A Guide for Employers and Emergency Events

18/01/2015

Recent events in Sydney have been devastating for us all. Alongside the tragedy, fear, and remarkable resilience of the human spirit, comes the economic reality of the fall-out. When events occur that trigger emergency measures – such as acts of terrorism, extreme violence, or natural disasters – many businesses are impacted by the emergency measures put in place to deal with the crisis and its consequences.

Our own personal experience has prompted us to address the question: what happens to my employees? Our office was evacuated shortly after the Martin Place siege began – but what happens next? We were faced with the challenge of how to handle our own employment entitlements and responsibilities, in an uncertain physical space.

So the key question for employers (like me) is: what am I supposed to do in this situation?

If you are wondering the same thing, in the community spirit of banding together, we are sharing our findings.

Safety

The immediate safety of your staff must always be the primary concern, and you should ensure that you have emergency management procedures in place. You should make sure every member of staff is aware of who they need to contact, where the meeting area is, who is responsible for ensuring that everyone is accounted for – that sort of thing. Once the urgent matters are addressed, care should be taken to support the emotional reaction to very upsetting situations. Make time to listen to your staff and seek out help for those in distress.

Employment Entitlements during Emergency Events

Employers faced with a situation where they cannot continue to work normally, or who have employees who cannot be usefully employed, may have several options to choose from, including:
Inviting employees to take paid leave (e.g. annual leave) or, where the applicable award or agreement allows for it, instructing employees to take paid leave;

Re-directing employees to other work sites or offices where possible;
Organising flexible work arrangements, such as working from home; or
Standing down an employee if authorised to do so under the applicable award, or if the requirements under the Fair Work Act are met.

Standing down employees (without pay)

Employers should first look to the relevant Modern Award, as some awards contain provisions for taking leave or standing down in emergencies. Similarly, Enterprise Agreements and employment contracts may contain specific provisions concerning stand down.

We note that many awards do not have a standing down provision, including: the Clerks – Private Sector Award 2010; Legal Services Award 2010; Live Performance Award 2010; Broadcasting and Recorded Entertainment Award 2010; Graphic Arts, Printing and Publishing Award 2010; and the General Retail Industry Award 2010.

Where employees are not covered by an award or agreement, then s524 of the Fair Work Act will apply. The critical element of this section is that the employee “cannot be usefully employed”. In emergency events, the most applicable circumstance is detailed by s524 (1) (c) – namely, that the cause of the stoppage of work is one “for which the employer cannot reasonably be held responsible.”

Other Entitlements

Following an emergency event, employers should also keep in mind that employees may be entitled to seek other forms of leave, including:
Personal/Carer’s Leave if the employee suffers injury or illness or needs to care for someone who is consequently sick, injured or has been affected by an unexpected emergency – note that this includes stress related illnesses;
Community Service Leave if the employee is part of a complying community or emergency service initiative; and
Compassionate Leave if someone close to the employee has consequently passed away.

In general, the best approach for employers to take when faced with distressing events is to communicate with their employees. Ask employees for their input and together find the most suitable way to cope with the situation and move forward.

First points of reference for Employers: