What is Human Resources and Industrial Relations?
Human Resources (HR) is quite literally just a blanket term for your employees and the resources they provide to your business. Their skills, knowledge and work output are all resources your business needs and their emotional needs, future planning, training and company culture are all things a Human Resources manager or specialist would need to nurture to employ and retain them as part of your workforce.
Industrial Relations (IR) is the connection between your business, your employees and the legislative requirements and standards you need to meet.
Neither HR nor IR is a one size fits all model. With hundreds of different requirements on both an industry and legislative compliance level, utilising an industry specialist in your particular field of business is critical to your business’s success.
Why you need an Industrial Relations Specialist?
There are many different legalities across industries when it comes to employment. Though the majority of businesses need to comply with the Fair Work Act 2009, there are hundreds of differing modern awards, workplace legislation, employment laws, workplace health and safety requirements and particular industry standards to meet.
For example, the workplace health and safety responsibilities and obligations for those who work in mining understandably differ greatly from those in retail.
An audit report by the Fair Work Ombudsman found that *47% of retail businesses were not paying staff correctly. With *74% of employers citing that they were unaware of applicable workplace relations obligations.
Unfortunately being unaware does not mean avoidance of penalties and other ramifications for breaching workplace laws. Understanding and executing the right employer responsibilities and obligations for your business is crucial to sustainable success for you and your team.
Knowing you have an Industrial Relations specialist that understands your industry and business provides you with the peace of mind you need to confidently manage your business and operations.
Industries Workplace Partners specialise in:
- Property and Real Estate
- Hospitality
- Retail
- Finance
- Allied Health
- Nursery and Garden
- Mining and Construction
To explore how Workplace Partners can help you meet your HR and IR needs, no matter your industry, contact us on 1300 116 400.
Need Help
Workplace Partners is available to assist you with any queries on 1300 116 400 or email [email protected].
The information contained within this article is not legal advice and is for general advice only, to obtain specific advice for your business contact us on 1300 116 400 or email [email protected], this advisory service is available to all subscribers at no additional cost.