Employee HR Manual

Source: template designed by: Business

Victoria and adapted for XYZ

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Contents
Contents ...................................................................................................................................... 2
Welcome to XYZ ......................................................................................................................... 6
Organisational Chart ................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

General employment information ................................................................................................. 7

Hours of work ............................................................................................................................ 7

Time Off in Lieu ........................................................................................................................ 7

Lateness for work ..................................................................................................................... 7

Payroll ....................................................................................................................................... 8

Reimbursement of Expenses ................................................................................................... 8

Updating Your Details ............................................................................................................... 8

The XYZ Business Environment .................................................................................................. 9

Office work areas ...................................................................................................................... 9

The noise factors ...................................................................................................................... 9

Building and IT Security ............................................................................................................ 9

Kitchen and bathrooms use ...................................................................................................... 9

Booking meeting rooms .......................................................................................................... 10

Sustainable work practices ..................................................................................................... 10

Policies and Procedures ........................................................................................................... 12

HR Management policies .......................................................................................................... 12
Recruitment & Selection ............................................................................................................. 12

Purpose................................................................................................................................... 12

Policy....................................................................................................................................... 12

Recruitment............................................................................................................................. 12

Applications............................................................................................................................. 13

Selection and offer of employment ......................................................................................... 14

Induction and Probation ............................................................................................................. 15

Purpose................................................................................................................................... 15

Induction Policy ....................................................................................................................... 15

Induction Procedure................................................................................................................ 16

Probation Policy ...................................................................................................................... 17

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 Code of Conduct Policy .............................................................................................................. 18

Purpose................................................................................................................................... 18

Policy....................................................................................................................................... 18

Code of Conduct ..................................................................................................................... 19

Dress Code ............................................................................................................................. 20

Conflict of Interest ................................................................................................................... 20

Data Protection and IT Policy ................................................................................................. 21

Use of Social Media ................................................................................................................ 22

Intellectual Property and Security ........................................................................................... 24

Performance Management Policy .............................................................................................. 25

Purpose................................................................................................................................... 25

Policy....................................................................................................................................... 25

Induction and Probation Stage ............................................................................................... 27

Regular Performance Review Stage ...................................................................................... 28

Reward and Recognition ........................................................................................................ 29

Training and Development ..................................................................................................... 30

Managing Underperformance ................................................................................................. 30

Minor Misconduct .................................................................................................................... 31

Serious or Gross Misconduct ................................................................................................. 32

Termination of Employment .................................................................................................... 32

Organisational HR Policies ....................................................................................................... 34

Grievance complaints ................................................................................................................. 34

Policy....................................................................................................................................... 34

Procedure ............................................................................................................................... 34

Equal Employment Opportunity & Anti-Bullying......................................................................... 35

Policy....................................................................................................................................... 35

Discrimination, Sexual Harassment and Bullying................................................................... 35

Reasonable adjustments ........................................................................................................ 36

Procedure: To make a complaint............................................................................................ 37

Procedure: To receive a complaint ......................................................................................... 37

Procedure: To investigate a complaint ................................................................................... 38

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 Possible outcomes.................................................................................................................. 38

Pregnancy at Work ..................................................................................................................... 39

Advising of pregnancy ............................................................................................................ 39

Harassment while pregnant .................................................................................................... 39

Safety at work ......................................................................................................................... 39

Transfer to a safe job .............................................................................................................. 39

Working until the birth ............................................................................................................. 40

Return to work......................................................................................................................... 40

Breastfeeding at work ............................................................................................................. 41

Flexible Working Arrangements ................................................................................................. 41

Options for flexible work practices .......................................................................................... 42

Leave .......................................................................................................................................... 43

General leave policy ............................................................................................................... 43

Annual leave policy ................................................................................................................. 43

Personal (sick) leave policy .................................................................................................... 43

Carer's leave policy................................................................................................................. 44

Compassionate leave policy ................................................................................................... 44

Long service leave policy ....................................................................................................... 44

Unpaid parental leave ............................................................................................................. 44

Parental Leave types: ............................................................................................................. 45

Parental Leave ........................................................................................................................ 45

Concurrent Leave ................................................................................................................... 45

Special Maternity Leave ......................................................................................................... 45

Parental Leave Pay ................................................................................................................ 45

Primary Caregiver Pay............................................................................................................ 46

Dad and Partner Pay .............................................................................................................. 46

Parental leave for partners ..................................................................................................... 46

Adoption .................................................................................................................................. 46

Applying for leave ................................................................................................................... 46

Other Paid leave ..................................................................................................................... 47

Jury duty policy ....................................................................................................................... 48

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 Emergency services leave policy ........................................................................................... 49

Leave without pay policy......................................................................................................... 49

Occupational Health & Safety Policy ......................................................................................... 50

Policy....................................................................................................................................... 50

Manual handling policy ........................................................................................................... 51

Workers’ compensation policy ................................................................................................ 51

Injury procedure ...................................................................................................................... 51

Smoking policy ........................................................................................................................ 52

Alcohol & drugs policy ............................................................................................................ 52

Risk Management ...................................................................................................................... 53

Purpose................................................................................................................................... 53

Policy....................................................................................................................................... 53

Risk Management principles .................................................................................................. 53

Risk Assessment Table .......................................................................................................... 53

Critical Incident Policy............................................................................................................. 54

Risk and Incident Escalation .................................................................................................. 56

Employee relations strategy ....................................................................................................... 56

Sustainability .............................................................................................................................. 61

Policy....................................................................................................................................... 61

Procedure ............................................................................................................................... 61

Employee Declaration ............................................................................................................... 62

Declaration ................................................................................................................................. 62

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Welcome to XYZ
Congratulations on your appointment and welcome to the team at XYZ.

We want to support your induction to the organisation and help you to establish and nurture
supportive relationships with our clients, and the XYZ team.

The purpose of this manual is to welcome you to our culture, introduce you to our practices, and
explaining your rights and responsibilities as an XYZ employee. This manual is not an exhaustive
guide to your employment at XYZ but consider it a first point of reference on the terms and
conditions of your employment, our expectations of all team members, our model for professional
behaviour, and our supporting policies and procedures. This manual should be read in
conjunction with your Contract of Employment, your Position Descriptions, and the Policies and
Procedures, where more specific information can be found on the guidelines and policies in this
manual.

This manual will be periodically reviewed and updated, at which point the latest version will be
provided to all employees to read and acknowledge. Once you have reviewed this manual, sign
and date both the attached HR Manual Acknowledgement Forms to confirm your understanding
of the included information, keep one and return the other to your manager. If you have any
questions or concerns about the content of this manual, please do not hesitate to contact the
XYZ HR Department.

We are excited to have you on board and look forward to building a successful working
partnership as you integrate into the team. We believe your addition to the XYZ family will play a
vital role in helping us attain our goal.

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General employment information
The terms of your employment with XYZ are governed by your Letter of Offer, Contract of
Employment, and the information in this HR Employee Manual which includes our organisational
Policies and Procedures. Copies of each document will be provided to you to read and
acknowledge on commencement of your employment.

The following section provides general information regarding your employment such as details of
working hours, payroll and expenses, and our expectations of you as a member of the team.

Hours of work
Our usual business hours range between 8am to 7pm Monday to Friday. The range of work
hours for your role are stated in your Contract of Employment.

XYZ adopts a common-sense approach to managing work hours, and your manager will support
you to establish your standard hours of work if necessary, and break times. Scheduling out of
usual business hours work will be managed on an individual basis within each team.

Additional hours relate to work which is performed at the direction of the manager and is in
excess of your contracted hours of work. In any instance if you cannot work reasonable
additional hours you must notify your Manager as soon as practicable with the reasons as to
why.

Time Off in Lieu

XYZ does not offer overtime rates, instead we operate a TOIL (Time Off in Lieu) system to
manage additional hours. XYZ will grant time in lieu to an employee who is required to work
outside their normal hours. Time worked towards time in lieu must be approved in advance
unless exceptional circumstances exist, in which case management will consider granting
approval after the time is worked.

Time in lieu will be recorded and managed in the TOIL Record Register by each line manager
for their direct reports. Generally, employees should take time in lieu in the same month within
which they accrue it. A manager must approve time-in-lieu leave. An employee cannot accrue
more than 38 hours of time in lieu over any 3-month period. For further information or speak to
your line manager.

Lateness for work

It is essential that you are ready to commence work at your normal commencement time as other
employees and the business depend upon you and your contribution. Wherever possible you
should make dental, medical, business or other appointments outside your normal working
hours. Any leave must be applied for in writing and approved by your Manager.

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Any absence or late arrival due to illness, injury or any other reason, and the expected duration
of leave, must be personally reported by phone to your supervisor as soon as practicable (and
prior to your normal starting time, wherever possible). If you are unable to do this personally, you
are requested to ask someone to telephone on your behalf. Subsequently, you must keep your
Manager informed of your progress and expected return to work, when known.

Payroll
Our pay cycle runs from the 3rd of each month to the 2nd of the following month, payroll is
processed on the 4th of each month. Depending on which bank you use, some people may be
able to access their pay within 24 hours of payroll processing, however the majority of employees
can expect their pay to become available within 48 hours.

Wages will be deposited electronically into the bank account of your choosing - you will be asked
to provide your bank account details as part of the induction process.

Password protected payslips will be sent to all employees via email on the date of payroll
processing. Taxation payments are automatically deducted from your salary. Superannuation
payments are paid into your nominated fund quarterly. See your payslip for details, and contact
HR or Finance with any enquiries.

Reimbursement of Expenses
XYZ will reimburse employees for pre-approved, out of pocket expenses incurred by employees
in the proper performance of their duties. Reimbursement will be subject to employees providing
their direct manager with receipts or other evidence of payment and of the purpose of each
expense, in the Expenses Claim Form template.

Employees should arrange travel and accommodation through the XYZ preferred travel supplier
prior to departure. Generally, air travel will be by economy class, with a carrier chosen by the
XYZ.

Updating Your Details

Please advise HR via email should you need to change any personal details after submitting your
New Starter form, including bank details or your address.

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The XYZ Business Environment

Office work areas

As many of our teams work in open plan office space, it is important that your workstation and/or
desk remains clean and tidy and free of boxes, papers and magazines. Our expectation is that
your workstation will be cleared and tidied at the end of every day. Any items that require storage
should be put away, hard copy paper files should be kept to a minimum, with soft copies of files
stored on the relevant shared drive electronically. Laptops should not be left on desks overnight
unless you have your own lockable office.

The noise factors

Avoid shouting at each other across the office, on site or when visiting a client. Respect people’s
busy periods or meeting times. If a colleague is engrossed in something at their desk, or there
are more than two people meeting with someone, it usually means they are busy. Try to talk
quietly when you are on the telephone and respect others around you.

Building and IT Security

Entry to the XYZ head office premises during and/or outside of normal business hours will be by
way of security passes, issued to each employee at commencement of employment. It is the
responsibility of every employee to ensure that this security pass is kept in safe custody. It must
be returned on demand.

If you lose or misplace your security pass you must notify your manager immediately so that your
pass can be cancelled and replaced.

Employees must ensure that all hard copies of confidential/sensitive documents are locked away
at night, as per the Data Protection policy. You should make sure that your personal belongings
and valuables are locked away and secured. Personal property is not covered by Company
insurance.

Kitchen and bathrooms use

When making use of our shared office facilities such as the kitchen and bathroom areas, please
be mindful that these are public areas and be respectful to others by always cleaning up after
yourself. If you use dishes, then wash them immediately after use.

If there are any issues with company facilities, you should notify your Manager immediately.

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Booking meeting rooms
If you need to book or use a meeting room, please ensure that you book through the Front Desk,
who manage the meeting room diary.

Please tidy up after meetings, take away your dirty cups, files papers etc. Place chairs back in
position and clear tables of all work.

Sustainable work practices

XYZ is committed to identifying and implementing sustainable working practices. In the XYZ
Head Office, the following practices are expected at a minimum:

Printing

Printing has been identified as a high priority area for improvement. Consider whether you need
to print at all, or if technological solutions could address the need instead.

When printing is absolutely necessary, wherever possible print on both sides of paper, print in
black and white, and print only the necessary pages or sections of any document. When using
the office printer, please advise the Front Desk if it is running low on paper or toner, or if you
notice any other issues.

Please note that large print jobs, particularly production of marketing materials, falls under
Procurement procedures, and should not be carried out on the office printer. Contact HR for
further information.

Waste Bins

Most individuals will have these under their desk. These bins should be used for any items which
are not recyclable eg; plastics, metal, a pen, food scraps etc. Please use your discretion and be
mindful of disposing food scraps in the office. Liquids should not be poured/ placed into bins. Any
documents containing sensitive information should be shredded placed into the locked security
disposal bin.

Recycling Bins

Please recycle where you can, using the appropriate bins. Only paper and cardboard with no
company, client or candidate information is to be placed into these bins.

Any documents containing sensitive information should be shredded placed into the locked
security disposal bin (see below).

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Security Disposal/Shredders

Paperwork with any sensitive or confidential XYZ information needs to be disposed of by either
being shredded or placed into the locked security disposal bin. The key for this bin will be the
responsibility of the Maintenance Officer from the HR Department Team. Documents to be
placed in the security bins include but are not limited to:

• Staff, volunteer and contractor personal information

• Client personal information
• Company information, including but not limited to:
• Forms and templates
• Terms and conditions
• Policies and procedures
• Any documents detailing/displaying XYZ Intellectual Property

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Policies and Procedures
HR Management policies
Recruitment & Selection
Purpose
XYZ recognises a robust and professional approach to recruitment and selection helps us to
attract and appoint individuals with the necessary skills and attributes to fulfil our aims and
support our business goals.

This policy covers the outline and procedures for the recruitment and selection of all salaried staff
under any contracted conditions such as full-time, part-time, permanent, temporary, etc.

Policy
All appointments should be made on the Principle of Merit, ensuring compliance with all relevant
Federal & State Legislation and adherence to this policy and related processes.

When the need to recruit arises, the Area Manager is responsible for justifying the need and
seeking managerial sign off, managing the development of the necessary materials for the role
and recruitment process, and consulting with HR in managing all recruitment and selection
activity, as outlined in the procedure.

HR is responsible for supporting recruiting managers in the recruitment and selection process,
providing position descriptions, recruitment guidelines and advice, managing position advertising
activity, monitoring responses, initial review of responses, safe storage of role and candidate
records and documents, drafting of letter of offer and contract of employment, and corresponding
with candidates to inform them of the outcome of the process, as appropriate.

Recruitment
1. Personnel must notify their manager providing a justification for the recruitment need.
2. The manager will seek approval for the recruitment activity from the Finance and HR
departments.
3. If sign-off is received, relevant team leader/recruiting manager must contact HR to
discuss recruitment activity and support.
4. Existing Position Descriptions should be used where possible, and new roles should be
developed within the organisational Position Description template, and approved by HR.
5. HR will work together with the relevant team leader and/or manager to draft and plan the
advertisement of the role, including:

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 • Outline of the role and it’s fit within the organisation
• What we are offering
• What we are looking for in a successful candidate
• Remuneration, length of contract and proof of right to work requirements
• Application process
• Closing date
• Who to contact for information
6. All paid positions (with the exception of temporary staff) will require written application
comprising of a recent resume and covering letter addressing the key selection criteria,
submitted to the HR department by email by the closing date.
7. Advertisement should be carried out internally and externally concurrently across a range
of channels, depending on the role:
Internal channels
• All roles: organisational Intranet, notice board, and newsletters.
External channels
• Front-line and mid-level positions should be advertised across XYZ’ preferred
platforms of the organisational website and social media accounts, LinkedIn,
Seek and Career One.
• Executive positions should be advertised through the channels listed above
except social media accounts and should also be listed with XYZ’ preferred
recruitment agency.
• Temporary roles should be advertised on the organisational website and
social media platforms, and applications managed through XYZ’ preferred
temp agency HIreME.

Applications
8. HR will be responsible for answering any enquiries about the role or advertisement.
9. The recruiting manager must establish a short-listing and interview panel, comprising of
an HR Officer, the Recruiting Manager, and another manager of similar or higher level
within the organisation, and agree dates or date ranges for short-listing and interview.
10. Screening of received applications will be conducted in the first instance by an HR Officer
for completed applications.
11. The panel should meet to screen applications and design the interview process.
12. The method of interview to assess the required competencies, skills and experience
should be agreed upon by the panel, and any required materials drafted and sent to HR
for approval. At a minimum this will include the Interview Record Template, tailored to
meet the selection criteria for the role.
13. Screened applications will be short-listed against essential and desirable requirements
for the role, and the outcomes communicated to HR for correspondence with candidates.

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 14. HR will contact any candidates who completed an application but were not short-listed by
email to inform them of the decision.
15. HR will contact any successfully short-listed candidates by telephone to invite them to
interview, agreeing a date and time, and detailing the format of the interview, and that the
information will be sent by email (not post, as per our Sustainability policy) and advise
candidates to contact HR if they do not receive the confirmation for any reason.
16. HR will follow up with a confirmation by email, including directions and office access
information.

Selection and offer of employment

17. Interviews should be led by the recruiting manager and broken down into sections for
each member of the panel.
18. Candidate’s performance at interview should be documented in the Interview Record
tailored for the role, with all three panellists taking their own notes during the interview.
19. At the end of each day of interviewing, each panellist should review their interview notes,
add/update as necessary, and submit scanned or soft copy to HR for record keeping.
20. Once the interview period is completed, the panel will meet to assess and rate the
candidates, using their notes and the Candidate Selection Template tailored for the role.
21. The recruiting manager should submit the Candidate Selection file to HR, detailing the
successful Candidate and the suitable alternatives, rated in order of preference.
22. HR to carry out reference, identity, and working requirements (e.g. Visas) checks for the
successful candidate as soon as selected, and any alternative candidates if/when
necessary.
23. If any of these checks fail or cannot be completed, HR should identify the recruiting
manager, and begin checks on the next suitable alternative, until a candidate
successfully passes all checks.
24. The selected candidate should then be contacted by phone by the recruiting manager to
make the offer of employment.
25. If the preferred candidate does not accept the offer, the next acceptable alternative
should be offered the position, and continue down the list of acceptable alternative
candidates until exhausted.
26. If no acceptable candidates are selected or none accept the employment offer, the
Recruiting Manager should consult HR to discuss re-recruiting and review the process for
improvements.
27. Once the offer is accepted by a candidate, HR should send a follow-up email attached
with a Letter of Offer and Employment Contract for the candidate to complete and return
as soon as possible.
28. Unsuccessful candidates should be contacted in writing by an HR officer once the
selected candidate commences in their role.

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 29. All copies of recruitment records including resumes and cover letters, interview records
and outcomes of reference, ID and police checks are to be retained by HR for a period of
no less than 7 years. Documents should be securely stored by HR under the Data
Protection policy, in the password protected Recruitment and Selection folder on the XYZ
network drive, in a subfolder with the candidate’s name and date of application.
30. Successful candidates’ resumes should also be stored by HR in their Employee File.

Induction and Probation

Purpose
XYZ seeks to ensure all new employees feel supported and prepared to start work with a clear
understanding of their roles, responsibilities and performance goals.

Induction Policy
This policy outlines our formal Induction outline and procedures, and is supported by our total
Performance Management Policy, of which Induction and Probation is the first stage.

Once the Recruitment and Selection Process is complete, and the Letter of Offer and
Employment Contract have been sent to a candidate, the recruiting manager must ensure these
are returned and signed as soon as possible, identify a start date for the employee, and source
all necessary resources for them to carry out their role e.g. IT equipment, system user account
and login details, uniforms, key cards, etc.

Before the employee commences work, the recruiting manager must begin the process of
preparing to induct the employee, by saving a copy of the Employee Induction Checklist template
with employee name and role and completing the first section.

On the employee’s first day of work, the manager must provide a structured induction, as
detailed in the second section of the checklist, comprising of orientation and housekeeping, an
induction meeting, and completing and returning all required paperwork.

Both the manager and the employee should review the induction checklist, ensuring all sections
are ticked off, and then sign the checklist before the manager returns to HR.

The manager and employee must then set a date to meet in the next 2-3 working days for the
first Performance Management meeting, as detailed in the Performance Management procedure.

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Induction Procedure
Section 1: Prior to inductee’s first day of work
1. Provide HR with a returned, signed copy of the Letter of Offer and Contract of
Employment, following up with candidate if necessary
2. Inform the employee of their start date and time, where and who they should report to,
and whether they need to bring any tools or equipment
3. Source all required resources for the employee, including building and IT access, as well
as any uniforms if necessary. [Note: IT accounts take 5-7 working days to set up, building
access passes must be ordered through HR but are available immediately.]
4. Document the resources assigned to the employee and provide to HR for management
5. Prepare paperwork to be provided and filled out, before date of induction

Section 2: On inductee’s first day of work

Orientation and housekeeping
1. Walk around XYZ Offices
2. Introduce the new employee to other staff
3. Show the new employee the kitchen/meal, toilet facilities and where to store personal
items (bags, jackets etc.)
4. Complete a workplace health and safety induction including emergency evacuation, first
aid supplies, first aid officer, fire warden.
Induction meeting
5. The history of the business and its role
6. Structure of the organisation and department roles
7. The employee’s department and team
8. Who the employee reports to
9. The employee’s role, and training and induction activities planned
10. Performance expectations and when and how performance will be reviewed
11. Hours of work and the procedure for recording hours of work
12. Meal breaks
13. The applicable award or enterprise agreement, and where to find a copy
14. The payment method first pay date and how payslips are distributed
15. Outline of workplace policies and procedures in HR Manual, with particular reference to
application to the role, where specific, e.g.:
a. Uniform or dress code (if any)
b. Procedure if the employee is sick or running late
Paperwork
16. Employee to provide or fill out and return:
• Tax file number declaration form (unless declined by employee)

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 • Superannuation choice form
• Bank account details for salary and expenses payment
• Staff details form
• Photocopies of ID and any licences held by the employee needed for the job
• If a working visa is required – a copy of the employee’s passport and visa – you will
need to do a visa check
17. Manager to provide to employee:
• Induction checklist for sign off
• Human Resources Policy and Procedure Manual
• XYZ Organisational Profile

Please note that Managers/Team leaders may also choose to organise additional induction
activities, for example an introductory morning the with the team.

Once the employee has settled in to the XYZ environment, in the first few days the recruiting
manager should begin the Probationary stage of the Performance Management Policy and
Procedure.

Probation Policy
Every employee will be hired under a 3-month probationary period, allowing time for both the
employee and the business to assess suitability, fit and competency within a role.

During this period the XYZ commits to reviewing employee performance and at the end of this
time ongoing permanent employment will be confirmed, as detailed in the Performance
Management procedure.

If during the probationary period the employee is not satisfied with his/her position, they may
terminate their employment at any time during the 3-month probationary period and notify their
Manager as soon as appropriate.

If during the probationary period, the employee’s progress is considered to be unsatisfactory the
manager may terminate the employment at any time during the 3-month probationary period.

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Code of Conduct Policy
Purpose
XYZ expects co-operation from all employees and volunteers in conducting themselves in a
professional, ethical, legally compliant and socially acceptable manner. Unlawful and unethical
business practices undermine working relationships and organisational reputation.

This policy details XYZ’ expectations of our employees, contractors, sub-contractors and
volunteers regarding their obligation to the organisation, our clients, contacts and contractors,
and to themselves in observing high standards of conduct, compliance, integrity and fair dealing.

The purpose of this policy is to detail the overall policy and specific procedures of the Code
of Conduct, including outline of the general standards of conduct required by XYZ, followed
by specific policy sections on Dress Code, Conflict of Interest, and Data Protection and IT.

All employees are required to act in good faith towards XYZ. Employees need to be aware of the
potential for a conflict of interest to arise and should always act in the best interests of XYZ.

XYZ believes that well-managed IT and Data Protection, Social Media usage and Intellectual
Property policies are essential to company security and compliance, both in terms of data
and reputational security. All XYZ employees, contractors, sub-contractors and volunteers
are responsible for contributing to a safe and secure IT environment.

Policy
Our Code of Conduct policy applies to all employees, including contractors, and volunteers, and
provides the framework of principles for conducting business, dealing with other employees,
volunteers, clients and suppliers.

Any employee, contractor, sub-contractor or volunteer who in good faith raises a complaint or
discloses an alleged breach of the Code, whilst following correct reporting procedures, will not be
disadvantaged or prejudiced. All reports will be dealt with in a timely and confidential manner.

This policy covers the following sections:

• Code of Conduct
• Dress Code
• Conflict of Interest
• Data Protection and IT
• Use of Social Media
• Intellectual Property and Security

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All employees, contractors, sub-contractors and volunteers of XYZ must comply with this policy.
Any breach of this policy will be treated as a serious matter and may result in disciplinary action
including termination of employment or (for contractors and sub-contractors) the termination or
non-renewal of contractual arrangements.

Other disciplinary action that may be taken includes, but is not limited to, issuing a formal
warning, directing people to attend mandatory training, suspension from the workplace and/or
permanently or temporarily denying access to all or part of XYZ computer network.

In such cases, managers are required to contact HR and manage the breach under the
Volunteer Management policy, the Procurement and Contract Management policies, or the
appropriate section of the Performance Management Policy, either Underperformance,
Misconduct or Termination of Employment.

Should an employee have doubts about any aspect of the Code of Conduct, they must seek
clarification from their Manager or HR.

The Code of Conduct does not replace legislation and if any part of it is in conflict, then
legislation takes precedence.

Code of Conduct
All employees and volunteers will abide by the following code of conduct, and will:
• Act and maintain a high standard of integrity and professionalism at all times
• Be responsible and scrupulous in the proper use of Company information, funds,
equipment and facilities
• Be considerate and respectful of the environment and others
• Exercise fairness, equality, courtesy, consideration and sensitivity in dealing with other
employees, clients and suppliers
• Avoid real or perceived conflict of interests, and promptly disclose any interest which may
constitute a conflict to an XYZ senior manager (see Conflict of Interest)
• Promote the interests of XYZ
• Perform duties with skill, honesty, care and diligence
• Maintain a professional appearance (see Dress Code)
• Not engage in other business interests during work hours
• Abide by policies, procedures and lawful directions that relate to your employment with
XYZ and/or our Clients
• Avoid the perception that any business transaction may be influenced by offering or
accepting gifts
• Under no circumstances accept money outside of the standard operating procedures
detailed under payroll, expenses, volunteer management and procurement policies
• Not be inebriated or under the influence of drugs while at work

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 • Notify their Manager or HR representative if they are convicted of a criminal offense or
undergo any change of circumstances which may impact on the reputation of XYZ

Dress Code
Office-based employees are expected to dress in business casual attire while attending the office
during working hours and be neat and well-presented at all times.

Conflict of Interest
Conflicts of interest arise whenever the personal, professional or business interests of an
employee are potentially at odds with the best interests of XYZ.

As individuals, employees may have private interests that from time to time conflict, or appear to
conflict, with their employment with XYZ. Employees should aim to avoid being put in a situation
where there may be a conflict between the interests of XYZ and their own personal or
professional interests, or those of relatives or friends. Where such a conflict occurs (or is
perceived to occur), the interests of XYZ will be balanced against the interests of the staff
member and, unless exceptional circumstances exist, resolved in favour of XYZ.

It is impossible to define all potential areas of conflict of interest. If an employee is in doubt if a

conflict exists, they should raise the matter with their manager.

Employees must:

• declare to management any potential, actual or perceived conflicts of interest that exist
on becoming employed by XYZ
• declare to management any potential, actual or perceived conflicts of interest that arise
or are likely to arise during employment by XYZ
• avoid being placed in a situation where there is potential, actual or perceived conflict of
interest if at all possible

If an employee declares such an interest, XYZ will review the potential areas of conflict with the
employee and mutually agree on practical arrangements to resolve the situation.

Employees must disclose any other employment that might cause a conflict of interest with XYZ
to their manager. Where there are external involvements that do not represent a conflict of
interest, these must not affect performance or attendance whilst working at XYZ. If such
involvement does affect performance or attendance it will be considered a conflict of interest.

Employees must not set up or engage in private business or undertake other employment in
direct or indirect competition with XYZ using knowledge and/or materials gained during the
course of employment with XYZ.

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Data Protection and IT Policy
User accounts and passwords

Each employee is provided with a user account and a temporary password to access the XYZ
internal network of PCs and networked drives and software. The temporary password will allow
you initial access to the network where you will set your own password for continued use.

Passwords are required to be a minimum of 8 characters in length, and consist of a combination

of letters, numbers and symbols. Employees will be prompted to update passwords to XYZ
systems every 3 months. Passwords must not be written down in a publicly accessible place.

The sharing of user accounts, software licenses and/or passwords is strictly prohibited to ensure
legal compliance and IT security. If you are having trouble accessing any hardware or software,
contact the Maintenance Officer, or HR.

Internet Use

Access to the internet is provided by XYZ for business use. Limited private use is permitted if the
private use does not interfere with a person’s work and that inappropriate sites are not accessed
e.g. pornographic, gambling. Management has the right to monitor and access the system to
check if private use is excessive or inappropriate, at any time.

Failure to comply with these instructions is an offence and will be subject to appropriate
investigation. In serious cases, the penalty for an offence, or repetition of an offence, may include
dismissal. Staff need to be aware that some forms of internet conduct may lead to criminal
prosecution.

Email Use

1. Email facilities are provided for formal business correspondence.

2. Never include sensitive or confidential information in the body of an email. Where it must
be transferred, attach a password protected document to the email, and provide the
password through another means of communication to the recipient. Do not include the
password in the body of the email.

3. Limited private use of email is allowed if it doesn’t interfere with or distract from an
employee’s work. However, management has the right to access incoming and outgoing
email messages to check if an employee’s usage or involvement is excessive or
inappropriate.

4. Non-essential email, including personal messages, should be deleted regularly from the
‘Sent Items’, ‘Inbox’ and ‘Deleted Items’ folders to avoid congestion.

XYZ HR MANUAL P A G E 21 | 63
 5. All emails sent must include the approved business disclaimer - this disclaimer is set to
appear automatically on all emails. Any interference with the approved business
disclaimer will result in disciplinary action. Repeated offenses may lead to dismissal.

To protect XYZ from the potential effects of the misuse and abuse of email, the following
instructions are for all users:

1. No material is to be sent as email that is defamatory, in breach of copyright or business

confidentiality, or prejudicial to the good standing of XYZ in the community or to its
relationship with staff, customers, suppliers and any other person or business with whom
it has a relationship.

2. Email must not contain material that amounts to gossip about colleagues or that could be
offensive, demeaning, persistently irritating, threatening, discriminatory, involves the
harassment of others or concerns personal relationships.

3. The email records of other persons are not to be accessed except by management (or
persons authorised by management) ensuring compliance with this policy, or by
authorised staff who have been requested to attend to a fault, upgrade or similar
situation. Access in each case will be limited to the minimum needed for the task.

4. When using email, a person must not pretend to be another person or use another
person’s computer account.

5. Excessive private use, including mass mailing, “reply to all” etc. that are not part of the
person’s duties, is not permitted.

6. Failure to comply with these instructions is a performance improvement offence and will
be investigated. In serious cases, the penalty for breach of policy, or repetition of an
offence, may include dismissal.

Use of Social Media

The instructions above also apply to all employees, contractors, sub-contractors and volunteers
of XYZ who:
• have an active profile on a social or business networking site such as LinkedIn,
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc;
• write or maintain a personal or business’ blog; and/or
• post comments on public and/or private web-based forums or message boards or any
other internet sites.

For the purposes of this policy, the following definitions apply:

XYZ HR MANUAL P A G E 22 | 63
Social Media includes all internet-based publishing technologies. Most forms of Social Media are
interactive, allowing authors, readers and publishers to connect and interact with one another.
The published material can often be accessed by anyone. Forms of Social Media include, but are
not limited to, social or business networking sites (i.e. Facebook, Instagram LinkedIn), video
and/or photo sharing websites (ie. YouTube, Flickr), business/corporate and personal blogs,
micro-blogs (i.e Twitter), chat rooms and forums and/or Social Media.

Professional use
XYZ expects its employees to maintain a certain standard of behaviour when using Social Media
for work or personal purposes.

This section of the policy applies to all employees, contractors and sub-contractors of XYZ who
contribute to or perform duties such as:
• maintaining a profile page for XYZ on any social or business networking site (including,
but not limited to LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter);
• making comments on such networking sites for and on behalf of XYZ;
• writing or contributing to a blog and/or commenting on other people’s or business’ blog
posts for and on behalf of XYZ; and/or
• posting comments for and on behalf of XYZ on any public and/or private web-based
forums or message boards or other internet sites.

No employee, contractor or sub-contractor of XYZ is to engage in Social Media as a

representative or on behalf of XYZ unless they first obtain XYZ written approval.

If any employee, contractor or sub-contractor of XYZ is directed to contribute to or participate in

any form of Social Media related work, they are to act in a professional manner at all times and in
the best interests of XYZ.

All employees, contractors and sub-contractors of XYZ must ensure they do not communicate
any:
• Confidential Information relating to XYZ or its clients, business partners or suppliers;
• material that violates the privacy or publicity rights of another party; and/or
• information, (regardless of whether it is confidential or public knowledge), about clients,
business partners or suppliers of XYZ without their prior authorisation or approval to do
so; on any social or business networking sites, web-based forums or message boards, or
other internet sites.

Confidential Information includes any information in any form relating to XYZ and related bodies,
clients or businesses, which is not in the public domain. This includes, but is not limited to
information relating to contact information, financial details, employment or client records,
contracts, planning details, etc. If you are unsure if information would be considered confidential,
contact HR for advice.

XYZ HR MANUAL P A G E 23 | 63
Private / Personal Use
XYZ acknowledges its employees, contractors and sub-contractors have the right to contribute
content to public communications on websites, blogs and business or social networking sites not
operated by XYZ. However, inappropriate behaviour on such sites has the potential to cause
damage to XYZ reputation, as well as the reputation of its employees, clients, business partners
and/or suppliers.

For this reason, all employees, contractors and sub-contractors of XYZ must agree to not publish
any material, in any form, which identifies themselves as being associated with XYZ or its clients,
business partners or suppliers.

All employees, contractors and sub-contractors of XYZ must also refrain from posting, sending,
forwarding or using, in any way, any inappropriate material including but not limited to material
which:
• is intended to (or could possibly) cause insult, offence, intimidation or humiliation to XYZ
or its clients, business partners or suppliers;
• is defamatory or could adversely affect the image, reputation, viability or profitability of
XYZ or its clients, business partners or suppliers; and/or
• contains any form of Confidential Information relating to XYZ or its clients, business
partners or suppliers.

Intellectual Property and Security

All intellectual property developed by employees during their employment with XYZ including
discoveries or inventions made in the performance of their duties related in any way to the
business of XYZ will remain the property of XYZ.

Employees may be given access to confidential information, data, business property, keys to
premises or any other business-related property/information in the performance of their duties.
This must be protected and used only in the interests of XYZ.

Employees must not:

• disclose or use any part of any confidential information outside of the performance of
their duties and in the interests of XYZ; or
• authorise or be involved in the improper use or disclosure of confidential information;
• during or after their employment without the Employer's written consent, other than as
required by law.

‘Confidential information’ includes any information in any form relating to XYZ and related bodies,
clients or businesses, which is not in the public domain.

Employees must act in good faith towards XYZ and must prevent (or if impractical, report) the
unauthorised disclosure of any confidential information. Failure to comply with this policy may

XYZ HR MANUAL P A G E 24 | 63
result in performance improvement proceedings including dismissal, and XYZ may also pursue
monetary damages or other remedies.

All resources remain the property of XYZ and are not for personal use unless permission has
been granted by the CEO.

Performance Management Policy

Purpose
The purpose of an effective performance management system is to identify, measure, manage,
and develop the performance of the human resources in an organisation.

This policy provides a strategy for managing overall performance of all employees (including
contractors in staff roles) at XYZ, ensuring they have a clear understanding of the work expected
of them, and receive ongoing feedback regarding how they are performing relative to
expectations.

This policy also provides the overall policy and specific procedures employee performance
management for managers, including:
1. Induction and Probation
2. Regular Performance Review
3. Training and Development
4. Reward and Recognition
5. Managing Underperformance
6. Misconduct and Disciplinary Action
7. Termination of Employment

XYZ requires a minimum standard of conduct and performance which will be made clear to
employees in all performance management meetings and documentation and is supported by the
Code of Conduct Policy and this Performance Management Policy.

Policy
It is XYZ’ policy to support all team members to understand and achieve their performance goals
and contribute to the overall organisational strategy. We do this by identifying performance
expectations, reviewing employee performance, identifying development goals, providing training
and development, rewarding and recognising performance achievements, and planning for future
performance.

At XYZ we encourage a two-way process, that is, employees can also give management
feedback on performance as part of the review process.

XYZ HR MANUAL P A G E 25 | 63
HR are responsible for updating managers and employees about their progress through their
performance management plan, providing reminders about upcoming review deadlines,
maintaining accurate records and providing secure access to these to the manager and
employee.

HR are also responsible for corresponding with the employee regarding actions under
performance management procedures including the successful completion of the probationary
period, any extensions to the probationary period, any reward and recognition activity, any
managing underperformance activity, and where applicable the termination of employment either
by employer or employee.

It is the manager’s responsibility to discuss each review stage of the plan with HR before
actioning.

Induction and probation

The employee’s performance management begins at induction, is regularly monitored through

probation and reviewed at the end of the probationary period.

Regular Performance Review

At this stage employee performance is reviewed on a 6 to 12-month period, as agreed between

the manager, employee and HR.

Where an employee is not performing as expected, the manager will agree appropriate corrective
action, such as training or review of support needs, with the employee and HR.

If an employee is underperforming to a degree which requires more frequent meetings than

every 6 months, the manager should move to managing the employee’s performance under the
Managing Underperformance procedure.

Performance measurements may include:

• KPIs against agreed performance goals for the team

• KPIs against agreed performance goals for the individual employee
• Demonstrated behaviours that are reflective of agreed team behaviours and business values
• Improvement from past performance

Training and Development

XYZ will provide employees with adequate training to do their job safely and competently and
commits to providing every employee with professional development support and job-specific
training throughout the year.

Staff development options may include:

XYZ HR MANUAL P A G E 26 | 63
 • Mentoring from direct manager
• Participation to committee (for instance, quality circles)
• External training opportunities (course of choice within allocate budget)
• Internal training opportunities (online training, training from colleagues and supervisors)
• Attendance to workshops and guest speaking opportunities
• Secondment to or collaboration with project teams
• Cross-functional work with other teams
• Participation in conference and networking events

Reward and Recognition

After any successful performance review, the manager must plan and action reward and
recognition activities, as detailed in the procedure.

Managing Underperformance

If employee performance pervasively fails to meet agreed standards, the responsible manager
will implement formal performance improvement procedures as outlined in this policy. This
includes offering support options including formal counselling sessions, review of
workload/responsibilities, etc.

Misconduct and Disciplinary Action

Failure to adhere to any element of the Code of Conduct policy will result in misconduct and
disciplinary action procedures. Depending on the severity of the breach, this may result in
termination of employment by the employer.

Termination of Employment

Where either the employer or employee decides to terminate the employment contract, this
policy must be followed.

Induction and Probation Stage

1. Once the induction procedures outlined in the Induction and Probation Policy are
completed, the manager will agree a meeting date to begin the Induction and Probation
stage of the Performance Management process by arranging an Induction and Probation
Performance Management Meeting with the employee.
2. The manager should save a version of the Performance Management Plan template with
the employee’s name and role and identify the performance goals for the role.
3. At the meeting, the manager and employee will meet to go through the Induction section
of the plan, noting agreements and actions on the following:
• The employee’s role and responsibilities
• Performance goals

XYZ HR MANUAL P A G E 27 | 63
 • Learning and development needs
• Probationary period terms and conditions
• A calendar for induction and training activities and review dates
• Processes for informal review as appropriate for their team operations setup e.g.
Weekly one-to-one phone-calls if at different work sites, informal ad-hoc catch-ups in
person if in the same office.
4. Once the probationary review is complete, the manager must consult HR to discuss
outcomes of review process e.g. extension of probationary period, graduation to Regular
Performance Management, planning Reward and Recognition, enacting Managing
Underperformance procedure, etc
5. Extensions of probationary periods are usually only applicable in cases of outside causes
of an employee unsuccessfully completing the probationary period, such as personal or
health circumstances which are reasonably considered to be outside the employee’s
control and require support, or a change in business circumstances or strategy.
6. Any extension of the probationary period must be discussed with HR and signed off by
the Finance Manager.
7. The extension must be formally recognised in writing to the employee, with the revised
end date of the probationary period, an outline of the expected outcomes by the end of
the period and be signed by both the manager and employee. This document will serve
as an addition to their contractual agreement.
8. If the probationary requirements have not been met, and the employee does not qualify
for a probationary extension, the manager must consult HR to discuss whether to
manage the employee under the Managing Underperformance procedure, or consider
termination of the employment, within the probationary agreement in the contract.
9. If probationary requirements have been met, the manager should move to managing the
employee’s performance under the Regular Performance Review procedure.

Regular Performance Review Stage

1. Once the probationary period is completed, the manager must consult with HR to discuss
moving the employee to the Regular Review Stage and agree dates for review. The next
review date will usually be 6 months after completion of probation.
2. The manager and the employee are to agree on a date for the initial performance review
meeting to allow time to prepare, at least 1 month in advance.
3. The manager and employee must fill out the first section of the Performance
Management Meeting template, seeking input from others where appropriate.
4. The manager and employee will meet and fill out the remainder of the meeting template
and the Personal Development Plan by:
• openly and constructively discussing performance against goals over the review
period

XYZ HR MANUAL P A G E 28 | 63
 • identifying successes and areas for improvement
• reviewing and agreeing on objectives and outcomes for the next appraisal period,
including intermediate review timeframes
• identifying training and development needs
• identifying support, reasonable adjustments or any other needs
5. Following the review, the manager will consult with HR on the outcome:
• Where employees met or exceeded their performance goals, the manager will need
to discuss reward and recognition and/or training and development.
• Where employees did not meet their performance goals, the manager will need to
discuss possible interventions, including coaching, training, formal performance
improvement counselling (see Managing Underperformance Stage for more
information), etc
6. The manager should submit the completed Performance Management Plan to HR for
filing and review, and a copy of each should be provided to the employee for their
records.

Reward and Recognition

At the end of each successful review period, managers must discuss with HR and decide on
appropriate reward and recognition activities, depending on level of performance success.

Options for expected performance attainment include:

• Recognising team member performance verbally

• Recognising team member performance in team meetings

Options for above average performance attainment include:

• Recognising team member performance in weekly reports

• Recognising team member performance in writing to the employee

Options for exceptional performance attainment include:

• Professional development vouchers

• Vouchers for approved vendors (see procurement policy)
• Certificate of appreciation

Please note, Reward and Recognition of volunteers is covered under the volunteer management
policy

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Training and Development
We believe training is a two-way process and encourage employees to participate and to
highlight any gaps they wish to address in their own skills or knowledge, through performance
review meetings and ad-hoc discussions with their manager where relevant.

Training includes internal on-the-job training, written instructions such as standard operating
procedures, coaching, external training and courses. Safety and job specific training take
precedence over Reward and Recognition and Professional Development training options.

Key stages in employee training and development:

• Induction day and probationary period – provide all relevant organisational policies and
procedures (this manual), work guidelines, standard operating procedures, WH&S
training, agree plan for on-the-job training and identification of additional training needs
during the probationary review procedures
• Regular Performance Review – identify and agree training needs including coaching,
internal courses and training, external courses and training, support for professional
development

Where training needs have been identified, it is the manager’s responsibility to discuss with HR
and source appropriate training options, seeking approval from Finance Department for external
courses and financial support for professional development.

Managing Underperformance
Where an employee fails to successfully complete Probation or Regular Performance Reviews
due to underperformance, the following procedure must be utilised.

1. The responsible manager must contact HR to discuss moving the employee to the
Managing Underperformance stage of the Performance Management Process.
2. The responsible manager should arrange an initial meeting with the employee to discuss the
underperformance.
3. During the meeting, the manager should:
• The manager will advise the employee in clear terms what they see as the performance
problem or the unacceptable conduct. To highlight the deficiency, they should use
specific examples, and refer to the correct policy or procedure.
• Give the employee an opportunity to respond
• Consider the response and decide if corrective actions can be taken to retain the
employee in the Regular Performance Review stage, or if performance improvement
action should be taken.
• Complete a Performance Agreement template with the employee, agreeing dates for
improvement and review, as well as next steps in case of failure to improve as agreed

XYZ HR MANUAL P A G E 30 | 63
 • Send completed Performance Agreement to HR after meeting
4. Where appropriate XYZ will provide support such as formal performance improvement
counselling, review of support needs, or training.
5. Managers should monitor the Performance Agreement against the employee’s performance
during the Agreement period.
6. If the employee performance improves as agreed, the employee can be moved back to the
Regular Performance Review stage.
7. If the employee performance does not improve as agreed, the manager must enact the
Minor Misconduct policy.

Minor Misconduct
Where managing underperformance procedures have not resolved an employee’s performance,
or in cases of minor misconduct, the manager should follow this procedure.

1. If the employee is given a verbal warning, the manager should record it by emailing HR with
an outline of the warning.
2. The manager will allow the employee to respond before making a decision and consider the
employee’s responses assessing if further disciplinary action is required.
3. If the manager decides that more action is needed, they should discuss with HR and identify
a date with the employee for a disciplinary meeting.
4. The employee may have a support person present at any such meetings.
5. The disciplinary meeting should follow the same format as the Managing Underperformance
meeting, but with shorter review periods, and the manager should give an outline of written
and final warning and termination procedures, should they become relevant.
6. If a written warning is to follow, the manager is to:
• Document it and give the employee a copy
• Give the employee the opportunity to sign the warning
• Send the signed copy to HR to add to the employee file
7. The warning must clearly define:
• the area of underperformance or misconduct
• a clear explanation of the expected standard
• by when the employee needs to achieve it
• how the business will help the employee achieve the improvement required
• consequences of failing to improve
8. The manager concerned will keep a record of all meetings, training and/or coaching given,
and a summary of discussions, and submit to HR to add to the employee’s personnel file.
This should include date, location and time of discussion.
9. They will continue to support the employee and note the support they give, for example,
training or counselling.

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10. If the employee’s performance or conduct doesn’t improve, the manager will give the
employee a final written warning and follow steps 4–10 above. This document needs to warn
the employee in clear terms XYZ will terminate their employment if there is not enough
improvement, and a sustained improvement in, their performance.

Note: some circumstances justify going straight to a second or final warning.

Serious or Gross Misconduct

Any breach of the Code of Conduct will be treated as a serious matter and may result in
disciplinary action including permanently or temporarily denying access to all or part of XYZ
computer network, and/or suspension or termination of employment or the termination or non-
renewal of contractual arrangements.

Summary (instant) dismissal for gross or very serious misconduct is possible (depending on the
facts involved). Managers should seek advice from HR before taking this step.

1. The manager is to investigate the alleged offence thoroughly, including talking to

witnesses, if any.
2. The manager should arrange to meet with the employee as soon as possible, advising
them of their right to bring representation, and ensuring a witness can be present to
support the manager and witness the proceedings.
3. The manager should ask the employee for their response to the allegation, taking notes
of the discussion. The manager shall give genuine consideration to the employee’s
response and circumstances.
4. The manager should carry out any additional investigation in follow up to the meeting and
consult with HR on disciplinary actions or termination.
5. Where appropriate, disciplinary actions will be taken, including cancellation of reward and
recognition activities, or suspension.
6. Where disciplinary actions are not deemed suitable to manage the misconduct, the
manager may decide to terminate/dismiss the employee.
7. The manager should keep a file of all evidence collected and action taken in these
circumstances.
8. HR will send the employee a letter detailing the disciplinary actions or termination, noting
brief details.

Termination of Employment
Termination of employment is when employment ceases between employee and employer. After
the probationary period has ended, Termination of Employment procedures apply, and
employment can be terminated by either the employee (resignation) or by the employer
(termination).

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Resignation
Employee must advise their Manager verbally and/or in writing of their intention to resign and
advise of their proposed last day of employment.

Additionally, the following circumstances also apply to employee initiated:

• retirement
• voluntary redundancy

Termination
Additionally, the termination of a contract by the employer applies in the following circumstances:
• redundancy
• serious misconduct
• unsatisfactory performance
• death
• abandonment

Notice Periods
The noticed period must be made in accordance as per the employment category table below.

Employment Category
Period of Continuous Service Minimum notice period
1 year or less 2 weeks
More than 1 year but less than 3 years 1 month
More than 3 years 3 months

***The notice period can be paid out instead of worked. The paid-out amount must be equivalent
to that if the employee worked up to their final date of employment including; penalty rates,
commission, bonuses, overtime, allowances

***Please refer to your employment contract for full details of Termination of Employment.

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Organisational HR Policies
Grievance complaints
Policy
XYZ supports the right of every employee to lodge a grievance with their manager if they believe
a decision, behaviour or action affecting their employment is unfair. An employee may raise a
grievance about any performance improvement action taken against them.

We aim to resolve problems and grievances promptly and as close to the source as possible.
When necessary, XYZ will escalate a grievance to the next higher level of authority for more
discussion and resolution and continue escalating it to the level above until it is resolved.

Managers will do their utmost to action grievances objectively, discreetly and promptly. Be aware
that grievances that are misconceived, vexatious, and lacking substance may result in
disciplinary action being taken against the employee lodging the grievance.

Procedure
1. The employee should try to resolve the grievance as close to the source as possible.
This can be informal and verbal. At this stage, every possible effort should be made to
settle a grievance before the formal grievance process starts. If the matter still can’t be
resolved, the process continues and becomes formal.

2. To start the formal grievance the complainants must fully describe their grievance in
writing, with dates and locations wherever possible and how they have already tried to
settle the grievance.

3. The person(s) against whom the grievance/complaint is made should be given the full
details of the allegation(s) against them. They should have the opportunity and a
reasonable time to respond before the process continues.

4. If the grievance still can’t be resolved, refer the matter to the most senior manager for
consideration and a final decision. A grievance taken to this level must be in writing from
the employee.

All documents of formal grievance procedures must be securely stored in the relevant
employee personnel files.

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Equal Employment Opportunity & Anti-Bullying
Policy
This policy applies to all staff including contractors and covers all work-related functions and
activities including external training courses sponsored by XYZ.

It also applies for all recruitment, selection and promotion decisions.

The objective of XYZ Equal Opportunity Policy is to improve business success by:

• attracting and retaining the best possible employees

• providing a safe, respectful and flexible work environment

• delivering our services in a safe, respectful and reasonably flexible way

Discrimination, Sexual Harassment and Bullying

XYZ is committed to providing a workplace free from discrimination, sexual harassment and
bullying. Behaviour that constitutes discrimination, sexual harassment or bullying will not be
tolerated and will lead to action being taken, which may include dismissal.

For the purposes of this policy, the following definitions apply:

Direct discrimination occurs when someone is treated unfavourably because of a personal

characteristic that is protected under the law.

Indirect Discrimination occurs when a rule seems neutral but has a discriminatory impact on
certain people. For example, a minimum height requirement of 6 foot for a particular job might be
applied equally to all staff, but would indirectly discriminate on the basis of gender, as women
tend to be shorter than men.

Sexual harassment includes unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature in circumstances in which it

could reasonably be expected to make a person feel offended, humiliated or intimidated a
reasonable person, having regard to all the circumstances, would have anticipated that the
person harassed would be offended, humiliated or intimidated.

Workplace bullying may include behaviour that is directed toward an employee, or group of
employees, that creates a risk to health and safety e.g. physical and/or verbal abuse, excluding
or isolating individuals; or giving impossible tasks.

XYZ provides equal opportunity in employment to people without discrimination based on a

personal characteristic protected under state and federal equal opportunity legislation.

Under State legislation they include:

XYZ HR MANUAL P A G E 35 | 63
 • age
• breastfeeding
• carer status
• disability
• employment activity
• gender identity
• industrial activity
• lawful sexual activity
• marital status
• parental status
• personal association with someone having any of these characteristics
• physical features
• political activity/belief
• pregnancy
• race
• religious activity/belief
• sex
• sexual orientation

Any employee found to have contravened this policy will be subject to disciplinary action, which
may include dismissal as outlined in the complaint procedure below.

Employees must report any behaviour that constitutes sexual harassment, bullying or
discrimination to their manager.

Employees will not be victimised or treated unfairly for raising an issue or making a complaint.

Reasonable adjustments
Reasonable adjustments are changes that allow people with a disability to work safely and
productively.

XYZ will make reasonable adjustments for a person with a disability who:
• applies for a job, is offered employment, or is an employee, and
• requires the adjustments in order to participate in the recruitment process or perform the
genuine and reasonable requirements of the job.
Examples of reasonable adjustments can include:
• reviewing and, if necessary, adjusting the performance requirements of the job
• arranging flexibility in work hours (see ‘Flexible work arrangements’)
• providing telephone typewriter (TTY) phone access for employees with hearing or speech
impairments

XYZ HR MANUAL P A G E 36 | 63
 • purchasing screen reading software for employees with a vision impairment
• approving more regular breaks for people with chronic pain or fatigue
• buying desks with adjustable heights for people using a wheelchair.

When thinking about reasonable adjustments XYZ will weigh up the need for change with the
expense or effort involved in making it. If making the adjustment means a very high cost or great
disruption to the workplace, it is not likely to be reasonable.

In some cases, XYZ can discriminate on the basis of disability, if:

• the adjustments needed are not reasonable, or
• the person with the disability could not perform the genuine and reasonable requirements
of the job even if the adjustments were made.

Procedure: To make a complaint

If you believe you are being, or have been, discriminated against, sexually harassed or bullied,
you should follow this procedure.

1. Tell the offender the behaviour is offensive, unwelcome, and against business policy and
should stop (only if you feel comfortable enough to approach them directly, otherwise
speak to your manager). Keep a written record of the incident(s).
2. If the unwelcome behaviour continues, contact your supervisor or manager for support.
3. If this is inappropriate, you feel uncomfortable, or the behaviour persists, contact another
relevant senior manager. Employees may also lodge a complaint with the State Equal
Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, the Australian Human Rights Commission,
or take action under the Fair Work Act 2009.

Employees should feel confident that any complaint they make is to be treated as confidential as
possible.

Procedure: To receive a complaint

When a manager receives a complaint or becomes aware of an incident that may contravene
XYZ Policies, they should follow this procedure.
1. Listen to the complaint seriously and treat the complaint confidentially. Allow the
complainant to bring another person to the interview if they choose to.
2. Ask the complainant for the full story, including what happened, step by step.
3. Take notes, using the complainant’s own words.
4. Ask the complainant to check your notes to ensure your record of the conversation is
accurate.
5. Explain and agree on the next action with the complainant.
6. If investigation is not requested (and the manager is satisfied that the conduct complained is
not in breach of XYZ policies) then the manager should:

XYZ HR MANUAL P A G E 37 | 63
 • act promptly
• maintain confidentiality
• pass any notes on to the manager’s manager

If an investigation is requested or is appropriate, follow the next procedure.

Procedure: To investigate a complaint

When a manager investigates a complaint, they should follow this procedure.

1. Do not assume guilt.

2. Advise on the potential outcomes of the investigation if the allegations are substantiated.
3. Interview all directly concerned, separately.
4. Interview witnesses, separately.
5. Keep records of interviews and the investigation.
6. Interview the alleged harasser, separately and confidentially and let the alleged harasser
know exactly of what they are being accused. Give them a chance to respond to the
accusation. Make it clear they do not have to answer any questions, however, the manager
will still make a decision regardless.
7. Listen carefully and record details.
8. Ensure confidentiality, minimise disclosure.
9. Decide on appropriate action based on investigation and evidence collected.
10. Check to ensure the action meets the needs of the complainant and XYZ.
11. If resolution is not immediately possible, refer the complainant to more senior management.
If the resolution needs a more senior manager’s authority, refer the complainant to this
manager.
12. Discuss any outcomes affecting the complainant with them to make sure where appropriate
you meet their needs.

Possible outcomes
If after investigation management finds the complaint is justified, management will discuss with
the complainant the appropriate outcomes which may include:
• disciplinary action to be taken against the perpetrator (counselling, warning or dismissal)
• staff training
• additional training for the perpetrator or all staff, as appropriate
• counselling for the complainant
• an apology (the particulars of such an apology to be agreed between all involved)

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Pregnancy at Work
Advising of pregnancy
XYZ encourages employees to inform their manager of their pregnancy as soon as possible.
However, we respect that an employee may not wish to advise us of their pregnancy earlier than
the minimum notice period.

We also respect an employee’s wishes regarding when it is appropriate to tell colleagues about
the pregnancy.

See the Parental leave policy about requirements for taking unpaid parental leave, including
notice periods.

Harassment while pregnant

XYZ is committed to ensuring the safety of pregnant employees and considers harassment,
bullying and discrimination to be unacceptable behaviour.

(See the Equal Employment Opportunity policy for our general policy and procedure on
harassment, bullying and discrimination.)

Safety at work
XYZ understands pregnancy to be a healthy and normal process and recognises that pregnant
people have different experiences. When an employee notifies their manager that they are
pregnant, the manager will ask the employee to let them know if they experience any changes to
their work capacity during the pregnancy. The employee and their manager will then discuss
what is needed to keep the employee safe at work and adjustments will be made accordingly
where possible.

Options to reduce hours, change of duties, light duties, rotated tasks, provision of a chair and
provision of additional breaks are common ways to ensure safety at work, and will be considered
on a case-by-case basis.

Transfer to a safe job

If it's not safe (due to illness, risks or hazards) for a pregnant employee who is entitled to
parental leave to continue in their usual position, they can be transferred to a 'safe job' with no
change to terms and conditions.

The employee needs to provide XYZ with reasonable evidence that they are fit for work, but it
would be inadvisable to continue in their present position. XYZ may insist on a medical
certificate.

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If XYZ can’t transfer the employee to a safe job, the employee may take (or be required by XYZ
to take) paid ‘no safe job’ leave for the time stated in the medical certificate or until the pregnancy
ends.

'No safe job' leave is not sick leave – it is a separate paid leave type (pregnancy - no safe job).
This leave will be paid at the rate specified in the award or agreement which, at a minimum, can
be no lower than the employee’s base rate of pay for their ordinary hours of work. In the six
weeks prior to the expected date of the birth of the child, an employer may ask an employee on
safe job leave for medical certificates stating that they would be fit to perform a safe job, if one
were available to them.

An employee may be required to take unpaid parental leave (instead of paid no safe job leave) if
they do not provide a medical certificate within seven days or if they provide a medical certificate
stating they are not fit for any work.

Working until the birth

A pregnant employee may work until the expected date of birth of their child. If they wish to
continue working in the last six weeks of their pregnancy, they may be requested to provide a
medical certificate within seven days confirming they are fit to work.

If the medical certificate indicates the employee is not fit for work, they may be required to start
parental leave or take a period of unpaid leave as soon as practicable. (See the Parental leave
policy).

Return to work
If the employee has agreed to contact during leave, then towards the end of the leave period, the
manager should confirm the employee’s intention to return on the agreed date. The employee
also may want to discuss any requests for flexible work arrangements at this time (see Flexible
Working Arrangements policy).

An employee must provide four weeks’ notice if they want to extend their leave beyond the return
date that was initially advised (see the Parental leave policy).

The employee on parental leave has the right to return to the job they held prior to going on
leave, including any promotion. If that position no longer exists, the employee will be given
whichever other available position is nearest in status and remuneration to the position they held
prior to going on leave.

If an employee was placed in a safe work position prior to leave, the employee is entitled to
return to the position they held immediately before the safe work position.

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If the pre-parental leave position no longer exists, XYZ will follow its redeployment and
redundancy procedures to determine if a suitable alternative position is available.

Breastfeeding at work
XYZ aims to understand and support mothers and parents in the workplace, including
accommodating breastfeeding as much as possible e.g. providing a private space.

An employee should discuss their needs with their manager and XYZ will endeavour to make a
private space available, or other arrangements made by agreement. Depending on the
employee’s duties this may include cover while they are away from their work environment.

Flexible Working Arrangements

Employees may request flexible working arrangements based on parental and carer
responsibilities. Employees are encouraged to put the request in writing.

To comply with the Equal Opportunity Act, XYZ will consider this request, and consider all
relevant facts and circumstances in deciding whether or not to agree to the request. Such a
request will not be refused unless it is reasonable to do so.

Circumstances that may be relevant to determining whether a refusal is or is not reasonable

include:
• the nature of the employee's work and parental or carer responsibilities
• the nature and cost of the arrangements required for an employee to fulfil their family or
carer responsibilities
• the financial circumstances of the employer
• the size and nature of the workplace and the employer's business
• the effect of the flexible working arrangements on the workplace, including the financial
impact on the business
• the consequences for the employer of having the flexible working arrangements
• the consequences for the employee of not having the flexible working arrangements

Other factors that might be relevant in a particular case include:

• when the arrangements are to commence
• how long the arrangements will last
• information that has been provided by the employee about their situation
• the accrued entitlements of the employee, such as personal, carer's or annual leave
• whether any legal or other constraints affect the feasibility of the employer
accommodating the responsibilities, such as occupational health and safety laws or
award penalty rates.

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In addition, under the National Employment Standards, employees who have at least 12 months
continuous service, with responsibility for the care of a child under school age, or for care of a
child under 18 with a disability have the right to request flexible working arrangements.

Flexible work arrangements will also be considered as a form of reasonable adjustments to allow
people with a disability to work safely and productively (see information on reasonable
adjustments above).

This right applies to all employees including permanent full-time and part-time employees, as
well as casual employees, regardless of role of job function.

Employees must put such a request in writing.

XYZ will provide a written response granting or refusing the request within 21 days and will only
refuse such requests on reasonable business grounds. These reasons will be detailed in the
written refusal.

Options for flexible work practices

Flexible work options which may be considered by XYZ include:
• permanent, part-time work
• graduated return to work (for employees returning from parental leave), e.g. the
employee returns part time and then builds up to full-time work flexible start and finish
times for staff to accommodate childcare and school pick-up requirements
• flexible rostering such as working split shifts
• job-sharing - where two or more employees share one full-time position, each working on
a part-time basis
• working from home
• purchased leave (48/52 leave) – where employees take an additional four weeks leave
per year by adjusting their salary to 48 weeks paid over the full 52 weeks
• compressed hours – where the employee works additional daily hours to provide for a
shorter working week or fortnight

This is not an exhaustive list, and other options may be agreed. Employees utilising flexible work
practices will be treated no less favourably than any other employee. Flexible working is not a
barrier to promotion or supervisory responsibilities.

XYZ HR MANUAL P A G E 42 | 63
Leave

General leave policy

Unless specified otherwise, employees referred to in this policy mean permanent full-time or part-
time employees.

All employees are entitled to leave in accordance with the relevant awards or agreements and
statutory provisions. Where the entitlements or practices in this document conflict, the applicable
award, workplace agreement, employment contract or employment law takes precedence.

All planned leave has to be mutually agreed and take into account workloads and the employee’s
needs. Leave must be approved in advance, except when the employee can’t anticipate the
absence. Any documents regarding leave will be kept on the employee’s personnel file.

Annual leave policy

Each employee is entitled to a minimum of 20 days annual leave a year (pro-rata for part-time).
Leave entitlements are calculated from the date they started work and accrue in accordance with
workplace relations legislation or industrial instruments. Annual leave counts towards continuous
service (used when calculating long service leave). Applications for annual leave need to be
lodged 10 weeks in advance.

An employee is expected to take accrued annual leave for business close down periods. If
insufficient leave is accrued, XYZ may direct an employee to take unpaid leave, or debits to their
TOIL record.

XYZ will decide on a case-by-case basis whether it will agree with an employee to ‘cash out’
annual leave as permitted by workplace relations legislation or any industrial instrument.

In some circumstances, leave in advance of what leave has accrued may be approved. This is
conditional on the employee agreeing to the business deducting any advance in the event of
termination, or to the employee accepting leave without pay.

Personal (sick) leave policy

An employee is entitled to a minimum of 10 days of personal/carer’s leave every 12 months
which all can be taken as carer’s leave if required. Paid personal leave accrues at the rate of 2
days per month of service and is cumulative.

An employee should notify his/her manager as soon as possible if they are unable to attend work
due to illness or injury. Management, at its discretion, may request evidence such as a medical

XYZ HR MANUAL P A G E 43 | 63
certificate showing that the employee was entitled to take personal leave during the relevant
period.

Carer's leave policy

Carer's leave is available to an employee for the care or support of an ill family or household
member or if an unexpected emergency affects a family or household member. It is typically part
of personal (sick) leave and is dealt with similarly to above.

Employees including casual employees are entitled to take up to two days unpaid carer’s leave
for each occasion of family or household member illness or unexpected emergency. An
employee cannot take unpaid carer’s leave if they could instead take paid carer’s leave.

Compassionate leave policy

Compassionate leave is paid leave taken by an employee to spend time with a family
member/member of the employee’s household, who has a personal illness, or injury, that poses
a serious threat to his/her life, or after the death of a family member/member of the employee’s
household.

Each employee is entitled to a period of two days paid compassionate leave for each occasion
where a family member has died, or the employee needs to spend time with a seriously ill family
member. Additional unpaid leave maybe granted at management discretion.

Casual employees are entitled to two days unpaid compassionate leave for each occasion.

Long service leave policy

Employees are entitled to long service leave.

Unpaid parental leave

Employees (including a de facto or same sex partner, or single person) who are expecting a child
or adopting a child are eligible for 52 weeks of unpaid parental leave if they are:

• permanent full-time or part-time with at least 12 months service prior to the expected date
of birth or adoption placement
• casual with 12 months regular and systemic service who have a reasonable expectation
of continuing regular and systematic work

After birth or adoption, the parent with responsibility for the care of the child is entitled to unpaid
parental leave. Employees who are pregnant may commence leave up to six weeks before the
expected date.

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Employees may request to extend their leave by a further 12 months (for a total of 24 months
maximum), to be submitted in writing at least four weeks before the end of the original 12 months
unpaid parental leave.

XYZ will respond in writing within 21 days and may refuse only on reasonable business grounds.
The written response will include details if the request is refused.

Parental Leave types:

Available Parental Leave types at XYZ include:

• Parental Leave
• Concurrent Leave
• Special Maternity Leave

Parental Leave
If you are the primary caregiver of your child, you can access up to 52 weeks of Parental Leave.
Parental leave is unpaid except in the instances where an employee is eligible for Parental Leave
Pay in line with legislation. Parental Leave with Pay is described in full in the following section.

Concurrent Leave
Both employees of an employee couple may take leave at the same time for a maximum period
of 8 weeks. This leave must be taken within 12 months of the birth or adoption of a child. The
concurrent leave may be taken in separate periods. Each period must be no shorter than 2
weeks unless the employer agrees.

Special Maternity Leave

Unpaid Special Maternity Leave is available to pregnant employees in the case of pregnancy-
related illness or if the pregnancy ends within 28 weeks of the expected date of birth. The
duration of this leave should be agreed with the manager as soon as is practically possible, and
any unpaid Special Maternity leave will reduce the amount of Maternity Leave you are entitled to
take by the same amount.

Parental Leave Pay

Available Parental Leave Pay types at XYZ include:

• Primary Caregiver Pay

• Dad and Partner Pay

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Please note that XYZ will only make payments in line with the two types of Parental Leave Pay
detailed below. Where relevant, Parental Leave Pay will be paid in line with the standard XYZ
pay cycles.

Primary Caregiver Pay

In line with legislation, eligible employees who are the primary caregiver may be entitled to 18
weeks paid leave, paid at the minimum wage. Please note that a child’s primary caregiver is the
person who is most meeting the child’s physical needs. This will usually be the birth mother of a
newborn child or the initial primary caregiver of an adopted child, even if your child is in hospital.

This leave is not in addition to the 52 weeks parental leave mentioned above. Any periods of
unpaid and paid Parental leave must not exceed 52 weeks in total.

Employees may take subsequent periods of paid Parental Leave, however, in order to be eligible
for this, you must return to work and complete a minimum of 12 months continuous service
following your return from any previous paid Parental Leave.

Dad and Partner Pay

If your partner is the primary caregiver of your child, you may be entitled to 2 weeks of
Government funded paid Dad and Partner Pay whilst on Concurrent Leave. It is your
responsibility to check your entitlement to this payment with the Department of Human Services.

Parental leave for partners

Generally, only the parent with responsibility for the care and welfare of the child is entitled to
take unpaid parental leave. However, up to three weeks unpaid parental leave may be taken at
the same time by both members of an employee couple, with the period of concurrent leave
starting on the day of the birth (unless the manager agrees to other arrangements).

Adoption
Because XYZ recognises that the timing of placement for an adopted child may be uncertain,
employees should keep their manager informed of any changes to the likely placement date and
commencement of leave.

Applying for leave

An employee wishing to take unpaid parental leave must provide written notice at least 10 weeks
before starting the leave (or as soon as is practicable) including the intended leave start and end
dates.

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Leave dates or any changes of dates must be confirmed at least four weeks before the leave
starts. The manager will confirm the leave and any affected entitlements such as continuous
service in writing.

Other Paid leave

Annual leave

If the employee has paid annual leave available, he or she may, in agreement with the manager,
take some or all of that leave at the same time as the unpaid parental leave.

Time off for antenatal appointments, adoption interviews or examinations

Personal leave may be available for attendance at medical appointments. Appointment times and
the availability of leave should be discussed with the manager.

An employee may take up to two days unpaid pre- adoption leave. Employees must provide
notice of the leave including expected leave period as soon as practicable (which may be after
the leave has started).

If an employee requires more than two days pre-adoption leave, they should discuss their
requirements with their manager.

Leave for pregnancy related illness

If an employee is ill during their pregnancy, they may access their ordinary sick leave
entitlements, including any accrued leave.

If an employee experiences extended illness due to pregnancy, they can access unpaid ‘special
maternity leave’ for the period their treating doctor certifies is necessary. Special maternity leave
is included in the 52 weeks available unpaid parental leave period.

The employee must make a special maternity leave application as soon as practicable which
details the period of leave required. The manager may request a medical certificate and if so, this
must be provided by the employee.

Loss of a child while pregnant

If the pregnancy ends within 28 weeks before the due date without a live birth, the employee may
take unpaid ‘special maternity leave’ for the period their treating doctor certifies is necessary.
Unpaid parental leave is not available in this situation, instead special maternity leave applies.

The employee must make a special maternity leave application as soon as practicable,
specifying the expected leave period and providing a medical certificate, if this is requested by
the manager.

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XYZ will be sensitive to the personal issues associated with this type of leave.

During parental leave

Even though the employee is on leave, they will continue to be protected against discrimination
as an employee (See the Equal Employment Opportunity policy).

XYZ respects that some employees do not want any contact while on leave, and others do. The
manager should discuss with the employee what sort of communication the employee would like
while on leave and record this agreement.

While an employee is on unpaid parental leave, XYZ will ensure that the employee is considered
and kept informed of significant changes that may occur in the business.

Where a decision will have a significant effect on the status, pay or location of the pre-parental
leave position, the XYZ will take all reasonable steps to inform the employee and discuss the
effect of the decision. During any restructures, employees on parental leave will be treated no
less favourably than other employees and will be kept informed of the process.

If an employee has applied for less than 52 weeks unpaid parental leave, they can extend the
period of leave once to take the total leave up to a maximum of 52 weeks. The employee must
give at least four weeks’ notice prior to the end date of the original leave period. A period of
unpaid parental leave may be reduced by agreement between XYZ and the employee.

An employee can resign while on parental leave, but they must give the required notice of
resignation as set out in their Contract of Employment termination clause.

Employees should not undertake any activity during leave which is inconsistent with the
employment contract, including other employment and they should remain responsible for the
care of the child.

The employee’s position may be filled on a temporary basis while they are on leave. XYZ will
notify the replacement employee that their employment in this role is temporary and that the
pregnant employee has the right to return to the position.

Jury duty policy

An employee is entitled to paid leave for jury duty in accordance with legislation. An employee on
jury service should supply the official request to attend, the details of attendance and the amount
the court has paid them.

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XYZ will reimburse the employee the difference between this amount and their base salary. If an
employee is absent because of jury service of more than 10 days in total, the employer is only
required to pay the employee for the first ten days of absence.

Emergency services leave policy

If an employee needs to take temporary absence from work because of voluntary emergency
management activities (for example, as a volunteer dealing with an emergency or natural
disaster as a member of SES, CFA or Army Reserve) then they should ask management for
leave as soon as possible after they become aware of the need to take leave.

XYZ will support such activities wherever possible, as an important community service.

XYZ may require evidence of these activities at its discretion.

Leave without pay policy

Management has the discretion to approve leave without pay that an employee is not otherwise
entitled to.

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Occupational Health & Safety Policy

Policy
XYZ, as far as practicable, provides a safe work environment for the health, safety and welfare of
our employees, contractors, visitors and members of the public who may be affected by our
work.

To do this, XYZ:

• developed and maintains safe systems of work, and a safe working environment

• consults with employees and health and safety reps on safety

• provides protective clothing and equipment, and enforce its use where applicable

• provides information and training for employees

• assesses all risks before work starts on new initiatives, for example, buying new
equipment and setting up new work methods, and regularly review these risks

• removes unacceptable risks to safety

• provides employees and contractors with adequate facilities (such as clean toilets, cool
and clean drinking water, and hygienic eating areas)

• complies with all legal and regulatory requirements relating to WH&S

Ultimately, all employees, contractors and volunteers are responsible for ensuring health and
safety while at work.

All persons responsible for the work activities of other employees are accountable for:

• identifying practices and conditions that could injure employees, clients, members of the
public or the environment

• controlling such situations or removing the risk to safety. If unable to control such
practices and conditions, report these to their manager

• making sure workers use personal protective equipment (PPE), training workers to use
PPE correctly

• making sure PPE is maintained and working properly

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XYZ demands a positive, proactive attitude and performance with respect to protecting health,
safety and the environment by all employees, irrespective of their position.

Manual handling policy

It is XYZ’ policy to provide all employees with a safe and healthy workplace by identifying,
assessing and controlling manual handling risks.

While management is responsible for the health, safety and welfare of all staff, all employees
must report potential and actual manual handling hazards.

Never lift or manually handle items larger or heavier than you can easily support. If you
are in any doubt, do not hesitate to ask for help.

Workers’ compensation policy

All employees may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits if injured while at work.

Injury procedure
If there is an injury:

1. The first priority is medical attention. The injured worker or nearest colleague should
contact one of XYZ first aiders. For a serious injury also call an ambulance.

2. Any employee who is injured on the job, experiences a safety incident or a near miss,
must report the incident to their manager. All near misses must be reported, regardless of
whether an injury occurs.

3. The manager must write a report in the Register of Injuries, Incidents and Near Misses.
This standard report must include:
• employee’s name and job details
• time and date of injury
• exact location the injury/incident occurred
• how the injury/incident happened
• details of the injury/illness and the part/s of the body injured
• names of any witnesses
• name of the person entering details in the Register
• date the employer was notified

4. XYZ will let the injured employee know in writing that we have received notification of any
injury or illness reported in the Register.

The manager must report serious injuries to WorkSafe immediately.

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Smoking policy
XYZ has a non-smoking policy. Smoking is not permitted on XYZ property or in offices at any
time.

Smokers who need to take breaks should do so in their allotted breaks (no more than 2 per day
in addition to their lunch break). These breaks must be limited to 15 minutes from leaving the
workplace to recommencing work. These breaks must not be taken at the entrance to XYZ
offices. Excessive smoking breaks will be regarded as absenteeism and performance
improvement action may be taken.

Alcohol & drugs policy

XYZ is concerned by factors affecting an employee’s ability to safely and effectively do their work
to a satisfactory standard. The business recognises alcohol or other drug abuse can impair short-
term or long-term work performance and is an occupational health and safety risk.

XYZ will do its utmost to create and maintain a safe, healthy and productive workplace for all
employees. XYZ has a zero-tolerance policy in regard to the use of illicit drugs on their premises
or the attending of other business-related premises (e.g. clients) while under the influence of illicit
drugs. Contravening either of these points may lead to instant dismissal.

XYZ does not tolerate attending work under the influence of alcohol. This may result in
performance improvement action or dismissal.

XYZ at times makes alcohol available to staff over the age of 18. Limiting the consumption of any
alcohol made available is the responsibility of the employee. Driving over the legal limit or under
the influence of illicit drugs is illegal.

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Risk Management
Purpose
XYZ Management will identify all risks associated with operations and govern all potential risks
that are recognised through routine risk assessment.

Policy
Implementing Risk management will provide:

1. Consistent and successful approach to risk management

2. Effective decision making guided by the risk management policy

3. Promote a culture that’s encouraged to adopt risk management where it is seen as a

positive model to making informed decisions across both academic and operations
governance

4. Informed responsibility to all staff in all departments

The Risk Management Policy is supported by the XYZ Risk Register, and Risk Assessment
Templates.

Risk Management principles

1. Identify - Risks that may prevent/delay XYZ goals and objectives

2. Analyse - Look at the cause of risk and how this impacts XYZ goals and objectives. What
are the current handlings of this risk and the likelihood of occurring again. Determine the
risk rating

3. Treat - Address the identified risk and determine how to limit or prevent risk from
occurring again

4. Monitor - Monitor and evaluate effectiveness of treatment to maintain best practice

5. Report - Provide regular updates to key stakeholders that the risk identified is being
controlled and treated

Risk Assessment Table

SEVERITY RATING
OF OCCURENCE

Little to no Effects Serious Disastrous

LIKELIHOOD

effect are felt Impact implications

Rare
Unlikely
Likely
Highly Likely

Risk rating key Low – 0 Medium – 1 High – 2 Extreme - 3

XYZ HR MANUAL P A G E 53 | 63
Critical Incident Policy
XYZ Management actively responds to and manages critical incidents that relate to its
operations.

Critical incidents can include but are not limited to:

1. Natural disaster
2. Serious injury, death or a circumstance leading to this
3. Missing persons
4. Psychological and/or verbal abuse
5. Assault – sexual assault, domestic violence or the abuse of drugs/alcohol

XYZ has systematic procedures to initiate effective and time appropriate responses to critical
incidents and on-going management through to resolution.

While all staff, clients and guests are encouraged to assist in the event of a critical incident a
Critical Incident Team is established that are responsible for the following:

1. Risk assessment
a. situations and hazards where emergency action may be required
b. analysis of hazards

2. Maintaining up-to-date contact details, with ease of access (through information

management systems) in the event of a critical incident, for the following:
• All relevant emergency services e.g. police, fire brigade, ambulance, community
emergency services, hospital, poisons information centre, community health
services
• All clients and their families
• All relevant staff members

3. Develop and implement a critical incident plan for each critical incident identified

4. Dissemination and training to staff and clients of planned procedures (summary of the
Critical Incident Policy, Critical Incident Team)

5. Annual review of policy and contact numbers to ensure currency

Critical Incident Team

1. CEO
2. Finance Manager
3. Marketing Manager
4. HR Manager
5. A representative from one of the department teams (rotating role)
6. Maintenance Officer

To ensure the health and safety of staff, clients, and guests the following steps must be taken in
the event of a critical incident:
1. Evacuate the building if required
2. Contact emergency services if required
3. Advise Critical Incident Team

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Critical Incident Team will:
1. Ensure a clear understanding of incident and known facts
2. Ensure immediate threat is contained and staff, clients and quests have been moved out
of harms away applicable to the critical incident
3. Communicate with emergency services if required
4. Maintain contact with person/s directly affected by incident
5. Ensure Critical Incident Team has access to contact details of those affected
6. Adhere to Critical Incident Response Times (see table at end list)
7. When an incident occurs, Critical Incident Team to debrief on incident:
8. Any member from the Critical Incident Team can be designated to compile incident
reports
a. Response Management Review and Evaluation
9. Record of incident is kept in designated Critical Incident file and on staff/client file and
must include the following details:
a. Time of the incident
b. Location and nature of the incident
c. Names and roles of persons directly involved in the incident
d. Action/s taken by the business, including opportunities for improvement and/or
prevention
e. All people contacted by XYZ including emergency services and external support
10. The CEO or next most senior person will:
a. Contact next of kin if required
b. Follow up if additional support is needed e.g. counselling
c. Inform staff and clients of appropriate updates
d. A final briefing with staff on what information is appropriate to be released to
clients if there are further developments
e. In the case of a publicised incident a written statement should be prepared by the
CEO which will then be issued to staff, clients, public, media (if applicable) and
referenced to inbound calls.

Critical Incident Response Times

Target

Priority Respond Resolution

Low 24 hours Up to 5 business days

Medium 2 hours Up to 1 business day

High 15 minutes 2 - 4 hours

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Risk and Incident Escalation
•Start Date
•Identify and describe issue
Step 1 •Target resolution date

•Initiated by
•Assigned to
Step 2 •Risk level prior to resolution

•Recommended resolution
•Actual resolution
•Actual resolution completion date
Step 3 •Risk level after resolution
•Further actionable items if applicable

Employee relations strategy

XYZ Employee Relations Vision

To create a positive employee relations climate that supports workforce safety, workforce
capability, staff engagement and a high-performance customer service culture.

The purpose of this Employee Relations Strategy is to inform managers and employees of the
requirements, responsibilities and processes required for a positive employee relations
environment and the achievement of sustainable business outcomes.

Foundation

The Employee Relations Strategy supports the XYZ Vision and Values by providing the
underlying principles to employee relations within XYZ.

The Employee Relations function is an integral component of business operations and must be
managed having regard to corporate priorities and potential risks, costs and impact on customer
service.

The XYZ Employee Relations Strategy adopts an integrated management approach to

addressing employee relations issues. This approach supports employee relations options that
encourage supervisors to lead and employees to actively participate and engage in positive,
productive and safe work practices.

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The principles of positive leadership, constructive relationships and meaningful consultation are
fundamental to the Employee Relations Strategy.

All people management activities within XYZ should align to the four key elements of the
Employee Relations Strategy. They are:

• Alignment with strategic directions

o Ensure Employee Relations outcomes conform with the XYZ direction
o Align employee relations strategies with corporate strategies and values
o Regular reporting on employee relations issues and trends
o Continuous review of the Employee Relations direction
• Governance and compliance
o Compliance with the legislative and policy framework
o Leaders setting a great example through accepting accountability
o Consistent interpretation of conditions and entitlements
o Compliance with workplace entitlements through training and audit processes
• Focus on business outcomes
o Employee relations outcomes consistent with business priorities and values
o Employee relations initiatives that support organisational improvement
o Providing timely and accurate advice on employee relations issues
o Effective implementation and communication of employee relations outcomes
• Constructive workplace relationships
o Involve employees in decision making and promote issue resolution at the
local level
o Promote ownership of organisational change initiatives
o Proactive, constructive and respectful dispute resolution practices
o Facilitate and maintain constructive relationships with unions

Fundamental principles

Positive Leadership

Managers and Supervisors within XYZ should positively influence the employee relations
environment by setting a great example and demonstrating leadership in the pursuit of
constructive working relationships.

A positive employee relations environment requires that all employees demonstrate positive
leadership behaviour.

This will contribute to the proactive and timely resolution of employee relations issues.

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Working Relationships

The achievement of common goals such as “no injuries” and impressive customer service can be
facilitated through the development and maintenance of effective relationships founded on
mutual support and respect.

To create an environment of constructive workplace relationships requires a commitment to

working with employees, managers and unions to take all reasonable steps to resolve issues.

Effective relationships with Government, industry and business partners will assist in the
development and implementation of employee relations initiatives.

To ensure mutually acceptable outcomes are achieved, all parties have an obligation to actively
communicate with each other in order to develop an understanding of each other’s goals and
interests. XYZ will strive for balanced results which lead to a resolution of the issue and
maintenance of a successful relationship.

Meaningful Consultation

The pursuit of positive employee relations involves undertaking timely and meaningful
consultation with key stakeholders, including employees and unions.

Different situations will require different levels of consultation, such as:

• Information sharing;
• Response seeking;
• Employee input into planning; and
• Cooperative decision-making and planning.

XYZ acknowledges the need to support and enable communication between managers and
employees; and recognises that openly sharing ideas and information generally results in better
outcomes through shared ownership.

XYZ encourages and promote constructive workplace relations between XYZ and unions through
effective communication and consultation.

Chief Executive Meetings

Chief Executive Meetings are held bi-annually and are designed to:

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 • Facilitate the development of high-level relationships between the Chief Executive Officer
and senior union officials, while addressing strategic issues affecting the whole of the
business; and
• Ensure a forum to discuss workplace issues of strategic concern.

Industrial Relations Issues Forums

Industrial Relations Issues Forums are held bi-monthly between Industrial Relations Consultants
and union officials and are designed to:

• Encourage and promote a constructive relationship between XYZ and the unions through
effective communication and consultation;
• Facilitate consultation and dispute resolution on industrial issues;
• Reduce potential industrial conflict through the development of a positive employee
relations environment;
• Provide a regular forum for the exchange of ideas, opinions and information;
• Proactively obtain input and feedback from unions on issues affecting XYZ and its
employees; and
• Facilitate the achievement of outcomes taking into consideration the needs and
requirements of XYZ employees, customers and organisational goals.

Divisional Consultative Committees

Divisional Consultative Committee Meetings are held bi-monthly or quarterly and are intended to:
• Promote consultation at the local level in each line of business;
• Facilitate communication at the local level between local union delegates, union officials,
Human Resource Business Consultants, Industrial Relations Consultants and local
management; and
• Provide a forum for local issues to be resolved at the local level.

XYZ’s workplace relations approach recognises the benefits of communicating directly with our
employees wherever possible. Employees are encouraged to have genuine input to decisions
about workplace issues at an individual, team and organisational level. Examples of initiatives in
place to facilitate employee involvement and respond to feedback are:

Annual Staff Survey

Our Annual Staff Survey monitors employee engagement, satisfaction, and opinion
across a broad range of issues. Key issues raised in the survey are addressed in a

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 corporate level action plan that is led and monitored by the Executive Team. All
employees receive a copy of the survey results and the corporate action plan, and
regular updates on progress.

Employee Communications Strategy

XYZ has a comprehensive approach to employee communication.Two-way

communication is strongly encouraged, and we use a variety of mediums such as team
brief meetings, the intranet, the daily bulletin board, staff newsletters, and noticeboards.
Employees are also provided with regular opportunities to meet informally with the Chief
Executive Officer through staff breakfasts, morning teas and site visits.

Management Communication

Leaders attend regular forums to discuss business strategy and progress and are
provided with assistance and support in communicating key messages to their
employees. A focus on Management by Walking Around (MBWA) helps to ensure
employees see their leaders regularly and have opportunities to make suggestions and
raise concerns.

Staff Workshop Programs

Staff workshop programs are frequently used to encourage active employee involvement
in the deployment of key business strategies and initiatives. Key topics for workshops
include safety, the corporate values, and business strategy.

Work Practice Improvement Teams

Workplace Practice Improvement Teams serve an important function at XYZ. Staff meet
regularly in teams to develop and implement a range of work practice improvement
initiatives.

Employees who have an issue or concern in the workplace should raise it with their direct
supervisor in the first instance. Should the matter fail to be resolved at this level, the
issue should be escalated to the next level of management. The Supervisor and Manager
should endeavour to resolve the issue at the local level. Support for issues resolution will
be available through Human Resources.

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Sustainability
Policy
XYZ will comply with all local, state and federal laws and regulations on:

• disposing of hazardous waste (including EPA’s list of prescribed industrial waste), trade
waste (i.e. waste added to the sewer) and wastewater

• safe handling, storage and transport of hazardous waste and dangerous goods

• noise

• land use

• air pollution and carbon emissions

Procedure
XYZ will set targets each year to increase energy and water efficiency and seek opportunities for
reducing and recycling waste. To do this, we will:

General
• investigate ways to reduce consumption or recycle waste

• publish monthly energy and water use on the staff notice board including savings made,
and report on greenhouse gas emissions

• give preference to maintenance and other contractors using green products

Energy
• buy electrical and lighting systems rated as energy efficient

• use accredited Green Power, either in part or whole

Water
• buy appliances rated as water efficient

• buy plumbing devices (e.g. taps) with built-in flow restrictors in kitchen and washing up
areas, or add these to existing fittings

Waste
• look for opportunities to exchange waste on the waste exchange database website
(wasteexchange.net.au)

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Employee Declaration
You must read all the policies contained in this document. Company policies are a part of your
employment contract and therefore must be read and understood to ensure you are fully aware
of your responsibilities as an employee of XYZ.

Declaration
I have read and understand the contents of this manual and I agree to the terms of conditions of
these documents.

Employee Name:

Employee Signature:

Date:

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