An Australian startup company has developed a new solution to help address employee underpayment, stating thousands of organisations are at risk of failing to meet the compliance deadline for the new Fair Work Act Award come 1 March.

The eponymous time and attendance technology platform, NoahFace, enables organisations to accurately track and report employee attendance and comply with the Fair Work Act Award changes.

The Fair Work Commission (FWC) new annualised wage arrangement means employers in multiple awards categories must create, and for seven years, retain accurate records of hours worked (and non-paid breaks) by salaried staff, and any extra pay for overtime. Non-compliance with the award is a breach of the Fair Work Act 2009 and in addition to the adverse publicity and other employment risks, civil penalty provisions also apply.

Many prominent local and national businesses have underpaid employees in Australia in the last twelve months, according to NoahFace.

According to the developers, the new NoahFace platform authenticates and verifies staff using its iPad-based facial recognition software, allowing annualised salary staff to be monitored for start, break and finish times. The platform is standalone and able to be deployed quickly. It integrates with workforce management and payroll systems, streamlining processes and lowering business costs. The platform can also be used to monitor time and attendance for hourly based staff, and enable access control solutions.

According to NoahFace founder and CEO Geoff Cropley, thousands of organisations across key vertical sectors including finance, legal, retail, hospitality, local government and telecommunications are not yet ready to comply with the new regulations and could face significant penalties for non-compliance.

“Until now employees have relied on their employers to meet their obligations, but the extent of the reported wage theft incidents over the last twelve months show that this is not working," he says.

"The new Fair Work Act requirements for organisations to implement stringent record keeping measures, which will minimise the opportunity for payroll mistakes and underpayments,” he says.

The CEO of Australia's Payroll HQ, welcomes the FWC's new wage arrangement, and says it will mean leaders across Australia will have to take accountability when it comes to the mental, physical and financial wellness of their employees.

Ross Heron, CEO of Payroll HQ, says, “We know that financial stress is the number one concern amongst employees in Australia.

"These changes should help ensure a fair day's wage for a fair day's work, whilst enabling employers to better track the well-being of their employee by gaining greater insight into hours worked," he says.

"The NoahFace platform provides a simple and frictionless solution for employers, and a non-intrusive solution for employees that helps protect workplace culture and engagement.

Noahface customers include Canberra Airport, Rhino-Rack and Private Vaults Australia.