In "blindly" accepting an employee had verbally harassed colleagues, an HR manager unfairly deprived her of the opportunity to defend herself, the Fair Work Commission has ruled in awarding her $26k for unfair dismissal.
"Reasonable schemes reasonably implemented can miscarry without rendering them unreasonable," a commissioner has stressed, in rejecting the psychological injury claim of an employee who had a "troubling propensity for embellishment".
It's not uncommon for employees to find investigations stressful and upsetting, but this doesn't mean they're unreasonable, a Fair Work Commissioner has commented in dismissing a stop-bullying application.
An employee suffered a psychological injury after the breakdown of a workplace friendship group, but his employer wasn't liable for it, a commission has ruled.
Complex workplace matters often involve "intense emotions", and it's important for HR not to overlook these in the parties, and themselves, when striving for resolution, according to a workplace relations specialist.
It was retaliatory and "cold-hearted" of an HR manager to ask an absent employee to attend meetings, and to repeatedly deny his requests for annual leave after his sick leave ran out, the Federal Circuit Court has found in upholding his adverse action claim.
Allowing a disciplinary meeting to go ahead after learning that a manager accused of misconduct hadn't slept or eaten for three days wasn't "reasonable", a tribunal has ruled.
A supervisor was unfairly sacked for bullying and timekeeping fraud, the Fair Work Commission has ruled, finding his employer denied him an opportunity to defend himself.
An employer had a valid reason to dismiss an employee who breached its code of conduct, and its decision was fair regardless of whether she'd been specifically trained in the circumstances that led to her actions, the Fair Work Commission has found.
After shoving a woman out of a lift on his way to work because he thought she was "rude", an employee has failed to convince the Fair Work Commission he was unfairly sacked.
All employers should consider putting in place a workplace s-xual harassment prevention plan, even though such plans are only expressly prescribed in one jurisdiction, according to a risk management expert.
Recent events have shone a spotlight on whistleblowing, placing employers firmly on notice that their response to a protected disclosure could be subject to intense scrutiny. Watch this webcast to understand the role HR plays in this challenging space.
