COVID-19: Resources for Businesses (2021 Update)

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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.

Lockdown Resources Guide (2021)

In response to the rising concerns of businesses impacted by the new outbreak of COVID-19 across Australia we’ve devised some resources to answer your common questions.

Employee Working Arrangements

• COVID-19 Employee Working Arrangements Guide 2021

Employees and Vaccinations

• COVID-19 Employees and Vaccinations Guide 2021 (NSW)
• COVID-19 Employees and Vaccinations Guide 2021 (Rest of Australia)

Leasing Considerations

• COVID-19 Leasing Considerations Guide 2021 (NSW)
• COVID-19 Leasing Considerations Guide 2021 (Rest of Australia)

Debt Considerations

• COVID-19 Debt Considerations Guide 2021

Remote Work Considerations

• COVID-19 Remote Work Considerations Guide 2021 (NSW)
• COVID-19 Remote Work Considerations Guide 2021 (Rest of Australia)

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
• Webinar from 20 July 2021
• Webinar from 29 July 2021

You can access the slides from our webinar on 2 April 2020 by following this link. The slides from the webinar on 9 April 2020 are available here. To access the slides from our 21 July 2021 webinar click this link.

Businesses generally

• Can My Business Remain Open During COVID-19?

Other useful resources

In response to the first lockdown in 2020 we compiled these resources across a myriad of business areas. These resources have stood the test of time and will provide you with general information to help answer some of your questions around complex legal processes.

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

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
• How Does the Government’s COVIDSafe App Work?

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

COVID-19 Business Support Eligibility Tool

We’ve created a tool that will help determine whether your business is likely to be eligible for the NSW government’s COVID-19 support grant. All you have to do is answer a short set of simplified questions and we’ll put you in touch with our accounting partners.

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.