Welcome to the Spring 2008 edition of Work InSights. Please click here to access the publication.

EDITORIAL:

This edition of Work InSights comes at a time when there are some concerns at the state of the Australian economy, a time when risks to business assume a greater importance than at other times. For that reason, this edition looks at three different, but very practical areas of concern for employers.

Firstly, discrimination claims have been “big news” items for some time now, and are clearly having an impact on those businesses affected. We look at what can be learned  from some of those high profile cases, and how employers can make sure their business is “EEO aware”: able to avoid discrimination claims by appropriate behaviour but also able to respond quickly if a complaint is made.

Attracting and retaining staff in times of economic uncertainty can be difficult, and our second article has a very useful, detailed checklist of steps that can be taken to attract and retain good staff, whilst protecting the business from risks, for example, posed by loss of confidential information, or poaching of clients or staff by former employees.

 
At a time when cost-cutting is important, it is sometimes tempting to reduce costs of storage by culling employer records. Our third article looks at what records an employer is required to keep, and for how long. Some practical issues that may confront a business that does not retain records are also addressed in the article.

So, three topics, bound together by a common theme: practical steps to protect your business, in good times or bad.

CONTENTS:

1 Learning from the Christina Rich and PwC Dispute: minimising the risks and costs exposures of EEO complaints
5 Attract, Retain, Protect - Tips for managing employees and protecting your business in a time of economic downturn
9 Retention of employee records
10 STOP PRESS: More details released on Australia’s new Workplace Relations System