WITH RECENT LAW changes setting clear expectations that franchisors need to consider how to prevent exploitation of workers, the Fair Work Ombudsman has launched a new resource providing practical advice to assist franchisors to promote sustained workplace compliance in their networks.
 
In a speech to the Franchise Advisory Centre’s Franchise Management Forum yesterday, Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James launched the Guide to promoting workplace compliance in your franchise network yesterday and emphasised the steps a franchisor can take to prevent workplace issues and avoid liability.
 
“A franchisor sets the tone for its network and needs to consider the capability and sophistication of its franchisees in managing its risks and deciding how to go about providing franchisee support,” Ms James said.
 
“The law states a franchise will not be liable for underpayments where it can show it has taken ‘reasonable steps’ to prevent this from occurring.
 
“The term ‘reasonable’ by its very nature requires that the particular business and its circumstances determine the expectations and the sorts of actions required, and this is where the Guide is a great resource.”
 
The Guide outlines useful strategies that head franchisors can implement to promote compliance with workplace laws in their networks.
 
“Workplace compliance is a compulsory requirement for any business,” Ms James said.
 
“The Guide will be useful for franchisors of all shapes and sizes. It sets out four practical steps franchisors should be taking, and recommends a variety of strategies to help franchisors manage their workplace compliance risks now and into the future.”
 
The Guide provides advice about how franchisors can work with their franchisees to:

• set expectations;
• educate and train;
• monitor compliance; and
• take further action.

Specifically, the Guide includes:

• information about the new laws that apply to franchisors;
• practical steps franchisors can take to promote workplace compliance in their networks, including tips from leading businesses;
• real life case studies to illustrate best practice approaches to compliance with workplace laws;
• a checklist that businesses can use to assess and benchmark their current practices; and
• advice about where franchisors can access more information.

In her speech, Ms James emphasised how several key franchise brands had learned “after things went wrong for them” that ensuring compliance in a network is an investment, not a cost.
 
“Brands that have invested in compliance have found this to be a small price to pay in comparison with negative brand coverage, market cap deterioration and a whole host of legal and accounting problems with franchisees down the track,” Ms James said.
 
“I have said again and again that certain markets are higher risk than others and have identified the characteristics that feature repetitively in systemic non-compliance: low skill work, labour intensive sectors, high levels of vulnerable workers and tight profit margins.
 
“Franchisors can choose to work with us to be a part of the solution, or choose to roll the dice. We hope that together with knowledge of their network and the dynamics of the market, this new guidance will support franchisors to assess their risks and make choices in the interests of their business and brand going forward.”
 
“If they haven’t already, franchisors should also strongly consider demonstrating their public commitment to compliance by entering in to a compliance partnership with the Fair Work Ombudsman.”
 
Located at www.fairwork.gov.au/franchisors, the Guide is part of a suite of resources to help franchisors understand and comply with the new laws designed to protect vulnerable workers.
 
Employers and employees seeking assistance can visit www.fairwork.gov.au or call the Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94. An interpreter service is available on 13 14 50. Information on the website can be translated into 40 languages.

Resources available on the website include the Pay and Conditions Tool (PACT), which provides advice about pay, shift, leave and redundancy entitlements and there are templates for pay slips and time-and-wages records.

Employers and employees can also sign up to remain informed and receive tailored information by registering for a free Fair Work Ombudsman My Account.

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BRISBANE employers looking to boost worker productivity should consider using more of one of the world’s oldest and most sustainable materials in their office fit-outs: wood.

Associate Professor Jacki Schirmer of the University of Canberra – who will be speaking at the Green Building Day conference in Brisbane today – said that was a key take-out from a recent survey of 1000 indoor Australian workers.

The research provides fresh evidence to underpin the business case for biophilia – the principle that exposure to nature increases human wellbeing, she said.

The study found that the more natural looking wooden surfaces workers could see from their workstation, the higher their workplace satisfaction and wellbeing – affording significant potential benefits to productivity.

However, the research paints a bleak picture of workers’ current access to nature at work with less than half (47%) enjoying access to natural light, only two in five (38%) being able to see indoor plants, a quarter (26%) unable to see any natural looking wooden surfaces and almost half (46%) spending less than an hour outdoors on work days.

Dr Schirmer said the results of the survey by strategic market research firm Pollinate held true even after rigorous analysis that controlled for factors known to impact on the wellbeing of workers such as age, income, gender and workplace culture.

“We are always looking for ways to improve health and wellbeing, and this research points to ways we can achieve that in the places many people spend a lot of their time – the workplace," Dr Schirmer said.

“The work has implications for businesses, because a large body of research has shown that workers who are more satisfied with their work and have higher wellbeing have better work productivity, and reduced rates of absenteeism – which means improving worker wellbeing has real benefits for businesses.”

Over 80 percent of workers (82%) exposed to eight or more wooden surfaces in their workplace reported being ‘satisfied or very satisfied’ with work, compared to over two thirds (69%) exposed to five to seven wooden surfaces and half (53%) with no wooden surfaces.

Employees working in offices with natural wooden surfaces on average also reported higher personal productivity, mood, concentration, clarity, confidence and optimism.

The effect on wellbeing was greatest when wood was used in combination with other natural elements such as plants, water features and natural light.

Dr Schirmer said: “We know it’s good for us to spend time outdoors interacting with nature, but with people spending so much time indoors, there’s increasing recognition of the potential benefits of bringing nature into the workplace and the home.

“The academic world is becoming increasingly switched on to biophilia as an area warranting real research and attention, and some engineering degrees are starting to include it as a subject.

“Importantly, wood is a particularly useful tool for bringing nature into the workplace in situations where it is not feasible to retro-fit other changes, such as increased natural light.”

Time and location of talk:

Associate Professor Jacki Schirmer will discuss the findings at the Green Building Day in Brisbane at Green Building Day at Aurecon Level 14, 32 Turbot St, Brisbane.

About the study:

A representative sample of 1000 Australian indoor workers participated in the research.

Survey participants were asked about the natural elements they could see from their workspace, including the number and type of natural wooden-looking objects they could see. They were also asked about the presence of other things that affect the wellbeing of workers, including noise levels, access to natural light, and their workplace culture. Finally, they were asked to self-rate their wellbeing, workplace satisfaction and personal distress using validated measures that are used worldwide to assess wellbeing, health and mental health disorders.

Over two thirds of indoor workers surveyed were in an office, with the remainder split between shops and factories/warehouses.

The study was funded by Forest & Wood Products Australia (FWPA), which had no input on the structure of the study.

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DEFENCE is inviting Australian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to submit proposals for new technologies to protect Australian small, fixed-wing unmanned aerial systems (UAS) by making them harder to detect.

Minister for Defence Industry, Christopher Pyne said this was another opportunity for SMEs to contribute innovative solutions to enhance Defence capability.

“Australian SMEs are great innovators and we want them to put forward innovative concepts to protect our UAS from being readily seen or heard in different environmental conditions,” Minister Pyne said.

“Defence is looking for outcomes to reduce both the visual and acoustic detection of UAS from ground-based observation without disrupting the operation of the aircraft.

"UASs are used for intelligence gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance and especially in situations where manned flight is considered too risky. Having the ability to remain undetected conveys significant tactical advantages for such operations.  

"These proposals are being invited under the Small Business Innovation Research for Defence (SBIRD) initiative of the Next Generation Technologies Fund.

“This program is designed to stimulate innovative research for Defence application by SMEs with this being the first project under the initiative requiring a novel application of material sciences and advanced sensors.”

Funded proposals will be eligible for up to $100,000, for completion within nine months.

If successful, SMEs will then be eligible to apply for funding to support further research and concept maturation within 24 months, with maximum funding of $750,000.

”I look forward to a strong response from SMEs and cutting-edge solutions in their proposals,” Mr Pyne said.

Further information about the SBIRD program and how to submit proposals for this project is available from the Centre for Defence Industry Capability website: https://www.business.gov.au/centre-for-defence-industry-capability

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QUEENSLAND'S coal industry is making a record contribution to the State Budget to deliver funding for Queensland infrastructure and vital services, like health and education, Queensland Resources Council chief executive Ian Macfarlane said. 
 
Mr Macfarlane said the resources sector was delivering for Treasurer Jackie Trad’s first Budget with coal royalties a record $3.768 billion for 2017-18 and overall royalties including minerals and LNG climbing to $4.327 billion. The Budget forecasts total royalties to increase to $4.458 billion in 2018-19 with a boost in royalties expected from petroleum and minerals. Coal royalties are projected to contribute $3.522 billion in 2018-19.
 
The 2018-19 Budget royalties windfall for the Palaszczuk Government is much greater than the Budget handed down last year, which projected coal royalties to be $2.432 billion and a total royalties of $2.989 billion.
 
“I’m pleased to say those high-vis workers are the highlights in the Budget.  The 280,000 men and women working in the resources sector are delivering for five million Queenslanders,” he said.
 
“Every Queenslander – regardless of where they call home – shares in the wealth of the sector through royalties paid to the Government. These royalties go to schools, hospitals and roads in the south-east of Queensland.
 
“On top of the billions of dollars in royalties paid by the sector, resources jobs continue to be a mainstay of employment and economic growth in Queensland, ensuring that every Queenslander benefits from this great industry.
 
“If the sector is to continue to deliver for Queenslanders it needs certainty and I thank the Treasurer for her commitment to not change royalty rates in this Budget and call on Ms Trad for an ongoing commitment to royalty stability."
 
Mr Macfarlane said the Queensland resources sector "now provided one in every $6 dollars in the Queensland economy, sustains one in eight Queensland jobs, and supports more than 16,400 businesses across the State – with almost 7000 businesses in the Greater Brisbane region – all from 0.1 percent of Queensland’s land mass".

www.qrc.org.au