Ask a mentor – employer obligations

• It is critical in attracting and retaining suitable employees, and for supervision and management of staff.
• Not leaving myself and my managers open for common law claims and prosecution under key legislation.
• It is critical to understand and apply in such a way that it creates, develops and maintains a functional and supportive team and cultural environment.

Do not look at things in isolation or in various parts, but look at it as part of the whole and really understand what makes each individual function and perform. Understand how everyone learns and interprets your instructions and the culture.

Understanding one's obligations as an employer is important for several reasons.

Firstly, it helps ensure legal compliance with the relevant employment laws and regulations. This can prevent costly penalties, legal disputes, and reputational damage to the business.

Secondly, it can help create a positive workplace culture where employees feel respected, valued, and supported. When employers meet their obligations to provide a safe and healthy work environment, fair compensation and benefits, and opportunities for growth and development, employees are more likely to be motivated, engaged, and loyal.

Thirdly, understanding employer obligations can help improve performance management and increase productivity. With regular feedback, setting clear expectations, and addressing any issues that arise, employers can help their employees perform at their best and contribute to the business's success.

Legal essentials for business is a great resource and checklist for small owners, regardless of experience. There is also a directory of legal experts and business advisers to understand which laws you must follow.

For many reasons: safety, retention, culture and ensuring everyone is able to perform their role in a supportive environment.

Explaining to a client that a new/current employee must work within agreed hours and to the agreed tasks set out in their job description. Additionally, employers must understand that fatigue and burnout are a very serious when it comes to the workplace—not just at work but also travelling to and from. As employers, we have a responsibility to ensure our staff are working within a safe environment.

There are the legal obligations as an employer, and there are also the moral and practical obligations. If we want our staff to know what is expected of them, we need to have a quality induction or onboarding process. This is not just getting them to read all your policies and procedures, it needs to include having on the job (guided and mentored) training, conversations about 'how we do things (culture)' and expectations around behaviour, culture and performance.

To keep staff feeling appreciated and engaged, we need to also be prepared to invest in them with suitable training (which they also need to want to do), and recognition of their growing skills and expertise. Respect, recognition, investment in people and creating a positive work environment all help keep good employees!

Perhaps start with an easy-to-use personal profiling program (for example DISC profiling)—this helps identify communication and behaviour preferences, and can be a good way to identify any conflicts within teams.