Workplace s*xual harassment litigation is increasingly following an "alarming formula" that HR professionals should be aware of, says PCS managing principal, Joydeep Hor.
If employers and their staff don't have a clear understanding of what bullying is, or can't distinguish it from other behaviours, they risk "playing host to the boy who cried wolf", warn bullying experts Dr Carlo Caponecchia and Dr Anne Wyatt.
An independent inquiry into an alleged bullying culture within WorkCover NSW has identified several "recurring issues" that all employers would do well to be mindful of.
What should you do when an employee wants to complain about bullying "off the record"? What is the role of a support person during investigations? Should you re-open an investigation when an employee provides fresh evidence? Lawyer Brad Petley answers these questions and more.
Understanding what is happening on the claimant's side will help employers make the right decisions when faced with a serious harassment complaint, says Harmers Workplace Lawyers chair, Michael Harmer.
2010 was an interesting year for HR professionals - the economy was in recovery-mode, but this brought with it the challenge of how to quickly boost depleted teams and motivate disengaged staff to better performance. The remaining provisions of the Fair Work Act came into effect, adding a whole layer of uncertainty to HR's responsibilities, along with new legal risks.
Manipulative employees - who are charming one day and malicious the next - are the worst kind of bully, but few HR managers have the skills to identify or control them, says conflict-resolution expert and Casey Centre CEO Dr Mary Casey.
What should you do when an employee doesn't want a bullying allegation investigated? How prescriptive should your Christmas party memos be? What role should senior leaders take at celebrations? Lawyer Joydeep Hor answers these questions and more.
A worker can't be dismissed for bullying, intimidation and harassment without evidence to support the claim, but from an OHS perspective, suspicion alone should trigger an employer's duty of care obligations, says Norton Rose partner Barry Sherriff.
In the "post-DJs" era, employers that want to adequately manage their risk profile need to take a "Police-style" approach to sexual harassment, bullying and other inappropriate behaviour at work, says employment lawyer Joydeep Hor.
Some employers have successfully stepped up to the task of managing psychosocial safety, but in many other workplaces, initiatives are falling flat. Join us for an HR Daily webinar to understand what's holding back progress in this critical space and how to move forward.
