A Queensland employee who was sexually assaulted by a customer has been awarded almost $500,000 in damages after a court found her employer failed to address risks associated with working alone.
Managing workers on extended sick leave, or with long-term injuries, requires carefully balancing business needs against employees' rights, says employment lawyer Luke Connolly.
Interview questions about a candidate's fitness for work must be clearly linked to the relevant statement of duties, says Blake Dawson employment lawyer Stephen Woodbury.
Initiatives that encourage employees to be proactive about their health are commonplace, but financial wellbeing, which can also affect performance, is still widely overlooked, says Innergi co-founder Matt Linnert.
HR managers could be found personally liable for bullying and harassment at work, under the national OHS framework, if they fail to take steps to prevent it, according to Hicksons Lawyers partner Brad Swebeck.
The world's best managers view the growth of employees as an end, not a means, and take responsibility for their people's wellbeing, according Gallup researchers Jim Harter and Tom Rath.
One in five Australian adults experiences mental health problems each year, but nearly half of all senior managers do not believe their workers will be affected, according to the Australian Human Rights Commission.
Australia's "anti-dobbing" culture can obstruct efforts to eradicate workplace bullying and create a "huge problem" for employers, says general counsel for Harmers Workplace Lawyers, Greg Robertson.
Workplace bullying complaints continue to pose significant challenges for employers, including where the behaviour doesn't meet the legal definition of bullying or the threshold to make a claim. Watch this HR Daily Premium webcast to understand key lessons from cases where bullying complaints interact with other claims and issues.
What constitutes "best practice" when managing neurodiversity at work is evolving all the time. Watch this HR Daily Premium webcast to learn how to embed neuroinclusive practices into HR programs and every stage of the employment lifecycle.