Employment Law Compliance Checklist for Professional Services
A checklist for auditing compliance with Australian employment law, covering Fair Work obligations, Awards, record-keeping, and employee entitlements.
Designed to meet professional indemnity requirements, client confidentiality obligations, and industry body reporting standards.
Complete Checklist
- 1Verify all employees are classified under the correct Modern Award or agreementCritical
- 2Check that pay rates meet or exceed the minimum rates in the applicable AwardCritical
- 3Review overtime, penalty rate, and allowance calculations for accuracy
- 4Confirm that all employees have received the Fair Work Information StatementCritical
- 5Verify that annual leave, personal leave, and other NES entitlements are correctly calculated
- 6Check that superannuation is being paid at the correct rate and on time
- 7Review employment contracts for compliance with the NES and applicable Award
- 8Verify that time and attendance records are accurate and being kept as requiredCritical
- 9Check that payslips contain all required information and are issued on time
- 10Review casual conversion obligations and confirm compliance
- 11Confirm flexible work arrangement requests are being handled appropriately
- 12Review termination and redundancy practices for legal compliance
- 13Check that workplace discrimination and harassment policies are current
- 14Verify that the business is displaying required workplace notices
- 15Document the audit results and implement corrective actions for any gapsCritical
Frequently Asked Questions
How can we ensure we are paying the correct Award rates?
Identify the correct Modern Award for each employee based on their industry and role. Use the Fair Work Ombudsman pay calculator tool to confirm current rates. Review rates each July when annual wage reviews take effect. Document the Award classification for each position. Consider engaging a specialist payroll provider or employment advisor to audit your pay practices regularly.
What records must employers keep under Australian employment law?
Employers must keep records of employee details, pay rates and hours worked, leave accruals and taken, superannuation contributions, and individual flexibility arrangements. Records must be in English, legible, and kept for seven years. Failure to keep proper records can result in penalties and, in wage dispute cases, the burden of proof may shift to the employer.
What are the National Employment Standards and who do they apply to?
The National Employment Standards are ten minimum employment entitlements that apply to all employees covered by the national workplace relations system. They include maximum weekly hours, requests for flexible work, parental leave, annual leave, personal leave, community service leave, long service leave, public holidays, notice of termination and redundancy pay, and the Fair Work Information Statement. Awards and agreements can provide above but not below these standards.
Need help implementing these checks into your daily operations?
Our team can build custom checklists integrated into your daily operations workflow.