A Fair Work Commission Deputy President was wrong to state that an employer had to demonstrate a risk of impairment when dismissing a worker who failed a dr-g test, but this didn't affect his overall finding that the sacking was harsh, a full bench has ruled.
More than a year after the High Court ruled Qantas took unlawful adverse action against 1,700 of its former employees, the Federal Court has awarded one of them $100k in compensation for non-economic loss alone.
Feeling safe to speak up is a key characteristic of a psychologically safe environment, but the obligation to provide one has left some leaders "scared witless", and unsure of what they can and can't say, a psychologist says.
"Simple life experience" should have taught an employee not to bully and humiliate his co-worker, according to the Fair Work Commission, but a lack of evidence that he was trained in workplace policies meant his dismissal was harsh.
Trying to navigate tensions that arise due to pluralism and polarisation without first strengthening the "moral muscles" required is like trying to run a marathon without training, a leader warns.
It was "highly inappropriate" for a worker's paid agent to pursue a general protections claim that had no prospects of success, but the Fair Work Commission says the employer's $80k legal bill appears "excessive".
The employee cohort most at risk of experiencing s-xual harassment and victimisation at work is also at risk of suffering more profoundly, and researchers say targeted solutions are "urgently required".
Helping employees feel supported to adapt to change is one of the key ways employers can drive up their engagement levels in the coming year, a workplace expert says.
It might have been unreasonable to make further demands of an employee who had already complied with his employer's absence notification system, but this didn't amount to bullying, the Fair Work Commission has ruled.
General protections claims are the fastest-growing category of applications in the Fair Work Commission, with reforms now underway to stem the tide. This webinar will discuss important developments in both procedural issues and case law.
