HR Elements

𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗗𝗦 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄.

The Fair Work Commission has announced amendments to the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services (SCHADS) Award, taking effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 June 2026.

Under the SCHADS Award, a sleepover is when an employee is required to stay overnight at the same location as the client. The Commission's decision changes how rostering and pay works for shifts that include a sleepover, here is what is changing:

𝗢𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀: Employees and employers can now agree to extend ordinary hours up to 12 hours on shifts that include a sleepover, with a maximum of 8 hours in either work period. Overtime is payable for any extra time worked over 12 hours.

𝗦𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘀: A sleepover period will no longer count as a break between rostered work. Work performed immediately before and after a sleepover will be treated as part of the same shift.

𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀: The portions of work before and after the sleepover are assessed separately for shift allowances, meaning different penalty rates may apply to each period.

These changes affect rostering, pay calculations and employment agreements across home care, disability services and community sectors.

For more information, read https://www.fairwork.gov.au/about-us/workplace-laws/award-changes/major-award-changes/changes-to-sleepovers-in-the-schads-award.

Not sure how this impacts your organisation? Reach out to HR Elements team. We're here to help you navigate these changes with confidence.

Most of us care about the people we work with. But when someone's not doing well, it can be hard to know how to best support them.

Mental Health First Aid is practical training that gives you the words and the confidence to help without needing to have all the answers.

We have two courses running on 𝗪𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟯 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 at 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲, 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗵:

𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗠𝗛𝗙𝗔
6-hour eLearning + 4-hour in-person | 8:30AM–12:30PM

𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗛𝗙𝗔
4-hour in-person | 1:30PM–5:30PM

Find out more and register at https://www.hrelements.com.au/mental-health-first-aid

Happy International HR Day, superheroes! 🎉

To every HR professional out there…

The expertise, dedication and grit you bring to the workplace every day doesn't go unnoticed. You are the people behind the people. Championing employees, navigating the hard conversations and holding organisations together when it matters most. Today we celebrate 𝘆𝗼𝘂!

With lots of admiration,
The HR Elements Team

Boarding and buzzing 💻

Zoe is heading to Perth for a big week ahead. Launching Wellbeing360, delivery of Employment Hero implementation Q&As and making time for some team huddle fun.

Nothing better than work trips that are all about people, connection and making things better together.

See you soon Zoe ✈️

The Respect@Work training sessions at TASOCS have sparked some great conversations and strong engagement from all four groups! Running the training in smaller groups has encouraged greater engagement and open discussion, the workshop-style approach as well as helped reinforce understanding and practical application of the key concepts.

These sessions reinforce that discrimination, bullying, and any form of harassment should and will not be tolerated. They also highlight the importance of understanding key workplace policies including the Anti-Discrimination and EEO Policy, Sexual Harassment Policy, Workplace Bullying Policy, and Personal Grievance Policy.

Importantly, Respect@Work isn’t about changing who you are, it’s about building awareness and understanding how our actions and words can impact others.

Special thanks to Anne for guiding the sessions with care and creating space for meaningful discussion and reflection!

We’re so excited to be a 𝗠𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗳 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 🎉

This year’s Festival is bigger and brighter than ever, and yes, Emma Memma is performing! 🧡🦋

We chose to support this event because we believe in the incredible work of Expression Australia and the vital role they play in supporting the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. The festival is a celebration of culture, language and connection, values that we proudly share. At HR Elements, our focus has always been on people, culture and wellbeing, values that shine at the Deaf Festival.

To celebrate, we’re giving away 4 tickets so you can join the fun!
👉 Here’s how to enter:
1️⃣ Like the HR Elements Pty Ltd page
2️⃣ Like this post
3️⃣ Comment with the emoji that shows your excitement for the Festival 🤟💃✨

The lucky draw will take place tomorrow, Friday 24th October 2025 at 5:00pm (AEDT)

✨ Want to guarantee your spot? Tickets are still available here: https://lnkd.in/g_EGRSvb

We can’t wait to celebrate alongside Expression Australia and the community at the Expression Deaf Festival - see you there! 💙

Emma Watkins

Whether we want to believe it or not, the holiday season is just around the corner!

Now’s the perfect time to plan ahead. From managing leave and shutdowns to ensuring you’ve got the right staffing in place, preparation is key to keeping operations running smoothly.

With the right planning (and the right support), your business can stay productive while your team enjoys the holidays.

👉 Swipe through to see what you should be preparing for this Christmas period.

Exciting news! Our work with Expression Australia has been recognised in an official Employment Hero Case Study.

HR Elements has successfully delivered well over 30 HR and payroll system implementations, giving us the depth of expertise to tailor solutions for businesses of every size and industry.

We’re proud to have partnered with Expression Australia on their HRIS journey, driving their implementation of Employment Hero to streamline payroll, compliance and the entire employee lifecycle.

This is also a celebration of our partnership with Employment Hero. Through their Partner Program, we’re able to offer our clients a streamlined HR platform tailored to their unique needs.

If you'd like to achieve great HRIS implementation results for your organisation, reach out to us today at [email protected].

Here’s to more partnerships that make a difference! 🤝

👉 Full story here: https://employmenthero.com/case-studies/expression-australia-hr-elements/

It's always an honour working with Dress for Success Western Australia!

We’re proud to share that women across WA can access free one-on-one career coaching sessions through Dress for Success Perth. These include resume and cover letter reviews, LinkedIn profile reviews, and mock interviews that are all designed to build confidence and support the journey back into the workforce.

Book your free session with them today and take the next step toward re-entering the workforce!

Booking Link: https://lnkd.in/g7i3sZTu

We’re incredibly grateful to the amazing team at HR Elements for their generous support in facilitating some of our recent workshops, including "Interviewing for Success."

Your expertise, energy, and genuine passion for helping women prepare for the workforce has made a meaningful impact. The way you engage with our participants, bringing practical tools, real-world insights, and encouragement, truly empowers them to walk into interviews with confidence.

Our community is stronger because of partners like you.

Check out this wonderful testimonial from one of our recent sessions to see just how valued your contribution is.

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𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 | 𝐍𝐨 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 “𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠” 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐝𝐬

A recent Federal Court decision has major implications for salaried staff arrangements. Woolworths and Coles argued that annual salaries could “pool” entitlements, offsetting busy periods (like Christmas overtime) with quieter ones. Justice Perram disagreed.

Key takeaways:
• Salaries must cover award entitlements in every single pay cycle – no averaging across months.
• Employers must keep immediately clear records of overtime and penalty hours (beyond rosters or clock-ins).
• This ruling conflicts with an April 2025 decision that allowed annual averaging, leaving the law unsettled for now.

What employers need to do:
1️⃣ Make sure each pay cycle’s salary fully satisfies award entitlements.
2️⃣ Only explore flexibility clauses with legal advice.
3️⃣ Keep detailed, inspector-ready overtime and penalty records.
4️⃣ Monitor industry efforts for “Exemption Rates” to simplify salaried roles.
5️⃣ Don’t expect a quick legislative fix, award variations are the more likely path.
6️⃣ Stay across proposed award changes to prepare in advance.

👉 Until the courts resolve the inconsistency, the safest approach is strict compliance: pay right every cycle and keep your records straight.

At HR Elements, we help employers cut through the complexity and stay compliant with shifting employment law. If you’re unsure how this decision impacts your business, we can guide you through the practical steps to protect both compliance and operational flexibility.

Communicate Confidently with Deaf Customers & Colleagues Our Deafness Awareness & Communication Training (DACT) is an interactive, hands-on experience designed to give your team knowledge, skills, and confidence…