A Victorian employee who was sacked without notice for breaching her employer's "backbiting policy" was unfairly dismissed, Fair Work Australia has ruled, describing the policy as "an extremely blunt instrument".
Workplace sexual-harassment policies could be subject to new scrutiny under upcoming equal opportunity legislation, according to lawyers from DLA Phillips Fox.
A senior employee whose performance was never assessed to determine whether she was eligible for a bonus has been awarded $74,000 in damages after a court confirmed her employment agreement was breached.
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.
Employers that fail to properly investigate workplace issues and complaints before taking action risk falling foul of the Fair Work Act's procedural fairness requirements, says workplace lawyer Brad Petley.
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 Sydney worker who defied an instruction from his supervisor has failed to convince Fair Work Australia his conduct did not warrant dismissal because of his supervisor's rude, bullying tone.
How do you manage employees who have been injured outside of work? What happens when an employee refuses an independent medical assessment? When is it safe to terminate an ill or injured employee? Lawyer Luke Connolly answers these questions and more on this important topic.
