Ep 144 The 1 October Award Changes: What They Mean for Your Team and Your Profit - Norelle Pratt

If you employ massage therapists, myotherapists or other allied health professionals in Australia, there are some important changes coming into effect from 1 October 2026 that you need to know about. In this episode, I'm joined by Norelle Pratt, founder of HR for Health Leaders, to unpack the upcoming changes to the Health Professionals Award and, most importantly, what they actually mean for you as a business owner. Norelle has a pretty special connection to The Health Leader Co. She is a past graduate of our program, and we had the privilege of supporting her as she began building what has now become HR for Health Leaders. Today, she works specifically with health and allied health businesses to help them get their HR right, stay compliant and build teams that are sustainable and profitable. We break down the new classification structure, how qualifications and years of experience affect pay rates, why the Fair Work Commission has made these changes, and what you need to review before 1 October. But this conversation goes well beyond compliance. We also talk about the real cost of employing a therapist, utilisation, rebooking, pricing and why simply being busy doesn't necessarily mean your team is profitable. We explore what happens when you hire before your foundations are ready, why knowing your numbers is essential, and how charging the right price can be the difference between building a team that creates freedom and building yourself a very expensive job. If you already employ a team, are considering hiring your first therapist, or want to grow your clinic in the future, this is an episode you'll want to listen to with your calculator nearby. Because building a great team isn't just about paying people correctly. It's about creating a business where your team can thrive, your clients can receive incredible care, and you can make a healthy profit too. Award Reclassification Package - CLICK HERE For clinic owners who are happy to complete the review of their team rather than engaging a HR Consultant to do it for them, we've developed a package to ensure they are confident they have it all correct. This includes practical tools you need to review your practitioners under the new Health Professionals classification structure, calculate the likely wage impact, and prepare clear communication for your team. Includes: Training video explaining the key changes and how to complete the review Comprehensive pay rate guide outlining the 1 July, 1 October and annual phased rates Online classification tool and worksheet to enter your employees details with classifications and rates automatically populating for you Industry salary benchmarking information to compare your salaries to competitors Review letter templates to issue to your employees (both practitioners and admin team) Letter templates to advise of future classification increases Access to our Wage Cost vs Revenue Calculator to review your profitability Here are also some FREE  Calculators that Norelle has created: Casual Employee vs Contractor Cost Comparison This calculator shows how to compare casual employment to a % based "contracting" arrangement - forecasting revenue and accounting for total hours worked and expected utilisation. https://go.hrforhealthleaders.com.au/commission-vs-employment-calculator Practitioner Revenue vs Wage Cost Forecast A plug-and-play calculator to forecast wages, revenue, and commission so you know exactly what a new hire will cost (or bring in). Allows for you to input variables such as salary, leave loading, superannuation, leave and professional development allowances and select from various incentive options and utilisation targets to generate a forecast most accurate for your clinic.  https://go.hrforhealthleaders.com.au/practitioner-revenue-vs-wage-cost-forecast-lp