Support with
Workplace Relations
Industrial relations are constantly evolving, making compliance challenging. Our experienced team will help you stay up-to-date with the changes to avoid costly repercussions.
-
Naveen Raghavan
Workplace Relations Consultant
Read Bio
Naveen Raghavan
Workplace Relations Consultant
Naveen Raghavan is a qualified non-practising lawyer and a Workplace Relations Advisor. He is passionate about employment law and industrial relations and his calm approach and ability to interpret complex matters allows him to achieve real solutions.
He has an extensive generalist background encompassing the areas of employment, civil, criminal, administrative and construction law. Naveen is also committed to social justice issues, having previously volunteered at the Flemington & Kensington Community Legal Centre, Refugee Legal and the Fitzroy Legal Service.
-
Saraswathy Varatharajullu
principal lawyer
Read Bio
Saraswathy Varatharajullu
principal lawyer
Saraswathy Varatharajullu is the Principal Lawyer of Constructive Legal Solutions. Saraswathy has years of experience in employment law and industrial relations having previously worked at the Fair Work Commission, and Professionals Australia (Union) as a Lawyer and National Industrial Officer. She also has expertise in construction contracts and commercial contracts as well as debt recovery.
Saraswathy is dedicated to providing support and guidance to clients with a pragmatic and tailored approach in a wide variety of matters from contract reviews and employee management to termination matters such as unfair dismissals and Enterprise Agreement bargaining. Saraswathy is also a qualified mediator and sits on the Law Institute of Victoria’s Workplace Relations Committee.
-
Zach Galea
Human Capital Management Lead And Business Development Manager
Read Bio
Zach Galea
Human Capital Management Lead And Business Development Manager
Zach Galea is an enthusiastic and resourceful Human Resources Leader with multi-faceted experience – providing business support across a range of organisations and industries including construction, pharmaceutical, retail, fast food, banking and engineering industries to name a few. He is supported by tertiary education, holding a Master of Management and Human Resources and a Bachelor of Psychological Science.
Zach is experienced in providing a wide range of HR services that drive business performance and build organisational and individual capabilities – contributing to business growth and bottom-line performance. He can help companies to identify blockers/constraints and develop innovative solutions that help organisations deliver on their strategic initiatives. Zach is passionate about making a difference within the workplace and drives HR initiatives that are aligned with the company vision, and are aimed at promoting best practice, both internally and externally.
Areas of workplace relations
-
Modern Award interpretation
-
Employee entitlements
-
Enterprise Agreements
-
Discrimination and harassment
-
Workplace health and safety
-
Conflict resolution
-
Workplace Diversity and inclusion
-
Termination and redundancy
-
Workplace training and development
-
Workplace investigations
Businesses we have supported
Benefits of working with Business Solutions Hub.
- We are by your side every step of the way. A local team of workplace relations specialists who understand the pressures of small to medium sized business
- We take the complexity out of workplace compliance and help you keep up to date with the constant changes
- Stay compliant with best practice policies
- Avoid expensive underpayment claims made by employees
- Flexible delivery options, from simple telephone and email support to on-site consulting for more complex workplace issues
- Access to a range of workplace relations resources through the Hub subscription to help you run your business
Workplace relations resources at your finger tips
To support your business, you can have access to a range of resources to help you manage your business with confidence and clarity
Workplace policy handbook
Workplace policies all in one place
Editable templates
Policies, contracts, position descriptions and more
Modern awards
Interpretation of wages and entitlements
Calculators
Labour calculator and travel and fares calculator
Enterprise
agreements
Drafting, tailoring and implementation
See what our customers say
Frequently asked questions
Have questions? We are here to help.
Unpaid parental leave is dependent on how long the employee has worked for you and whether their partner is also taking parental leave from their employer.
If the employee has been with you for at least 12 months at the expected date of birth of the baby, they are untitled to take up to 12 months off on unpaid parental leave. If their partner is also taking parental leave, up to 8 weeks can be taken at the same time. This 8 weeks is known as ‘concurrent leave’.
An employee can assess paid parental leave if they pass the primary carer test, work test and income test. The employee can apply to the Department of Human Services (Centrelink) for payments during this time. If they would like, you can also pay their accrued annual leave to cover some of the leave period. Note: sick and carers leave cannot be paid during this time.
There are additional changes to paid parental leave that are coming through a Bill that was passed in March 2023.
These changes will come into effect and apply to employees who have babies on or after 1 July 2023.
Parental Leave Pay and Dad & partner pay will be combined into a single 20-week pool of leave from 1 July 2023. Both parents can decide how they want the leave taken and how they will split it amongst themselves. The leave must be used within 2 years of birth/adoption.
Instead of just a single income threshold, there will now be a household income threshold of $350,000 for households to be able to access this leave.
Business Solutions Hub is by your side. Subscribe today and keep up to date with changes as they arise.
Current legislation allows employees such as those dealing with caring responsibilities, disabilities or over 55, to request flexible work arrangements after 12 months of continuous service (excl. casuals).
The following key amendments are to deter refusals and encourage genuine discussions between employer and the employee:
- Amend procedure to include new requirements for employers to genuinely try to reach agreement
- New requirements for employers to provide detailed reasons for refusal plus information on alternative arrangements
- New dispute resolution processes, such as mandatory arbitration (including orders from the Fair Work Commission to the employer to grant the request or make other changes to accommodate the employee’s circumstances)
- Extended application of current civil penalties to breaches.
These changes expand the operation to enable an employee who is experiencing family and domestic violence to also access Flexible Workplace Arrangements.
These changes around Flexible Workplace Arrangement only come into effect on 6 June 2023. This gives businesses time to prepare. In the next few months you should be reviewing your current practices for considering and responding to requests for Flexible Workplace Arrangements and include updating or implementing policies or procedures on Flexible Workplace Arrangements to ensure they align with the new changes.