Should work pay for your healthcare? Plus: Why employees take perks over cash, and more top news
The news Australian professionals are talking about now, curated by LinkedIn’s editors. Join the conversation in the comments below.
Health funds have presented a bold, $1.2 billion plan to the federal government that would hand employers tax -exemptions to pay the private health insurance of workers, The Australian reports. The proposal comes as the industry grapples with how to “stem the exodus” of young workers from the private system and curtail ever-expanding health insurance premium rises. The funds estimate introducing a fringe benefits tax exemption for employers would amount to about $585 million over five years. Would you like to see employers pay for health insurance?
If you can't pay me more, what will you give me instead? That's the question a growing number of Australian workers are asking, as stagnant wages make workplace perks a deciding factor when considering a new role or promotion. In fact, according to recruiter Robert Half, 80% of Australian workers would accept a job with a lower salary if there were decent perks attached, with flexible work arrangements the most desirable. Here’s what people are saying.
Chefs say employment rules are too complicated and that's why so many hospitality workers have been underpaid. While there may be some "bad eggs" knowingly robbing their staff, many chefs have pointed out that the multiple awards and complex legislation which govern the industry are catching out businesses which are trying to do the right thing — with some even calling for an amnesty and better rules. Still, other commentators have gone as far as suggesting wage theft is a de facto business model for some employers. Here’s what people are saying.
Technology, social norms and a shifting economy has made the office less necessary but could it one day become extinct? The need for staff to congregate in one space together "has been dramatically reduced," The Economist writes. Remote work and the hot-desking that allows multiple workers to use the same desk at different times are both growing increasingly common. Technology is powering this office revolution (or dissolution) but so are demands by knowledge workers for more freedom and flexibility. Here’s what people are saying.
A year-long ASIC review which involved embedding an organisational expert in the boardrooms of some of Australia's biggest companies has been rejected by some directors. It found some boards were struggling to oversee and measure non-financial risks — a key issue raised during the banking royal commission — due to a culture of politeness and respect that discouraged tough questions. But directors have raised concerns that ASIC's attempt to regulate culture may be misguided. Here’s what people are saying.
Idea of the Day: When interviewing, don’t make the mistake of asking about salary straight away, advises J.T. O’Donnell, CEO of WorkITDaily.
“When it's your turn to ask questions, don't focus on what's in it for me? That's the kiss of death. The time to talk about your compensation… comes later in the process when it's clear they want you.”
What's your take on today’s stories? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Strategy, Consultancy, Productivity and development
5 年The problem is good health equates to high productivity and is an investment the county makes in improving productivity that all segments benefit from. If we take the US as an example where you might get health care some emolument, it be comes an exercise in diminishing returns as people lose their health care as they move in and out or the work force or transitioning between careers or jobs. Over a period of time only some end up with health care at various levels of quality while there is a steady flow of people fall out of health care. When someone is ill or has long term systemic health issues that aren’t being treated by the health system, those individuals slowly become unemployed, unemployable which produces an overall drop in productivity. The cost of which becomes a burden for society and at a much higher cost than the initial investment in universal health care.
Senior Exploration Geologist (semi-retired)
5 年But at what level of insurance?? Too many young folk getting to private insurance before 30 and getting stung , and stuck, with cheap insurance lacking any significant hospital and private doctor; where the real costs are. On the cheap just is not going to cut it. Those on causal will get a double hit, as the so-called 'loading' quickly will be assumed to cover medical as well as time off. I once had a long term employer pay close to top medical insurance years ago now; until we eventually got taken over and then it all fell over.
Former Anthropologist / researcher at Monash University -
5 年Appalling idea! Health is something that everyone should have equal rights to, regardless of income or “status”. The only honest way to achieve this is to ban all private health cover and ensure everyone has identical public cover, from PMs and potentates to pastry cooks, posties and the permanently unemployed! No if’s or buts or “employer pays” nonsense. the public purse / tax should cover ALL medical treatment for everyone!
Owner, Abel Ecology
5 年My team are paid well above award rates and have flexible hours. Never have I paid a salary and expected unlimited hours from anyone. Since we sometimes have a task that requires long hours in a day, such as day and night field work, or preparing for a hearing in the Land and Environment Court, I ask people to take the following day off or come in late. We have 154 hour four week blocks, for which each person is able to manage their own hours. Every hour is paid, with no unpaid overtime. They can work from home if that is convenient too, such as when the family is sick. Since most live near the office it is easy for them to pop over to the school to deal with something for the kids, or supervise tradesmen or attend to bushfire emergencies. One of them rushed out the door in response to a pager call after lunch and came back ten days later after fighting local bushfires. The rest of the team was able to pick up the work because we are multi-skilled and qualified. Everyone wins. We have a great team for which I am very thankful.
Geological Consultant
5 年I have good memories of the British NHS before Thatcher. What is the problem with a decent national insurance scheme for public health-care, apart from the fact that private health insurance companies don't like competition and? Newscorp promulgates the myth that government, except for policing, is unfit for purpose?