Growcom will deliver a series of free workshops and webinars throughout Queensland from late-August to help agricultural businesses reduce risks and increase efficiency and compliance.
Funded by the Queensland Government, and supported by Sunsuper, MADEC and the Queensland Agriculture Workforce Network (QAWN), the Workplace Essentials series will be catered to the needs of each region with a focus on COVID-19 workplace health and safety obligations, workforce management, mental health and avoiding financial stress.
Growcom Workforce Development Manager & Agriculture Workforce Officer Southern Queensland, Karen George said Workplace Essentials had been delivered in major production regions around the state since 2015 with enormous success.
“Workplace Essentials support the development of a capable agricultural workforce by providing information and resources to farm business owners from a diverse range of agricultural industries including broadacre cropping, grains, cotton, grazing and horticulture,” Ms George said.
“It has been our experience the vast majority of agricultural employers want to do the right thing, but complex regulations often lead to confusion about what is needed to remain compliant.
“By attending these workshops employers will have a much clearer understanding of where the gaps are in their policies and practices.
“The workshops are all about reducing industry vulnerability by keeping farmers up to date with workplace laws, new COVID-19 obligations, and helping them to do the right thing.”
Survey responses from previous Workplace Essentials series have been overwhelmingly positive with 95 per cent of respondents rating the value of the workshop 8/10 or higher. Ninety-six per cent also indicated they would be implementing workplace management improvements as a result of what they had learnt, and 92 per cent would be ‘highly likely’ to recommend the workshops to others.
The 2020 Workplace Essentials workshop and webinar series is open to employers in all agricultural sectors throughout Queensland.
2020 workshop dates:
- Bowen – 25 August 2020
- Caboolture – 2 September 2020
- Bundaberg – 9 September 2020
- Stanthorpe – 16 September 2020
Webinar series
- Workplace risk management planning – Tuesday 4pm, 1 September 2020
- Hierarchy of control to reduce COVID-19 transmission risks – Tuesday 4pm, 8 September 2020
- Best practice when using labour hire services – Tuesday 4pm, 15 September 2020
- Common workforce management issues – Tuesday 4pm, 22 September 2020
- COVID-19 and your superannuation – Tuesday 4pm, 29 September 2020
- Farm finance fundamentals – Tuesday 4pm, 6 October 2020
- Introduction to mental health first aid – Tuesday 4pm, 13 October 2020
- Being a healthy and effective business leader – Tuesday 4pm, 20 October 2020
- Q&A Panel – Tuesday 4pm, 27 October 2020
To register or more information, visit: www.growcom.com.au/workplace-essentials
Source: Growcom