A High Court ruling that a worker's sex-related injury did not occur "in the course of employment" is good news for employers, but not great comfort in the lead-up to the silly season, according to employment lawyers.
Most employees assume stress is a bad thing, but if they view it as their body helping them to prepare for a challenge, it can actually be "really beneficial", says Sentis positive psychologist Olivia Wallis.
A health initiative that won over workers with the slogan, "How to lose weight and drink beer", and brought management on board with stats that created "a sense of urgency", has helped a blue-collar workforce to reduce its absenteeism, presenteeism, and injury rates.
Traumatic experiences such as workplace bullying not only affect the employees who are directly involved, but also those who support them, and "vicarious trauma" can have a serious impact on a worker's health and productivity, according to employment lawyer Josh Bornstein.
Confusion about how long an organisation should retain a sick or injured employee who's unable to work could be stopping many employers from lawfully terminating absent staff, according to lawyers from Hicksons' workplace relations group.
Benefits such as flexi-time and time off in lieu are now so prevalent that they're no longer considered a significant competitive advantage - but this doesn't mean they're unimportant, says Mercer Pacific talent business leader Garry Adams.
HR professionals should "spread the net far and wide" in building a case for absence management, identifying where risks lie and what their costs are before putting forward a plan, according to HR expert and author, Graham Smith.
Leaders who focus on long-term success and building "constructive cultures" have a 43 per cent greater impact on employee productivity than those who focus on the short-term, according to new research from Human Synergistics.
HR professionals who encounter suspicious medical certificates are entitled to question them, but "you should be very sure of your facts before putting allegations to employees", according to Workplace Law managing director Athena Koelmeyer.
