Date posted: 31/01/2020 5 min read

February 2020 Acuity is out now

Feb-Mar 2020 Acuity looks at the wage underpayment scandal, how to prevent business insolvency, and cloud connector tools.

In Brief

  • February/March 2020 Acuity magazine is in mailboxes from 3 February.
  • The cover story looks at the wage underpayment epidemic: what’s causing it and how CAs can help use their skills to fix it.
  • Other features include how to save clients from insolvency, and a guide to integration platforms that connect different cloud system.

The Feb-Mar 2020 issue of Acuity looks into the wage underpayment epidemic that has gripped Australia and New Zealand.

It feels that another instance is being unearthed almost daily, and Australia’s Fair Work Ombudsman, Sandra Parker, says she’s been shocked and frustrated that large listed companies, with the resources to do better, continue to classify staff incorrectly, not pay penalty or overtime rates or complete annual pay reconciliations.

“There’s no level playing field when you’ve got people deliberately ripping off workers as it affects everybody,” she says. “It might give a nice profit to that company but everybody else suffers because of the competitive issue that occurs.”

So what is behind wage underpayment? Bad employers or bad systems?

Tracy Angwin, chief executive of the Australian Payroll Association, says the issue is that, too often, payroll falls victim to set and forget.

“Or, actually, it’s set and neglect. Everyone just thinks it’s a process, that you press a button and it all happens… No-one is checking that the outcomes we get are the outcomes we expect,” she says.

In this issue, find out what CAs do to change this situation.

Saving companies from insolvency

February and March are crucial months for businesses. In the wake of the Christmas-New Year shutdown, businesses may be caught short due to stalled revenue flows and outgoings for holidays and loadings.

So what should businesses do if the financials start going pear-shaped?

Acuity talks to seasoned turnaround and restructuring experts about the best way to help clients heading for insolvency, and the steps needed for a successful turnaround.

Want to eliminate data entry from your life?

Integration platforms are clever software tools that can push and pull information between totally different cloud systems. It’s the next step in automation, and is available for businesses large and small.

You might need some help to set up your initial workflows, but once that’s done, there’s no more button pushing required. Double data entry becomes a fast-fading memory.

This issue of Acuity includes a handy guide to integration platforms, aka cloud connectors. It could be the tool that changes your world.

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