An HR leader has been commended for her approach to disciplining a senior employee accused of inappropriate workplace behaviour, with a commission finding she "painstakingly" outlined the reasons for her decision.
A manager has claimed his "quirky sense of humour and disabilities" were mitigating factors for his inappropriate behaviour towards female staff, but a commission says his employer was entitled to find it was misconduct.
An employer's failed attempt to appeal a reinstatement order holds two key lessons for others in the "tricky" position of determining whether workers can safely perform the requirements of their role, a lawyer says.
The Fair Work Commission has affirmed disciplinary action against a remote worker who drank wine during an online meeting, rejecting that he was not "at work" at the time.
An employee's permanent flexible work request denial was "squarely focused" on the employer's operational requirements, and it was reasonable to instead trial the arrangements for three months, a commission has ruled.
An employee who was dismissed for being "unable to cope with the unexceptional day-to-day requirements and stressors of her role" has lost her bid for reinstatement.
An employer couldn't have reasonably foreseen an employee's "extraordinary" psychiatric response to his wrongful dismissal, a court has ruled in overturning his $1.44m damages award.
An employee who experienced "serious and repeated" sexual harassment at work has won an extra $129k in damages, after a court found the original $10k awarded was "inadequate in the extreme".
Sharing offensive material with colleagues on social media was "abject stupidity", a Fair Work Commission full bench has found, but the conduct wasn't sufficiently connected to work to justify dismissal.
All employers should consider putting in place a workplace s-xual harassment prevention plan, even though such plans are only expressly prescribed in one jurisdiction, according to a risk management expert.
Recent events have shone a spotlight on whistleblowing, placing employers firmly on notice that their response to a protected disclosure could be subject to intense scrutiny. Watch this webcast to understand the role HR plays in this challenging space.
