The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) has recently released its strategic priorities for the 2022-23 period, with fast food, restaurants/cafes, and agriculture key industries of focus. Added to the list is the universities sector, with the FWO concerned about allegations of long-running underpayments in many universities, citing management oversight, decentralised HR functions and lack of investment in payroll and time-recording systems as the trending causes of non-compliance. 

With possible increased funding from the new Labor government, we may also see higher levels of enforcement, making employee underpayments (intentional or accidental) something employers should be concerned about.

In this podcast, we discuss the civil penalty provisions for corporations and directors for contraventions under the Fair Work Act, the functions of the FWO, and how employers may come under their radar. We also discuss where we see the vast majority of underpayments in respect of breaches of modern awards and the National Employment Standards, and key areas for employers to look at.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly has been replaced by a new segment; "Would you Tweet This?", a challenge for the team to come up with the most 'tweet worthy' of topical employment law news. Our movie review returns with this episode featuring "The Firm", starring Tom Cruise, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Gene Hackman.