COVID-19: Resources for Businesses

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The COVID-19 pandemic has left businesses with many questions and also hard choices to make. New announcements everyday mean that it can be hard to know what to do next, and further, how to plan for the coming months. Here we’ve provided a list of free resources, covering areas such as workplace policies, employment and Government responses.

Lawpath legal documents

Customise and download our legal documents that can help your business in the current climate – your first document is also free.

• Working From Home (WFH) policy
• Leave Policy
• WHS Policy (Work Health and Safety)
• Pandemic policy
• Termination letter (Redundancy)
• Deed of Release (Redundancy)
• Notice of Reduction of Salary
• Stand Down Notice
• Reduction of Hours Notice

Our free eSignature tool will also allow you to sign these documents online and send them to others for signing. You can also upload your own PDF documents to be eSigned for free.

Webinars

We’ve been running a series of webinars which cover COVID-19 and the issues businesses are facing. In these webinars, lawyer Damin Murdock explains some of the key legal issues and also explores what options are available. You can check them out at these links:

• Webinar from 25 March 2020
• Webinar from 2 April 2020 Part 1
• Webinar from 2 April 2020 Part 2
• Webinar from 9 April 2020 Part 1
• Webinar from 9 April 2020 Part 2

You can access the slides from our webinar on 2 April by following this link. The slides from the webinar on 9 April 2020 are available here.

Businesses generally

• Can My Business Remain Open During COVID-19?

Employment

Government shutdowns and the economic downturn has left many businesses in a difficult position when it comes to their employees. In order to comply with social distancing rules, you may need to transition to working remotely. By contrast, if your business operates in the hospitality sector, you might not know whether you should stand down or terminate your employees.

General

• How Should Employers Deal With Coronavirus?
• What Can I Do If My Workplace Is Not COVID-Safe?

Work arrangements & tax

• Remote Working: How to Introduce it to Your Business
• Tax Deductions for Those Working From Home Due to COVID-19
• Victoria’s COVID-19 Permitted Worker Scheme Explained

Terminating or standing down employees

• What’s the Difference Between Redundancy and Severance Pay?
• What is Genuine Redundancy? (2020 Update)
• Can Fixed-Term Contracts Be Terminated Early?
• Do Small Businesses Have to Pay Redundancy Pay?
• Standing Down Employees Versus Redundancy
• What Rights Do You Have If You’ve Been Stood Down?

Leave entitlements

• Can Casual Employees Take Sick Leave?
• Fair Work Commission (FWC) Introduces Pandemic Leave

Legal and justice issues

• What Does ‘Force Majeure’ Mean in a Contract?
• Court Responses to COVID-19

Consumer rights

Consumers rights still apply in the current climate. It’s important in any event that businesses still comply with their obligations under the ACCC. Find out what you’re entitled to and also when businesses can refuse to give you a refund.

• How Should My Business Handle Cancellations Due to COVID-19?
• Cancellations and COVID-19: Can I Get a Refund?

Legislative changes

A raft of new laws have come into effect since the outbreak of COVID-19. We will aim to provide you with the most up-to-date information possible, however these policies are constantly changing. Mostly geared towards businesses, these changes aim to help business owners stay afloat during this time.

Federal Government

• Insolvency Laws See Sweeping Changes to Help Businesses Cope
• COVID-19 and Small Businesses: What Financial Relief is There?
• Government Announces JobKeeper Payments Scheme
• What Are the Differences Between the JobKeeper and JobSeeker Payment Schemes?
• How Does the Government’s COVIDSafe App Work?
• JobKeeper 2.0 – What Are The Changes?
• JobKeeper August Update: What You Should Know

For more information on how the Government can help you, visit the Government’s Coronavirus hub at www.australia.gov.au.

JobKeeper Eligibility Tool

We’ve created a tool that will help determine whether your business is likely to be eligible for the government’s JobKeeper payment. All you have to do is answer a short set of simplified questions.

Finally

We’re to help businesses navigate the legal side of things, in any circumstance. Whatever position you’re in – if you’ve been forced to shutdown or need to alter how your business operates, being as organised as you can be is key. If you have further questions relating to new Government rules, it may be worth getting in touch with a business lawyer.