BSBHRM604: Advanced Diploma - Employee Relations Assessment

This document presents a comprehensive solution for the BSBHRM604 Manage Employee Relations assessment. It covers key concepts such as employment relations, legal and psychological contracts, and the Australian workplace relations system. The assignment delves into the National Employment Standards, Modern Awards, and the hiring process. It also addresses the role of the Fair Work Ombudsman, the link between organizational plans and employee relations, and the legal requirements of consulting with staff. Furthermore, it explores work-life balance, flexible working arrangements, and strategies for creating a family-friendly workplace, including how long organizations should retain employee records. The solution provides detailed answers to theory questions, offering a thorough understanding of employee relations management.

Unit: BSBHRM604 Manage employee relations
Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Did not submit
Assessment 1 (Part A)
Assessment 1 (Part B)
Assessment 2 (Part A)
Assessment 2 (Part B)
Assessment 2 (Part C)
Oral testing (if applicable)

Assessors may ask the candidate oral questions to gather
further supporting evidence, where written evidence is
deemed to be incomplete or insufficient.
Comments:

ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES FOR STUDENTS
 You need to achieve a ‘Satisfactory’ grade in ALL the assessments items to be granted a ‘Competent’
grade in the unit.
 In case you are not able to achieve a ‘Satisfactory’ grade in any assessment task, you will be given three
(3) attempts to resubmit your assessment. Your trainer will be available to assist you in any areas of
difficulty. Please discuss the assessment with your trainer to seek advice on how you can achieve
competency in the unit.
 Where relevant, oral questions may be asked to gather more information on your knowledge, skills and
competence in the unit.
 A holistic approach is used to assess your skills relevant to this qualification. The skills are assessed
across the different units offered within this qualification. Where a skill relevant to this unit is not assessed
within this assessment pack, please note that the skill will be assessed in another unit.

ASSESSMENT 1
Theory questions
This assessment has TWO parts.
PART A: Theory Questions
1. What do you understand by the term ‘Employment relations’?
Employee relation refer to management of relative activities and bonds between employer and
employee of company. This maintain and control communication and behaviour between both of them
and provide rights and policies regarding work. Employee relationship are managed by the HRM in an
organisation. According to this concept, employees are main engine of an organisation who help company
in gaining competitive advantage and enhance overall performance so that they should have the right to
express and participate in decision making activities which occur in enterprise.
2. What is the purpose of a legal employment contract?
An employment legal contract is an agreement which is utilised to implement duties and rights to
bargain organisation and employee. Main purpose of such contract is ensuring that organisation and
employer have clear communication and maintain proper understanding over the bargained terms of work
and company. This is created to build understanding and interaction over policies and help in encoding
employee company agreement through contract. This is build or managed to avoid and reduce disputes,
conflicts or workplace or other issues which might occur in future. Also, it provides assistance in
understanding employment laws and rights under laws (Kelly, 2012).
3. What do you understand by the concept of a ‘psychological contract’?
Psychological contract influence employee relation in routine and maintain all activities that occur
in company and employee. This is a philosophy that refer to agreement of expectation which is unwritten
of employee and employer. This is not a strategy or formula to manage relationship with both. Despite of
being contractual in nature, this is relational contract which functions on values of common obligation
and are not implicitly secured through manager. This concept states that the company and worker
maintain an agreement that argues to undertake employer or employee priorities and fulfil their
expectation when required.
4. What are the key elements of Australia’s workplace relations system?
This is governed and directed through industrial Relation Act 1979. The Australia industrial
relations system support employee rights and acts by providing the minimum terms and policies by
Minimum condition of Employment Act, 1993. This system consists of aggregate set of terms and
policies which are followed by every organisation of Australia in order to better functioning of operations
and protect laws and rights of employee. The key element which have been included in this system are:
 Annual leave
 Sick leave
 Holidays in public events
 parental leave etc.
5. What is the role of the ‘Fair Work Ombudsman?
Fair work ombudsman is an independent statutory agency that facilitates the Australian National
Workplace System related suggestion and advices or information. They examine workforce issues ad
complaints. They make sure that all services are communicated to people more relevant and timely. The
major role of fair work ombudsman framework is
 promote workplace relation which is more productive, harmonious and conjunctive.

 Manage Australian workplaces laws complaints
 Control agreements of visa.
6. What is the link between an organisation’s strategic and operational plans and its employee relation
management?
Employee relation is a procedure through which policies of employment is decided, rather
than managing is employee relation with company. Whereas organisation build and create
strategies and operates different creative and effective plans in order to pursue competitive
objectives of company and meet company’s mission. To implement those strategies, company
require worker thus employee relation assist company to boost their performance and quality
of products. Here are few link:
 Maximise probability of company though increasing productivity.
 Improve product and plan quality through performing best efforts into it.
 Create company image through satisfying customer with services and accomplish
company goals.

7. What is the link between an organisation’s key result areas and its employee relation management?
Key results areas are those parameters of company that are being determined for a specific
strategy roles or strategy. This defines employee their responsibility and duties toward the
organisation. Whereas, employee relation management handles, monitor and control employee
relation with employer as well as satisfy their demands and requirements. KRA and ER is
interrelated in which HR of company assign an employee to get best outcome of their efforts
and KRA assure that roles of employee is being clear in their mind and they have been
allocated at right place which link these both to each other.
PART B: Theory Questions
Read Sections 4- 12 and answer the following questions:
1. What is the purpose of the ‘National Employment Standards’ (NES)?
NES (National employment standards) allocate the minimum entitles to Australia’s Worker
which are provided to them for their betterment. These involve 10 authorities which are:
 Long services leave
 Public holidays.
 Termination notice and pay of redundancy
 Fair Work Information Statement
 Annual leave
 parental leave
 Maximum weekly hours
 Flexible workplaces
 Caring holiday
 Social services holiday
Main purpose of NES is to provide employee basic rights and protect them from being
exploited as well as provide them flexible workplace. This aims towards betterments and
promotion of employee according to work and defend their fundamental rights.
2. What are ‘Modern Awards?
Modern Award is a written agreement which determines rights and policies for employee in
NES which was established in January 1, 2010. This sets minimum wages of employees which
is applicable over company and employee according to market and work profile. This apply on
NWRS and employee but doesn't work over the registered agreed business terms and policies.
This render authorities i.e.:
1. Recesses

2. Allowance
3. penalty rates
4. Overtimes
5. Listing
6. Woking hours
7. Wage
3. List the steps you should take to hire new staff.
Recruitment and selection process select and finalise the candidates for vacant profile of
specific roles. This is a complex and time-consuming procedure which is organised by HR of
company and the process varies according the requirements and organisation demands. For
hiring employee, designing, planning, analysing and many strategies is being undertake which
is risky in case of not proper implication or identification of candidate. Here are 10 steps
which are being undertaken to hire employee:
1. Identifying requirements demand.
2. Planning
3. Inquiring
4. identification of candidates
5. Hiring of A- level candidate.
6. Presentation
7. Interviewing
8. Offer policies and wage
9. Employing
10. On-boarding of employee.
4. Which Award would apply to someone working in the Children’s Services industry?
The person or organisation who work and perform better in field of children services industry
is being reward by the government and Fair Work Ombudsman of country. They are usually
awarded with Childers Service Award for better performance, proper employee relation and
proper attendance and management of operations.
5. What are the legal requirements and benefits of consulting with staff?
Staff consultation process assist an organisation to maintain and monitor employee relation
through helping in employee participation in decision making activities. This help in
comforting members and provide a positive environment to reduce organisational conflicts
and issues. Here are benefits of Consultation:
 Increase performance of company and staff.
 Increase of participation of worker in decision making process.
 Develop creditability of company and satisfaction in workplace.
 Encourage and motivate employee and provide a better and positive working aura.
To maintain consultation process in company, organisation have to follow some legal laws and
rules to manage dignity. Here are some legal needs (Klarsfeld, and et. al. 2014).
 Determine a legal contract which include negotiations with employer and
representative of worker.
 Vary in recent contract which should involve more than 40% new terms and
agreements.
 Apply for a request in Central Arbitration committee.
6. What do you understand by work life balance?
Work life balance is accurate prioritisation technique of lifestyle of person and working life.
This is equilibrium of working lifestyle of an individual and their private task and priorities

which is required to undertake. A good entrepreneur or businessman understand his
preferences and should not overwhelm their personal and professional work and should be
able to complete and enjoy each task in equally. An individual can maintain those different
aspects of work through these elements:
 Time management
 Self-management
 Relaxation management
 Technology management
 Stress direction
 Change governance
7. What are reasonable grounds for refusing an employee’s request for flexible working arrangements?
It is essentials to provide employee flexible, friendly and familiar environment to work better
and increase productivity and profitability. But more flexibility can lead to laziness and
disturbance in discipline form workplace so sometime employer need to reject flexibility
request form in order to manage disciplinary which is a complex process. Here are few
grounds on which they can avoid such request:
 Explaining and determining it in policies that flexibility will be availed if required.
 Discuss with employer and authority understanding consequences.
 Assure overlooking over policies and terms.
 Take it under upcoming request as a holistic method.
8. List at least 4 strategies organisations can introduce to create a flexible family-friendly workplace.
Flexibility refer to changes of place, time, method and technology of work through which
company provide a better and friendly environment to employee to get desired outcome of
operations.
 Holiday Permission – Company can provide limitless vacation and holiday policies in
order to create mutual respect and credibility in organisation.
 Time Agnostic Work – Job sometimes need distribution of routine time period in case
of caring oneself or someone else. This makes them comfortable with schedule and
provide flexibility to work time.
 Sharing Work – Work sharing programme is mostly used to create a friendly and
helping aura of workplace and build flexible workforce.
 Eliminating into Teams and Remote Work – Distant work or team work activities is
best way to get involvement of employee and create flexibility. This form familiar
environment and cater best outcome through motivating.
9. How long should an organisation keep employee records?
Records of previous employee may assist company in analysing strategies, take fresh decision,
measure level of profitability and productivity and understanding other aspects of a company.
They are significant for training, recruitment, dismissal practices of company. In order to have
any conflicts and disputes with state laws, this can help. But for how long should keep the
record of staff safe depend upon period of work, area of work and termination details and
other aspects.
 1 year’s records of all hiring proceed candidates.
 5-year record of all ex-employee including details of time, holidays, wage paid, and
activities he participated.

 Record of hiring for 3 years and 1 year after termination.
 Health and benefit information detail for 6 years (Ng and Feldman, 2012).
Company can also keep digital data in software for as long as they want for future
requirements.
10. What type of information must be included on a pay-slip?
Each employee that work of an organisation have an authority to get a pay slip which can be in
written, digital or printed form. Those pay slips should contains needed information which
includes:
 Net wage excluding National insurance and tax deduction.
 Charge of deduction which is made.
 Net amount after deduction.
 Parted figures for manner of cash payment and credited balance.
 Also include additional info. Such as pay rate, tax code, national insurance number and
additional payments.
11. What human resource specialist advice can help managers with understanding their legal obligations?
Human resource management helps an organisation in maintaining and controlling relations
with worker and understanding company laws and policies. HRM undertake all laws and
legislation of country and document the policies and terms as well as build a contract. They
help manager to understand all labour laws and rights. Also, other laws and acts such as
copyrights act, employment act and other laws and legislation etc can be implemented rightly
12. What is the mandatory requirement for dispute resolution in the Modern Awards?
Dispute resolution can be defined as process through which conflicts within company are
being resolved through negotiating terms of agreement, immediate results on agreeing third
mediator’s terms and judged conclusion in which court take decisions and determines policies
(The Five Steps to Conflict Resolution, 2017). Under Modern awards, there are few
requirements of disputes resolution which is:
 To discuss grievance, employee will communicate to employers.
 Failing resolution in which issues will be managed in present of higher authority.
 Employee and employer appoint a mediator.
 Referring issues to Fair Work Commission.
13. List at least two external and internal organisational support services that can be made available for
employees?
Employee are main sources of providing satisfaction to customer through their services. There are many
bodies in internal and external support services which can only be accessed through worker assistance
and is not imaginable without their help. Here are few of them:
 External support services:
.i. Public and Health Sector

.ii. Educational Institution (Armstrong and Taylor, 2014).
 Internal support services:
.i. Director of Nursing
.ii. Communication
14. What do you understand by ‘unfair dismissal’?
Unfair dismissal is a law comes under employment act which include termination decision
excluding proper cause. In regard of dismissal, Australia has long standing terms defending
workers. This is confined in 2 methods in which first a worker cannot be eliminated for an unfair
reason and employee cannot be challenged for individual dismissal. In recent acts, this act lays
under fair Work Commission according section 385 which states that commission will determine
compensation and restoration order.

ASSESSMENT 2
Case Study and practical application
NOTE: To complete this assessment, you will need to refer to:
 Your Study Guide
 ‘National Employment Standards’ (NES)
 ‘Dry Cleaning and Laundry Industry Award 2010 [MA000096]
(https://www.fwc.gov.au/documents/documents/modern_awards/award/MA000096/default.htm
This assessment has 3 parts. You need to read the case study for each part.
Case Study- Part 1
Smooth Dry Cleaners (SDC) is a dry-cleaning store in a local shopping centre that started its operations six
months ago. The owner’s name is Bill Washington. For the first four months, Bill was doing all the work in the
shop himself. Sales increased and the number of customers was increasing rapidly. Two months ago, Bill hired
an Assistant Manager, Graham Bell.
Recently, Bill hired two new full-time employees, Jimmy Lee and Sally Smith. Jimmy will be helping with dry
cleaning orders and Sally will work as a Laundry Assistant. Both new employees would directly report to Bill
Washington, the owner.
Bill and Graham have no idea about employee relations and the related legislation.
Your task is to help Bill comply with the law. Based on your knowledge and understanding of the job roles, you
believe that:
 Jimmy Lee should be employed as a Dry-Cleaning Assistant (based on the Dry-Cleaning Employee Level
3 as per the Award classification).
 Sally Smith should be employed as a Laundry Assistant (based on the Laundry Employee Level 2 as per
the Award classification).

Complete the tasks below:
Questions Write your response below
1. Bill says that he will just set the wages
based on what he thinks is reasonable.
a. Can Bill set the wages as he likes?
b. Why or why not?
Bill can set payment of his employee according to himself
but he has to take all decision according undertaking all
laws and rights of company. Bill have to provide them
minimum wage which they deserve for their work and job
profile. Thus, if Bill is allowed to manage their wages but
that must include minimum wage of an employee and
worker of laundry.
2. Which Modern Award applies to SDC’s
industry? The company will be getting Dry cleaning and laundry
award in case of SDC company’s best performance and
employee management. This is given to those
organisations who pay employees according to their work
and provide them equal rights.
3. Bill says that he wants Jimmy and Sally to
work for 50 hours per week. He wants to
give them two weeks unpaid annual leave
per year.
a. Explain the 10 National Employment
Standards to Bill in relation to what he
needs to know as an employer.
The 10 minimum entitlements of the NES
are:
b. How many hours per week should
Jimmy and Sally work as full-time
employees?
c. How much annual leave are they
entitled to take?
Bill have to consider all employment laws and rights which
has been mentioned by the Govt. and consider the
consequences that he cannot handle and discriminate with
the legislation (Schraeder and Jordan, 2011). It is law that
employee should work only 48 hours maximum and
employer has to pay for extra time. In case of 50 hours
non-paid 2 months leave. It won't be considered
appropriate way.
a. Maximum time period of work should be managed by
Bill for employee.
 Pursuance for flexible working set up should be
done for ease of worker.
 Maternal holiday and regarding authority
 Yearly holiday should be fixed.
 Individual carers and caring holiday
 Social service Holiday
 Extended work holiday
 National vacation
 Announcement of expiration and redundancy wage
Fair Employment Content Argument which Bill need to
understand
b. They need to work from determined time to 48 hours’
time of work maximum.
c. 5. 6 weeks in a wear is aggregate leaves that is required
for employee which company has to follow to maintain

dignity and lead structure with framework.
4. Refer to the relevant Modern Award and
answer the following questions:
a. According to Part 1, Section 5 of the
Award, which documents MUST Bill
provide to Jimmy and Sally?
b. According to Part 3, Section 10, what
are the categories of employment
available for SDC?
c. According to Part 4, Section 14, set the
minimum weekly rate for:
c.i. Jimmy Lee
c.ii. Sally Smith
a. Bill should provide all required documents that consist
of policies and contract as well as salary slip in order to
reduce any disputes (Biswas and Bhatnagar, 2013).
b. There are various categories of employment such as
employment particulars, protection of wages, Zero hours
worker, guarantee payment, protected disclosure etc.
c. Jimmy Lee– 517Euro
ci. Sally Smith- 517Euro
5. Bill wants his employees to wear a uniform.
He wants them to buy the uniforms at their
own cost. He will not pay for the uniforms or
for ongoing laundry of the uniforms.
Refer to Part 4, Section 15.5 of the Award
and advise Bill about his legal obligations
Under part 4 and section 15. 5 of Award and advise about
legal obligation, Bill have to provide uniforms to their
workers at workplace, Employee do not have to buy those
uniforms by themselves. In case employee is willing to
buy, then there will be no issues for Bill
6. Bill wants to pay the wages on a monthly
basis. Refer to Part 4, Section 19 and
advise:
a. Is this appropriate?
b. Why or why not?
This is appropriate under Part 4 section 19. An employee
should be given the wage on monthly basis according time
and the work they do. It should also consider working
hours. In case of expanding working hour, he has to pay
extra wages.
7. The working hours at SDC are 9am- 5pm.
Bill wants his employees to take only ONE
45-minute break from 2pm- 2:45pm every
day. Refer to Part 5, Section 24.1 and 24.2
and advise Bill:
a. Is this appropriate?
b. Why or why not?
This is not inappropriate under the circumstance. They are
being provided enough time for lunch and they are also
being provided normal and aggregate working hours which
will not considered under exploitation.