Organisations seeking to avoid sexual harassment scandals should rely not on policy or procedure to change their culture, but on the behaviour of their leaders, says Professor Julie Zetler of the Faculty of Business and Economics at Macquarie University.
Most HR policies fail to deal with modern bullying, discrimination and harassment challenges - including after-hours misconduct and misuse of social networks - says workplace lawyer Brad Swebeck.
Employers can significantly reduce the risk of a psychological injury claim if they practise eight important steps, say Hicksons employment lawyers Brad Swebeck and Stewart Cameron.
Most HR policies fail to deal with modern bullying, discrimination and harassment challenges - including after-hours misconduct and misuse of social networks - says workplace lawyer Brad Swebeck.
In this presentation, he and fellow Hicksons Lawyers partner Stewart Cameron outline:
How to detect, prevent and manage bullying, discrimination and harassment;
New psychological injury risks posed by misuse of social networks/media;
What to include in bullying and harassment policies;
Your rights and responsibilities when managing employees' out-of-hours behaviour;
Appropriate responses to employee complaints;
Lessons to be learned from successful claims brought against employers;
How to defend spurious claims;
How to avoid claims arising from performance management; and
HR managers' liability for psychological injury under the existing and new OHS national framework.
In an important ruling for employers, a tribunal has cleared an organisation of vicarious liability for sexual harassment, finding that it took "all reasonable steps" to prevent the behaviour from occurring.
Dealing with the facts of workplace complaints, rather than the "labels" given to behaviour, helps to resolve potential bullying issues quickly, says senior HR practitioner and employment lawyer, Nicole Gower.
Employers should be far more worried about all the bullying claims that go unreported than they are about "spurious" ones, says academic and author Carlo Caponecchia.
Will your organisation's rumour mill be in overdrive after the end-of-year celebration? Will there be photos on Facebook? HR's actions after a party are vital to minimising legal risks, says employment lawyer Lisa Berton.
During the "silly season" HR professionals must be extra vigilant about managing workplace behaviour and culture issues. Watch this webinar to learn a framework for minimising your organisation's risks.
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.
