In today’s intricate landscape of wage and labour regulations, adhering to the requirements of the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services (SCHADS) Award in Australia has become increasingly challenging. The SCHADS Award provides a framework for ensuring fair wages and benefits for employees in the industry. However, the complexity and inherent challenges of this framework often leave organisations grappling with extensive administrative tasks.
To simplify this process and ensure compliance with the SCHADS Award, more and more organisations are turning to human resources (HR) software. This software offers a comprehensive solution to help organisations effectively manage SCHADS Award compliance, while reducing errors and mitigating risks.
In this article, we will explore the challenges and complexities of the SCHADS Award and how HR software can streamline and optimise the compliance process.
Challenges of SCHADS Award Compliance in 2024
1. Complex Award Regulations
The SCHADS Award covers wages, working hours, leave, and allowances. Accurate interpretation of these complex regulations is essential but can be daunting.
2. Frequent Updates
The SCHADS Award is subject to regular updates and changes. Staying compliant with the latest changes is crucial but time-consuming for HR teams.
3. Accurate Application
Organisations must correctly interpret and apply award regulations in real-world scenarios to avoid penalties.
4. Time and Resource Constraints
Managing award compliance alongside other HR tasks, especially in resource-limited organisations, is often overwhelming. Devoting time and effort to stay compliant while efficiently managing day-to-day HR operations can be challenging.
5. Documentation and Reporting
Compliance requires accurate record-keeping for work hours, leave balances, and audits—often labour-intensive without the right tools.
HR Software Solution for SCHADS Award
The SCHADS Award can be complex and challenging to navigate for organisations in the community and social services sector. Ensuring compliance with the award’s requirements while efficiently managing HR tasks can be a time-consuming and error-prone process. However, Workstem HR Software offers a comprehensive solution that simplifies SCHADS Award compliance and streamlines HR management for organisations in this sector.
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Efficient Scheduling and Shift Management
Workstem HR Software provides powerful scheduling features that cater to the unique requirements of SCHADS Award compliance. The software supports various scheduling scenarios, including broken shifts, overnight shifts, excursions, remote work, and more. It allows for the creation of complex work schedules based on qualifications, project-based shifts, and multiple locations or shifts in a single day.With Workstem, supervisors can easily create and manage shifts for multiple staff members and duplicate shifts across different time periods or employees.
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Accurate Attendance Tracking
Accurately tracking employee attendance is crucial for SCHADS Award compliance. Workstem offers multiple attendance tracking options, including GPS, Bluetooth, QR code scanning, and facial recognition. Employees can clock in and out using their mobile devices, and the system ensures real-time synchronisation between the web and mobile apps. The software’s GPS tracking feature allows organisations to monitor fieldwork attendance, while QR code scanning provides flexibility without the need for fixed working locations or hardware devices. Facial recognition adds an extra layer of security, ensuring accurate clock-ins and preventing cheating.
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Seamless Time and Attendance Management
Workstem’s time and attendance module simplifies the calculation of working hours, including scheduled hours, ordinary hours, and overtime. The software differentiates between weekdays, Saturdays, Sundays, rest days, and public holidays, ensuring accurate payroll calculations. It supports different types of timesheets and automatically syncs attendance data with payroll processing, eliminating manual data entry and reducing the risk of errors.
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Leave and Expense Management
Managing leave and expenses in accordance with SCHADS Award requirements can be challenging. Workstem HR Software provides a comprehensive leave management module that allows employees to check their leave balances, submit leave applications, and supports configurable approval workflows. The system also enables the customization of expense types, simplifying the process of attaching invoices or receipts and streamlining expense claim applications and approvals.
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Robust Payroll Processing
Workstem HR Software offers a powerful payroll module that automates payroll calculations, including tax calculations, errors correction, and customizable payslip generation. The software seamlessly integrates with financial systems such as Xero and Oracle NetSuite, enabling direct import of payroll data. The customizable payslips can be easily accessed by employees through the Workstem One App, ensuring transparency and convenience.
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Data Security and Compliance
Workstem prioritises data security and compliance. The software is built on an AWS cloud infrastructure with data protection measures such as encryption at rest and in transit. Workstem’s compliance controls align with industry standards, including ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification. This ensures that organisations using Workstem HR Software can confidently handle sensitive employee data while meeting privacy and security requirements.
SCHADS Award Compliance Made Easy with Workstem
Workstem HR Software provides a comprehensive solution tailored for community and social services organisations. Our software includes pre-built modern award interpretation covering 122+ awards and 34 EBAs, ensuring accurate pay rates and keeping you updated on penalty rates and award entitlements.
By automating payroll processing and offering features like scheduling, attendance tracking, leave and expense management, and a robust payroll system, Workstem simplifies HR processes and reduces administrative burden. Choose between our Standard and Advanced plans to enjoy additional benefits such as Fair Work compliance, an employee self-service App, and customised rule sets.
Don’t miss the opportunity to optimise your operations – book a free demo with our payroll experts today and experience the efficiency and accuracy of Workstem HR Software in streamlining SCHADS Award compliance and enhancing HR management.
Read More:
Updated SCHADS Award Pay Rates Guide
Understanding Pay Point Progression in the SCHADS Award
