When an employer engages someone to work there can be a number of ways in which the position can be offered. It is important to identify which category your employees fall into and to inform them when they are recruited as this will affect their working conditions and rate of pay.

During April 2010, the Office for Employment Relations, in partnership with Catholic Church Insurances and the National Committee for Professional Standards, delivered the a pilot of the “Safe Parishes” program to the Diocese of Ballarat. The “Safe Parishes” program aims to provide practical guidance to parishes in addressing both physical and non-physical risks.

Recently there has been a lot of media coverage of incidents of workplace bullying. In one case the workplace bullying lead to the death by suicide of a young person. This has highlighted the need for employees to take greater care in dealing with bullying in the Workplace.

This article is brought to you by the Office for Employment Relations, an agency of the ACBC – the first in a regular column to bring you information on matters concerning employment and the workplace.