6 Keys to a Successful Enterprise Agreement Voting

Keys to Successful Enterprise Agreement

An enterprise agreement is a consensus struck by an enterprise level between employers and their employees, negotiated through collective bargaining in good faith. It contains terms and conditions of employment, addressing a wide range of issues including rates of pay, hours of work, overtime coverage, leave entitlements and dispute resolution procedures.

Employees will need to participate in an enterprise agreement voting process once the negotiations are done. For the enterprise agreement to be put into effect, it needs the approval of a majority of the employees; that is, more than 50% of the employees have to agree with the terms set out. An absolute majority result is the ideal outcome as it lessens chances of calling for a revote, dragging out the enterprise agreement process.

To ensure that your enterprise agreement voting will run successfully, here are 6 things to remember.

1. Keep the records and documentation up-to-date

To keep the process smooth and aboveground, all documents and records of the enterprise agreement process should be kept. These documents can be consulted and referred to down the line should issues arise during the voting. Keep track of even simple details like when employees were given the voting instructions and through which platforms they were contacted.

Moreover, even before the enterprise agreement process begins, look over the employee records and ensure their phone numbers and other contact information are current and updated. This will help avoid delays should there be a tight deadline for the online voting process.

2. Communicate well with the relevant parties

Communicating effectively with the workforce that will later participate in the enterprise agreement voting is crucial in ensuring they not only know what the process entails but also understand how the outcome will affect them. Good communication includes explaining the terms of the agreement in a clear, concise manner, taking care that even those from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds can grasp the terms well. This helps ensure that each employee will be capable of casting an informed vote.

3. Send clear voting instructions

It is important to discuss the voting process with your staff to avoid oversights and explain that their anonymity and privacy will be protected throughout. All the relevant details that they need to participate should be readily available, including the exact voting period, the time zone, voter authentication guides and technical support contact.

Learn more about The Voting Process For Your Enterprise Agreement.

4. Choose a adequate voting period

It’s important to give your workforce as long as required to participate in the vote.  With online voting solutions, employees will be able to cast their votes from anywhere immediately, removing the need for a long voting period. Moreover, online voting provides real-time updates and instantaneous tallies, further shortening the required time. With the right real time voting solution and a good information dissemination strategy, the actual voting period can be as short as 24-48 hours.

Next is just a matter of scheduling the voting period to be compliant with the Fair Work Commission. There are two main rules:

• You must observe at least 21 “clear” days after the issue of the last notice of employee representational rights before the voting commence.
• A 7-day “Access Period” must be observed, ending immediately before voting starts.

5. Choose voting channels that are accessible to your voters

How will your voters lodge their ballots? Build a custom voting solution that caters to the needs of your voters. Whether it be via SMS voting, online or phone, the voting process should be convenient and easily done. Ensure that at least two different voting channels are available to cover your bases.

6. Appoint an independent third-party to run the vote

The Fair Work Commission lets you conduct the voting process at your discretion, but getting professional voting services from a third-party provider can be plenty beneficial to you. As an independent third-party, the voting services provider can effectively manage the process without bias, proving the results absolute. Moreover, there is less chance of coercion or other such issues as the voting process will be completely anonymous.

Creating and finalising the enterprise agreement for your employees is as pivotal a process as it is demanding. Vero Voting is here to lighten the load by handling the votes, allowing you to focus on other important tasks such as refining the agreement itself. We offer multiple voting methods across various devices to ensure easy access, and we value data security and integrity so you can rest assured your information is well protected at all times.

Ensure a transparent, reliable and seamless voting experience with Vero Voting. Contact us to learn more about our services or email us at info@verovoting.com.au

Keys to Successful Enterprise Agreement. Keys to Successful Enterprise Agreement.