Australia News for Employment & Money
Employment can essentially be defined as a contract between an employee and an employer. The employer defines how the work is carried out, and compensates the employee for the provision of the service, usually by paying wages to the employee.
The contract of employment may be explicit, in that there is a written statement of the terms and conditions of the employment, or it may be implicit, where the employer and the employee have a mutual understanding of the relationship and what is expected of each. An implicit agreement can lead to misunderstandings and disputes, so it is generally better, other than in the most informal or casual of employment relationships, to have a written statement of the terms of employment. Many companies provide an employment contract as a matter of policy, and in many countries there is legislation that dictates the requirements for employment contracts, and lays down the terms that must be included in these. Most countries also have comprehensive legislation to protect the rights of workers, and regulate the hours of work and provision of breaks and holidays.
An employer will use a variety of methods in order to recruit the personnel that they need to carry out their business. Employment legislation will dictate various constraints on how an employer carries out their recruitment, to ensure equal opportunities for people seeking employment. Normally, an employer will either advertise for employees, for example in newspapers or on the internet, or else engage the services of a professional recruitment company to assist with finding and selecting staff. Recruitment companies will find the required staff either through advertising or through ‘head hunting’, where they actively select suitable candidates, and recruit them for the company. Companies may also choose to employ people that they know or that they have previously employed and wish to employ again.
Normally, either the employee or the employer is free to end the employment at any time. The contract of employment will often contain terms covering the circumstances for terminating employment, and any notice periods that may apply. Additionally, legislation will often protect the employment of workers, laying down the circumstances under which an employer can terminate employment. Unions can also be active in protecting employment rights and representing workers in their dealings with the employer. Workers often have the right to take the employer to court if they feel that they have been unfairly treated. The position of the employer is protected by legislation too, allowing for dismissal of workers, for example in the case of misconduct.
In the modern world, many workers operate as independent contractors, hiring their services out to various employers as and when they are needed. This provides the advantage of flexibility both to the company and to the worker, but may provide less control to the employer, and less security to the worker. However, the company will only pay for the services they require, and the contractor is able to control and manage their own home based business and work from home.