A Christmas party that an employer didn't organise or host - but did encourage staff to attend - was work-related, an appeal tribunal has found in ruling a s-xually harassed employee was eligible for compensation.
In two new rulings, the Fair Work Commission has shed light on when a casual will be considered to have completed the minimum employment period to gain unfair dismissal rights; and has rejected an Uber driver's claim that he was an employee.
An employee who responded to theft allegations claiming he'd made "a joke", and who called a manager and HR partner "despicable human beings" on social media, has lost his unfair dismissal claim.
A Commissioner has expressed hesitation in reinstating an employee who breached the same rule three times in 12 months, but deemed it the "only" appropriate remedy in the circumstances.
More employers are now recognising the cost and branding benefits of using redeployment programs, instead of exiting talent from redundant roles, a transitions advisor says.
A Federal Court judge has called for employees to be better educated about their rights upon termination, in rejecting a dismissal claim wrongly pursued under general protections laws by a "confused" employee.
An employer's delay in allowing an employee to bring her service dog to work was "arguably poor" from a process point of view, but was not disability discrimination, a tribunal has found.
Taking a pre-prepared termination letter into a disciplinary meeting is a "classic example" of how employers trip up on procedural fairness when dismissing employees, says a workplace lawyer.
An employee who was dismissed for serious misconduct was not afforded procedural fairness partly because her employer failed to take into account her "quiet and timid" personality, the Fair Work Commission has ruled.
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.
