Drug and alcohol testing policies that follow industry and Australian standards are more likely to be considered reasonable - and therefore enforceable - than those that depart from standard practice, according to employment lawyer Erin Rice.
Recent changes to the Fair Work Act provide further motivation for employers to ensure their staff know what bullying is - and what it's not, according to Workplace Solutions director Fay Calderone.
What does a best-practice process for managing difficult employees look like? Watch this webcast to understand your rights and responsibilities when managing performance and conduct issues.
The Federal Court has warned employers against using redundancy "as a pretext for getting rid of an undesired employee" after a university failed to examine a head of school's true motives for proposing an academic's retrenchment.
Initial concerns about the impact on employers of the Fair Work Act's adverse action provisions have proven to be unfounded, but employers should expect to face more claims now that case law has clarified the way it operates, says employment lawyer Amanda Harvey.
When seeking to return an ill or injured employee to work, employers should be prepared to ask for - and provide - a great deal of detailed information, says employment lawyer Helen Donovan.
Employers should carefully monitor and manage how much discretionary sick leave they provide to employees following an injury or illness, according to employment lawyer Helen Donovan.
The dispute between Qantas and unions that led to the grounding of its fleet in 2011 has only been resolved "in theory", and is evidence that Australia's industrial relations system is ineffective and out-dated, says Macquarie University professor Paul Gollan.
