Adopting a new approach to conflict management, and embedding alternative dispute resolution practices in everyday leadership, has helped an employer reduce its formal grievances by almost half, its HR leader says.
A new report calls for employers to stop treating upward bullying as an "interpersonal issue", and recognise it as "a distinct organisational and governance risk".
Employees "cannot expect to avoid standard scrutiny" of their performance by claiming they are being bullied, the Fair Work Commission has stressed, in rejecting a stop-bullying bid.
Expressing unwillingness to work with a certain manager amounted to refusing a lawful direction, and was a valid reason to sack an employee, the Fair Work Commission has ruled.
Alleged bullying by two managers while an employee was on leave didn't occur while he was "at work", but in any case the conduct wasn't unreasonable or repeated, the Fair Work Commission has found, in refusing to make a stop-bullying order.
Resigning may well have been the right decision for an employee who didn't trust HR to take her workplace complaints seriously, according to the Fair Work Commission, but this didn't mean the employer's conduct forced her hand.
An employee who appeared to take every decision unfavourable to him as a "personal affront" has failed to win stop-bullying orders, with the Fair Work Commission finding none of his seven allegations met the required bar.
Costly legal disputes continue to highlight the many risks employers face when managing, disciplining, or dismissing employees while they are absent, injured or incapacitated. Attend this webinar for an up-to-date review of the legal framework applying to workplace absenteeism, injury and incapacity, and lessons from recent case law.
