Employing people | Legal obligations
This information is brought to you by business.gov.au
Management success often relies on treating your staff well. Abiding by your legal obligations as an employer is the first place to start. Legal obligations to employees and other workers come from a variety of sources:
- federal, state and territory laws
- industrial awards and agreements
- tribunal decisions
- contracts of employment (whether written or verbal).
Some of your legal obligations as an employer include:
- paying correct wages
- reimbursing your employees for work-related expenses
- ensuring a safe working environment
- not acting in a way that may seriously damage an employee’s reputation or cause mental distress or humiliation
- not acting in a way that damages the trust and confidence necessary for an employment relationship
- not providing a false or misleading reference
- forwarding PAYE tax instalments to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO)
- making appropriate payment under the Superannuation Guarantee legislation.
You may also need to deal with Centrelink if you are an employer of Centrelink customers. In this case, you may be asked to provide wage and employment details for your employees. Centrelink also has resources to aid you in finding payments and services that can help both your business and your staff.
What to do…
- Find out about your employer responsibilities on the Fair Work Online website.
- Seek independent advice from a qualified accountant, tax planner or lawyer.
- Check your legal obligations in your state or territory.