The Australian Human Rights Commission has suggested it should be easier for employees to pursue workplace discrimination claims in court, in a major report on age and disability discrimination.
Demand for soft skills in younger workers is dramatically increasing, but they are failing to keep up, a major report shows. Meanwhile, an inquiry has highlighted the cultural issues that can promote workplace bullying; technology is decreasing face-to-face interactions; the AFP says cybercriminals are targeting HR payroll systems; and more.
Discussions of a s-xual nature "have no place at work", the Fair Work Commission has ruled in finding an employee was fairly sacked for asking a colleague at work if she'd had an abortion.
Workplace misconduct and bullying investigations involve the same processes and principles, but the "strict liability" applying to the latter imposes additional, more onerous considerations, according to an investigations expert.
Many employees willingly work long hours, but even if no one's complaining, employers should monitor extra hours to ensure they are reasonable, a lawyer warns.
The Fair Work Act and National Employment Standards offer some guidance on when employers can reasonably refuse annual leave requests, but employers should have a specific policy to fill in the gaps, a lawyer says.
An employer that moved a full-time employee to a part-time role to reduce its workers' compensation costs has been ordered to pay more than $470k in damages and fines.
The Fair Work Commission has rejected that a worker facing redundancy should have received preference over a colleague for a "new" position, further clarifying employers' redeployment obligations. Meanwhile, research has found long hours and work-life balance aren't incompatible; employers should do more to address Millennials' anxiety; and more.
An employer must pay a worker $110k in damages, after an appeal court found the terms of his contract required more than an "opinion" of wrongdoing to justify his 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.
