9 February Confused about COVID-19 requirements in the workplace? Read on as we unpack what the Building Award says February 9, 2022By ICI Administrator Aspire, Business & Operational Skills, General, People Management covid19leaverequirements, covidleave, employeepandemicleave, pandemicleave 0 Entering into our third year of the COVID-19 pandemic employees continue to ask questions about isolation and leave. How can the Building and Construction General On-site Award 2020 help? Building Award and employee leave The Building Award references the Fair Work Act 2009 when it comes to leave. Schedule X of the Building Award, which has recently been extended to 30 June 2022 additionally allows employees in the civil industry to take: two weeks of unpaid pandemic leave; or the ability to take twice as much annual leave at half their normal pay if their employer agrees (if the leave starts before 31 December 2021). What the Fair Work Act tells us about isolation requirements In addition to Schedule X of the Building Award, the Fair Work Act 2009 sets out a robust methodology for determining which leave can be sought by employees. In particular, if an employee is: COVID-19 positive, they are entitled to receive sick leave upon supplying a doctor’s certificate or evidence of a positive COVID-19 test result; a close/household contact and is: required to self-isolate due to a government direction or public health order, they aren’t entitled to be paid (unless the employee uses their paid leave entitlements); directed to self-isolate by their employer, then full-time and part-time employees only are entitled to receive their base rate of pay No doubt for many employers it can be a daunting process trying to interpret the Building Award and Fair Work Act, however ICI has a range of upcoming courses to help those who recruit, employ or manage people in the civil construction industry better understand both the Building Award and Fair Work Act. Please check out the link below to book your spot for our next course on the Building Award! 22 February: Understanding Modern Awards and the BCGOA To stay up to date with industry news, events and training opportunities, follow the ICI LinkedIn page. By Peter Hindeleh, Workplace Relations Officer, Civil Contractors Federation NSW Related Posts Manners and the Modern Workplace Once upon a time, things were a bit more straight forward when it came to manners and the workplace. The manners that our parents instilled in us prevailed, and we learnt to take our cues at work from the senior and the successful. We learnt about a term called “professionalism”, and generally it was applied and understood by all in a corporate environment. Skill Building Companies are making a significant shift toward skill building. Skill building is more prevalent than it was prior to the pandemic, with organisations doing more skill building now than they did before the COVID-19 crisis. Building Information Modelling (BIM) What is BIM? Is your workplace mentally healthy? The construction sector has some of the highest rates of mental ill health when compared to all industries in Australia. In fact, according to Construction Industry Culture Taskforce (CICT), the industry experiences: What Makes an Employee Happy at Work Happiness - we all seek it. Yet, it eludes us where needed the most - at workplaces. It is no secret that we will spend majority of our time at our workplaces. Hence, staying happy is critical to our productivity, mental health and job satisfaction. Nominate Your Civil Infrastructure Employees for the People's Choice Awards! The CCF NSW People's Choice Awards offer a fantastic opportunity to recognise and celebrate the outstanding individuals in the civil infrastructure industry. Comment (0) Comments are closed.