The best ways to motivate employees in 2026 are much the same as they were 50 years ago, but many employers continue to rely on tactics that have "zero" long-term impact, according to a performance specialist.
Too many professionals still believe successful networking hinges on personality traits, when what's required is strategy, says a specialist in the field.
It was fair to sack an employee whose workplace complaints were so unreasonable and persistent that managing them required another worker's almost full-time dedication, the Fair Work Commission has ruled.
Telling an employee who was seeking an early pay rise not to copy the CEO in on her grievance emails was clearly lawful and reasonable, and breaching this direction warranted her dismissal, the Fair Work Commission has found.
Comments added to an employee's half-yearly review were simply feedback, "not performance management, or any kind of discipline", and therefore couldn't underpin an adverse action claim, the Federal Court has ruled.
An HR business partner's "damning assessment of morale and employee relations" in a senior manager's team was the final straw that prompted his dismissal, the Federal Court has found in redetermining a long-running adverse action case.
An employer has lost its dispute over liability for a psychological injury, with a tribunal accepting workload issues and a lack of support were the cause, rather than stress resulting from the employee's physical health problems.
A fake list of achievements on an employee's resume weren't the result of his "faulty recollection" and carelessness, but rather a deliberate attempt to mislead his employer, a commission has ruled.
