COURSE OVERVIEW:

Welcome to the Avoiding Employment Mistakes course. This program will equip you with the skills and knowledge to recruit, engage, manage, and, where necessary, discipline staff in ways that are fair, lawful, well-documented, and aligned with best practice. Throughout this course, you will learn how to reduce the risk of costly people-related problems by strengthening your recruitment processes, employment documentation, workplace standards, privacy practices, and disciplinary procedures.

This course begins by exploring how to avoid mistakes at the very start of the employment relationship through careful recruitment and selection. It explains the importance of recruiting the right person, how to define your recruitment requirement clearly, and how to develop accurate job descriptions and person specifications. It examines how to avoid unlawful discrimination and what to include in a job advertisement so that it is both appealing and compliant, and looks at how health screening is used in organisations. It then walks through the selection process, including the stages of the face-to-face interview, common mistakes that occur at interview, how to use tests to assess skills and aptitudes, what to do after the interview, and the importance of checking references before making a final decision.

The course then turns to employment contracts and the legal framework that underpins the ongoing employment relationship. It explains what contracts of employment are, whether you need a written employment contract, and how the Fair Work Act 2009 shapes rights and obligations. It discusses the benefits of having a properly drafted employment contract, who should have a set of terms of employment, what should be included, and what should not be included in an employment contract. It also explores implied and incorporated terms, the different ways in which an existing contract may be varied, and how to express standards in clear, precise, and measurable terms that can be relied on in both day-to-day management and formal processes.

Attention then moves to record-keeping, communication of expectations, and working at best practice. It explains how to clearly communicate standards and rules so that employees understand what is required, and outlines the importance and benefits of keeping good records to support decisions, demonstrate fairness, and manage risk. It describes what sort of things should be noted, how long records should be kept, and how robust documentation underpins best practice in people management. It also looks at how to develop a policy statement that aligns with your approach to managing work health and safety, performance, conduct, and broader WHS approaches in the organisation.

Privacy, personal information, and the protection of employee data are then examined to help you avoid serious employment and compliance mistakes. It explains privacy and personal information obligations, the rules about employees’ personal information, and when it may be necessary or appropriate to disclose employee personal information to third parties. It outlines how to use best practice to protect personal information, how to commit to privacy principles in daily practice, and how to develop and implement a workplace privacy policy that is both practical and compliant.

The course then addresses the management of problems in the employment relationship, from early issues to formal disciplinary action. It explains how to deal with problems informally where possible, and how and when to take formal action when informal approaches are not enough. It explores how to determine whether an issue is a conduct or capability problem, when suspension of an employee might be appropriate, and how to prepare for and handle a disciplinary hearing. It also covers how to decide on a proportionate sanction, what to include in a formal warning, how to follow procedure step by step, and why adherence to procedure is central to acting as a reasonable employer.

By the end of this course, you will be able to design and run recruitment processes that minimise the risk of hiring mistakes, develop and use clear employment contracts and standards, and maintain records that support fair, defensible decisions. You will understand how to protect employee privacy, distinguish between different types of employment problems, and choose the right blend of informal and formal responses. Most importantly, you will be equipped to act consistently as a reasonable employer—reducing legal and operational risk while building more transparent, respectful, and well-managed workplaces.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this course, you will be able to understand:

• The importance of recruiting the right person
• How to define your recruitment requirement?
• The job description and person specifications
• How to avoid unlawful discrimination?
• What to include in the job advertisement?
• Health screening in organisations
• The selection process
• The stages of the face to face interview
• The common mistakes at interviews
• How to use tests to assess skills and aptitudes?
• What to do after the interview?
• The importance of checking references
• The contracts of employment
• Do I need a written employment contract?
• The Fair Work Act 2009
• What are the benefits of having a properly drafted employment contract?
• Who should have a set of terms of employment?
• What should be included in the employment contract?
• What should not be included in the employment contract?
• The implied terms and the incorporated terms
• The different ways in which an existing contract may be varied
• How to express standards in clear, precise and measurable terms?
• How to clearly communicate standards and rules?
• The importance and benefits of keeping good records
• What sort of things should be noted?
• How long should you keep records?
• Working at best practice
• Privacy and personal information
• The rules about employee’s personal information
• When to disclose employee personal information to third parties?
• How to use best practice to protect personal information?
• How to commit to the privacy principles?
• How to develop a workplace privacy policy?
• How to deal with problems informally?
• How and when to take formal action?
• How to determine if it’s a conduct or capability problem?
• When to suspend an employee?
• How to prepare for a disciplinary hearing?
• How to handle discipline hearings?
• How to decide on a sanction?
• What to include in a formal warning?
• How to follow procedure?
• The importance of following procedure
• The reasonable employer

COURSE DURATION:

The typical duration of this course is approximately 2-3 hours to complete. Your enrolment is Valid for 12 Months. Start anytime and study at your own pace.

ASSESSMENT:

A simple 10-question true or false quiz with Unlimited Submission Attempts.

CERTIFICATION:

Upon course completion, you will receive a customised digital “Certificate of Completion”.