Legal Obligations for Employers During COVID-19 Crisis

The COVID-19 outbreak and new social distancing measures have resulted in industry wide shutdowns. Many organisations are left wondering what their legal obligations are to their employees under the Fair Work Act.

Organisations usually aren’t required to pay employees if their usual business operations have been suspended and their position is not one which is able to be completed remotely. An immediate reaction is often redundancies however, organisations have several alternative options. These include directing employees to take annual leave (paid and unpaid) and the standing down of employees due to a stoppage of work. Employees and employers must work together to find suitable solutions that address the needs of the business and the staff.

For more information on your obligations during the Coronavirus outbreak, refer to the Fair Work announcement. The Morrows Human Resources Advisory team will be happy to provide assistance in any matter you need.