Employers that defy the traditional adversarial approach to workplace negotiations when the new bargaining laws kick off this week will have a competitive edge over those that fail to engage with all business stakeholders, says lawyer, mediator and CoSolve director Clive Thompson.
An IT recruitment company has been stung with a $20,000 damages bill for misleading a worker on its bonus scheme - and other employers, a lawyer says, could find themselves in the same boat if they withhold critical information from new employees.
The new workplace laws coming into effect next week will facilitate a "maturing" of collective bargaining in Australia and require employers to be much more sophisticated in their approach to negotiations, according to workplace lawyer Chris Gardner.
From 1 July union officials will have the power to enter premises on suspicion of a workplace breach regardless of whether or not the employees are union members or covered by a union-binding agreement, says Freehills partner Anthony Longland.
Proper investigation of workplace incidents and complaints can help protect employers against legal claims by employees, but many HR managers lack the skills to conduct them. Here, an employment lawyer and former police investigator explains how they're done.
HR managers must quickly determine what constitutes a "transfer of business" before the definition of transmission expands significantly next month, according to Deacons partner Sally Woodward.
A formal attendance management policy can help employers reduce absenteeism and alert them to the workplace factors that affect absence rates, according to a new report.
Preparing for the new IR regime gives employers the perfect opportunity to review and improve their performance-management processes - ensuring sustainability and protecting them from litigation, according to an employment lawyer.
Employers are taking steps to have new enterprise agreements approved as soon as possible to avoid the uncertainty that is likely to surround the better off overall test, or BOOT, when it comes into effect in January next year.
