Every HR professional should understand the key terms in employment contracts, when to review and vary them, and how contracts interact with legislation, industrial instruments and workplace policies. Watch this webcast to ensure you're across these areas.
As the Fair Work Commission's anti-bullying regime starts to take shape, an industrial barrister has compiled a list of 13 issues employers should consider when preparing to defend a claim.
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.
Smartphone technology has made it relatively easy for employees to secretly record disciplinary or performance conversations, says Ashurst Australia partner Marie-Claire Foley, who warns that unlawfully obtained evidence can be admissible in court.
Court rulings show how important it is to draft contracts clearly, and to include simple clauses that can protect organisations from expensive litigation, but many employers still haven't learned the lessons, says Hynes Legal associate director, Kristin Duff.
The end of any contracting arrangement heralds a heightened risk of employee entitlement claims, but those involving unpaid superannuation are particularly hard to defend and costly to address, according to PwC partner Rohan Geddes.
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.
What are your options when an employee is sick after exhausting all leave entitlements? Have you ever been given a medical certificate that seems less than legit? Watch this webcast to understand how to manage personal leave in a legally sound way.
Employers shouldn't assume that every employee who claims to have been hurt, embarrassed, or humiliated has been bullied, the Fair Work Commission has warned, after finding a worker was unfairly sacked over allegations made by a "sensitive" colleague.
