Despite the best intentions of trying to comply with the modern award system, it’s all too easy for a small mistake to be missed – and for it to turn into a huge deal down the line. There’s a constant stream of companies being caught out for not paying staff correctly or providing the right entitlements. The most recent example being McDonalds, but there’s been countless others in recent years.
As employers start to ramp their workforces up in preparation for the holiday season, it’s imperative to review your current WFM software to ensure you’re meeting all your compliance responsibilities. Otherwise the fallout is not just steep fines, but it could also cause momental damage to your corporate and employee brand. Here are some tips on how to choose the best WFM software.
Manual is Out and Automation is In
The most effective way to mitigate risk of non-compliance is to automate as much of award interpretation as possible. When we’re relying on manual processes, we’re bound to to experience human error. And the more manual processes we employ, the greater the risk.
So, it’s important to have WFM software in place that can automate award interpretation. The larger the organisation, the higher the number of shift-based staff, and the level of complexity of award combinations – all need to be taken into account when deciding which workforce management software is right for you.
If you’re already using WFM software that manages award interpretation – ask yourself if it’s providing my business the level of detail my business needs? For smaller employers, software that uses templated awards in their award interpretation might be more than enough.
But for those at the mid to larger end, templated awards could open you up to risk where manual processes may still be required. Or, your business might not quite fit the pre-templated interpretation the template was originally designed to meet.
A general rule is the more complex the situation you have, the greater the need there is for software that’s configurable and enterprise-grade.
Are You Audit Ready?
You must keep records of things like shift start and finish times, breaks, and changes in regular patterns of work, for at least seven years. Not only that, you also need to be able to extract this information easily to prove compliance during an audit.
You may be doing all the things right, but if you’re not employing solid systems to record this information, it’s unprovable to auditors. Ask yourself – are the current systems and software used recording all the information you’re required to as per the requirements of the relevant award? If yes, can you also easily produce auditable reports if required to do so?
Just like with the interpretation of modern awards, the more you can reduce manual processes in recording this information, the more you reduce your risk.
WFM Software’s Integration with Payroll
Another way to ensure compliance is to integrate your WFM software with your payroll. If you’re dealing with different, unconnected systems, double-entry of data, manual uploads of CSV spreadsheets etc. – the chance is greater for things to go wrong.
It’s so important to integrate payroll with rostering, and a good workforce management solution will easily do this. If your current systems are not integrated, investigate if this is a possibility and review what other options are available. It might seem easier to stay with the status quo, but doing the work now to review your systems can save you a lot of headache in the future.
Download ‘The Complete Guide For Attracting, Onboarding and Retaining Your Casual Workforce’ to find out how else you can prepare in the hiring ramp up for the holiday season.
