The Fair Work Act  now governs employment, with the new Banking, Finance and Insurance Award  replacing the Credit Union and other financial services awards as of 1 January .

With the new National Employment Standards also applying from 1 January there are some important changes now in place .

We recommend a review to identify inconsistencies between the new award and the National Employment Standards in:

1. your letters or offers of employment.

2. employment contracts ( new and existing )

3. existing policies.

There may also be a need to develop new policies and procedures eg letters responding to flexible work requests.

You should also review your existing policies relating to probation, parental leave, work-life balance and performance and misconduct.

Do your employment contracts include the new mandatory terms?

Have you drafted complying termination and redundancy pro forma letters?

Have you reviewed your leave forms, time sheets and pay slips to ensure they comply with new requirements in terms of content and retention periods.