August 19, 2026 Human Resources, Legal Issues, Remuneration

Big changes to the SCHADS Award: What NFP employers need to know

On 1 June 2026, the Fair Work Commission handed down a significant decision that will reshape pay and classification structures for most of Australia’s social, community, and disability services employers.

Back in June 2024, the Commission launched a review of five modern awards to understand whether they had been undervaluing work because it was done predominantly by women.

The FWC found that the previous system – inherited from older awards – was outdated, overly complex, confusing, and frequently led to misclassifications and workplace pay disputes due to unclear role descriptions.

The result of the review is a complete overhaul of the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services (SCHADS) Award – the most significant reform to the award in more than 15 years. To help unpack the changes, we spoke with Ben McAlpine, director of policy and advocacy at the NSW Council of Social Service (NCOSS).

April 22, 2026 AI in the Workplace, Human Resources, Legal Issues, Organisational Strategy

Why your NFP needs an AI policy – and how to write one

Generative AI has quickly made its way into almost every organisational workflow, and left the door open for a range of ethical grey areas to become potentially serious issues. From privacy breaches and the misuse of sensitive data, to biased outputs, misinformation and reputational risks – the risks that AI use pose to NFPs are new, varied, and often invisible until something goes wrong.

(And if you think your organisation’s employees aren’t really using AI, then think again – as many as a quarter (21-27%) of all employees are using AI tools secretly at work.)

So where should you start when it comes to writing an effective AI policy for your organisation, and what elements should one include?

March 11, 2026 Human Resources, Legal Issues, Remuneration

Could you be underpaying your employees? Here’s how to know and what to do

Could your NFP be underpaying employees?

As an NFP leader, how confident are you that the people delivering your organisation’s mission are being paid what they’re entitled to? Underpayment is broad problem that affects hundreds of employers and around 250,000 underpaid Australian workers each year. Recognising the early warning signs and taking corrective action can help protect both staff and organisational integrity. Here’s where to start.

February 18, 2026 Human Resources, Managing People Well, Onboarding, Productivity

Making probation matter: a guide for NFP employers

Hiring a new employee takes a lot of time and effort, which makes it all the more frustrating if a new hire resigns – around one in eight Australian employees resign during their probation period – or needs to be dismissed in their first few months in the role.

For smaller NFPs in particular, early turnover can unsettle team dynamics and add pressure to already stretched staff – impacts that are often avoidable with a structured probation process.

February 10, 2026 AI in the Workplace, Human Resources, Organisational Strategy

Four trends that will shape NFP workplaces in 2026

With 2026 underway, we’re kicking things off with a look at what the year ahead might hold for the NFP sector workforce. And yes, as you might expect, AI will continue to have an impact on the sector this year.

But it’s far from the only thing NFP leaders should be on the lookout for this year. Here are our four predictions for the workforce trends the NFP sector will see this year.

February 8, 2024 Change Management, Human Resources, Leadership

4 myths about redundancies – and how to ease a difficult transition for your staff

4 layoff myths – and how to ease a difficult transition for your staff

“Trust is built in drops and lost in buckets.”

These are the words of Didier Elzinga, CEO of Melbourne-based software firm Culture Amp, reflecting on his experience of navigating a difficult transition. Making staff layoffs can be a shock for any company, but the impact can be more profound in highly collaborative environments like the company Elzinga had built.

Here, Elzinga dispels some of the myths surrounding staff layoffs and shares his learnings on managing change, dealing with fear and more.

January 31, 2024 Human Resources, Organisational Strategy

Six trends that will shape work in the NFP sector in 2024 – apart from AI!

If 2024 isn’t the year that “AI will change everything”, what will this year hold when it comes to people, culture and work in Australia’s NFP sector?

Here’s a look at the top 5 trends the EthicalJobs.com.au team sees shaping recruitment, HR and P&C leaders and teams at Australian not-for-profit organisations over 2024:

October 11, 2023 Human Resources, Legal Issues, Recruitment & HR Technology

Three things you urgently need to do to ensure your employee data is safe from cybercriminals

Keep your employee data safe from cyber criminals

Last month cybercriminals stole “highly sensitive documents like police checks, child support documents, pay negotiations, HR incidents, immigration sponsorship details, COVID vaccination credentials, tax file numbers, passports and licences” from employees of Pareto Phone, a supplier to many of Australia’s largest and most well-known NFPs.

With data breaches and cyberattacks on the rise, are you one of those employers who also doesn’t have appropriate systems to protect your employee information?

If so, we’re glad to be able to outline the key things that you should be doing today to protect your employee and volunteer data from cyber threats.

August 23, 2023 Human Resources, Leadership, Professional Development

The secret to retaining your employees? Focus on career advancement

The secret to retaining you employees? Focus on career advancement

Leaders overlook internal promotions at their peril. In a Pew Research survey, 63% of respondents who left jobs in 2021 cited a lack of advancement opportunities as a reason. And a 2022 study by consulting company McKinsey noted that a lack of career development and advancement was the most common reason given for quitting a job. With that in mind, here are three ways NFPs can use career development to retain employees for longer.

July 26, 2023 Human Resources

Crafting an employee engagement survey for your NFP: A guide to what to ask, and why

Once you’ve hired great people, keeping them engaged isn’t always easy. But employee engagement is really worth focusing on. Here are the key steps for planning and running an effective engagement survey at your NFP.