An employee's partner failed her "spectacularly" in his role as support person and caused her to be unfairly dismissed, the Fair Work Commission has found.
An employee's bullying behaviour towards a colleague wasn't just "robust banter" typical to the workplace culture, the Fair Work Commission has ruled in rejecting his unfair dismissal claim.
Four considerations must factor into employers' performance and disciplinary processes when mental health issues are potentially also at play, a workplace lawyer says.
An employer has been ordered to reinstate a worker it sacked for making racist remarks and calling a female colleague a "c-nt", after a commission found his long tenure and contrition mitigated his misconduct.
The Fair Work Commission has rejected an employer's claim that a casual worker, found to have an expectation of ongoing employment, only deserved to be compensated for one shift after being sacked for misconduct.
An employer had valid reason to sack a worker who tried to delete its Facebook page and behaved aggressively towards colleagues, but its process was so deficient it couldn't be called "fair", the FWC has found.
In condoning misconduct worthy of summary dismissal by not acting on it at the time, an employer "deliberately abandoned" its right to use the behaviour to justify termination, the Fair Work Commission has ruled.
It was "ludicrous" for an employee to argue a joke towards a colleague wasn't racist and didn't warrant dismissal, the Fair Work Commission has ruled in upholding his dismissal. Also in this article: new misconduct rulings, and more.
The accusations against IR Minister Christian Porter highlight a raft of complex considerations for employers around handling s-xual assault allegations, along with the need for urgent action on last year's harassment recommendations.
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.
