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Your obligations as an employer

If you have employees, you must meet your obligations under federal and state laws. You can also view the Fair Work Ombudsman’s Small Business Checklist to check your obligations as an employer.

If you’re employing staff you must comply with your employer obligations like minimum pay and conditions.

Work Health and Safety guidelines

Work Health and Safety (WHS) is everyone’s business.

Even if you’re self-employed or run your business from home, you are legally responsible for the health and safety of yourself and everyone in your workplace, including workers, visitors, customers, clients and volunteers.

SafeWork NSW is the state’s WHS regulator that works with the NSW community to reduce work-related fatalities, serious injuries and illnesses, and make it easier to do business safely.

SafeWork NSW offers resources and services designed specifically to help small businesses, including:

To find out more, visit safework.nsw.gov.au or call SafeWork NSW on 13 10 50.

In addition, there are a range of State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA) funded programs to support recovery at work (see eligibility criteria), including:

To find out more, visit sira.nsw.gov.au or call SafeWork NSW on 13 10 50.

Fair Work Commission

The Fair Work Commission has a range of functions in relation to unfair dismissal, workplace bullying, enterprise agreements, general protection, workplace disputes and industrial action. There is a range of fact sheets, guides and videos available on the Fair Work Commission website.

Fair Work Ombudsman

The Fair Work Ombudsman can provide information and advice about your employees’ workplace rights and obligations. They can provide information about fair work practices, rights and obligations, pay rates and workplace conditions. They also enforce workplace laws, seek penalties for breaches and enforce certain orders made by the Fair Work Commission.

The website offers a range of resources including fact sheets, guides and online training. You will also find information about record-keeping, leave, or hiring, paying and managing employees.