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Workplace Relations: Advice, Contracts and Templates

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) understands the unique challenges businesses face in meeting their workplace relations responsibilities. It can help you get it right, and provide you with free information and resources you can rely on.

The FWO’s Small Business Showcase is a virtual one-stop-shop providing a range of resources for business owners seeking information about their workplace obligations. The showcase covers topics including hiring employees, calculating pay, keeping accurate records and resolving workplace issues.

The FWO wants businesses to know that it provides the resources; tools and information business owners need to implement positive workplace practices and help businesses succeed – 24/7!

Many of the FWO’s free tools and resources are available in 30 different languages tailored to assist businesses. Find out about applicable pay rates and leave entitlements, download employment contract and pay slips templates, and check out the online short courses on hiring employees at www.fairwork.gov.au/smallbusiness.

What is a Fair Work Information Statement?

Employers have to give every new employee a copy of the Fair Work Information Statement (the Statement) before, or as soon as possible after, they start their new job.

The Statement provides new employees with information about their conditions of employment.

The Statement has information on:

Providing the Statement

The Statement can be given to new employees:

  • in person
  • by mail
  • by email
  • by emailing a link to the Fair Work Ombudsman’s website
  • by fax

Thinking about hiring?

There are workplace laws that apply to all employees. Before hiring a new employee, make sure you find out about your responsibilities under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) and the applicable awards. They include things like pay rates, leave entitlements, breaks, pay slips and record keeping obligations. Even if you already have employees, it’s a good idea to keep up-to-date with the latest requirements.

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) has specialised resources to help you find the right person, get them started and meet your obligations under workplace laws. When you’re hiring new staff, you can use the FWO’s Guide to hiring new employees to help you find the right employee for your workplace and get them started on the right track. Once you’ve hired someone, you can provide them with our Guide to starting a new job, to help them understand their rights and obligations. You might also be interested in the FWO’s Hiring employees online learning course. This course has interactive activities and templates to guide you through the hiring process.

Building a high performing team

To build a high performing team, managers need to make sure staff are performing to the best of their abilities. Knowing how to identify opportunities to improve performance, how to tackle underperformance, how to communicate about this with your employees and how to work together to improve and maximise performance are crucial skills for the running of a successful, compliant service.

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) offers free tools and resources to help you with improving workplace performance. This includes a best practice guide for managing underperformance and templates you can use to manage your employees’ performance. Resources include conversation guides and performance plans. The FWO’s online learning centre also offers free courses to help you build skills and develop strategies, including courses on managing underperformance and having difficult conversations in the workplace.

For FWO’s priority support and specialised information, register for My Account at www.fairwork.gov.au or call the FWO’s Small Business Helpline on 13 13 94. A Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) is also available, please call 13 14 50 and ask for the FWO.

Follow FWO on social media to keep up to date with current issues:

Employers