An unexplained absence from work constituted abandonment of employment even though the employee was experiencing "extreme" mental health issues, the Fair Work Commission has ruled.
It was retaliatory and "cold-hearted" of an HR manager to ask an absent employee to attend meetings, and to repeatedly deny his requests for annual leave after his sick leave ran out, the Federal Circuit Court has found in upholding his adverse action claim.
After being on restricted duties for nearly seven years, an employee who claimed she might be fit to perform her pre-injury role "at some time in the future" has lost her unfair dismissal claim.
Dismissing an employee by text, without warning and without a valid reason, was "inappropriate and regrettable", the Fair Work Commission has found in ordering compensation.
Requesting medical information about an absent employee was lawful and reasonable under his contract, and his refusal to grant access warranted summary dismissal, the Fair Work Commission has ruled.
An absent employee who gave notice of her resignation, then returned company property saying it was "unlikely" she'd return to work, didn't repudiate her employment contract, according to the Fair Work Commission.
It was reasonable to conclude an employee had lied about being sick, based on social media photos that showed him enjoying a weekend away with friends, the Fair Work Commission has ruled.
Assuming an injured employee was "fully aware" her employment was at risk resulted in a procedurally unfair dismissal process, the Fair Work Commission has ruled.
An employer's decision to dismiss a worker who had been absent for nearly two years was based on "assumptions or incomplete information", the Fair Work Commission has found.
A formal policy wasn't required for an employee to know that punctuality was important, but sacking him for being late to work "occasionally" was harsh, the Fair Work Commission has found.
General protections claims are the fastest-growing category of applications in the Fair Work Commission, with reforms now underway to stem the tide. This webinar will discuss important developments in both procedural issues and case law.