Helping You Understand Hospitality Award Rates
Hospitality Award Rates Have A Lot Of Moving Parts. Have More Confidence With Them When Using Supp.
Wage theft is a big problem in Australia—and not just for exploited workers. In Victoria, it’s now officially a crime to underpay your staff. Other states and territories may soon introduce their own wage theft bills. And on top of this, Fair Work Ombudsman Sandra Parker recently declared fast food venues, restaurants and cafes a primary focus of her office.
The take-home? It’s more important than ever to make sure you’re on top of pay.
That said, hospitality venue owners are often time-poor and lack the resources (and legal nouse) needed to make sense of all the relevant legislation around pay. So, how can you make sure you’re doing the right thing by your staff and the law?
Crunch The Numbers
Paying your workers properly is one of your key responsibilities as a business. And like paying your taxes, it can get kind of tricky. (No one gets into the hospitality biz because they’re a maths genius.) That’s why we recommend hiring a professional to get advice on interpreting the relevant awards.
For those looking to do things themselves (and we stress, please don’t), the Fair Work Ombudsman has created this handy guide to minimum wages and hospitality award rates. Business owners and managers are encouraged—obligated, really— to familiarise themselves with this information, so they’re aware of their responsibilities and can operate in compliance with the law.
To make things even easier, the Ombudsman also offers a free-to-use Award Rates Calculator, which takes into account base pay rates, allowances and penalty rates (including overtime). Punch in the relevant job and worker info and it’ll tell you how much a worker is owed.
A Little Extra Help
We’re not accountants, and we’re not employment lawyers. But we are here to help make compliance easier where we can.
That’s why Supp’s minimum rates are pegged to the award rates set by the Fair Work Commission, so you can be more confident when picking rates for shifts.
It’s no silver bullet—managers are still responsible for paying staff correctly. But you can rest a little easier using our minimums as a guide.
The Sky’s Still The Limit
Of course, the minimum rates are just that—the minimum. Looking to entice a rockstar team member, generate extra interest or fill a last-minute shift? There’s no wage cap with Supp, so you’re always free to pay as high above the minimum rate as you like.
But Wait, There’s More
Taking the fear and uncertainty out of payroll is just one of the ways Supp can get you out of a jam and back into the kitchen. Looking to optimise your payroll expenditure? Minimise your admin? Schedule up to two weeks’ worth of shifts in advance? There is, as they used to say, an app for that.
Curious? Take a quick squiz at our FAQ and start filling shifts now.
