sick leave and the time and cost of training. Make sure that you are aware of all of these so you can factor it into your business and maintain a good return.
There are some key steps in the recruitment process for you to find the right staff that will make your business take off. These include workforce planning, advertising the job, writing a position description, interviewing and inducting the employee.
When creating a job description you should think of the ideal person for the role and write it specifically for them. This will attract the right sort of people and save you time and money of trawling through thousands of inappropriate applicants. Be sure to include any requisites you have, for example prior experience, certain essential skills, or qualifications. Before recruiting staff you should decide on the rate of pay and define the new worker’s conditions of employment. These must meet the National Employment Standards and include aspects such as periods of leave.
Registration for PAYG withholding is required and will teach you how to manage the amount of PAYG to withhold. You should also check requirements for fringe benefits tax, payroll tax and other employee tax basics; this is all your responsibility. Occupational Health and Safety requirements are strictly enforced in workplaces and you should get your office fully compliant before bringing in any staff.
In Western Australia there are a variety of employment types that you can offer new staff, including full time, part time, casual, fixed term employment, traineeships and apprenticeships. Again this varies with state so find out what is available and which type will work best for your business.
Full-time employees work on a regular weekly basis while part-time workers are paid on a pro rata basis and are entitled to annual, personal, sick leave and carer’s leave. Part-time workers still get paid public holidays, long service leave and bereavement leave. Casual employees are employed on an irregular basis, as and when you need them. With this type of contract there is no expectation of on-going employment and the employee can choose whether to accept of refuse offers of work.
If your employees are covered by an award you should check it to make sure that you fulfil your legal obligations. You can check Western Australian awards at the Department of Commerce and the national awards at Fairwork Award Finder.
