Privacy | Page 8 (82 items)

Employers should be transparent with employees about what personal information they are collecting - and why - especially when making unusual requests, says Ashurst partner Vince Rogers.

What risks arise from "Googling" job applicants during a recruitment process? What questions can you ask about a candidate's medical history? Are you obliged to provide access to an employee's personnel file? Hicksons Lawyers partners Brad Swebeck and Sarah Jones answered these questions and more in our recent webinar.

A Fair Work Australia ruling, which found a senior employee was not "grossly disloyal" when he gave the names of recently retrenched staff to a sacked colleague, contains important guidance for employers on what constitutes confidential information.

Every organisation is potentially at risk of damage - to its reputation, assets, morale and much more - from its employees' use of social media.



In this presentation, employment lawyer Nick Noonan outlines:

• Employers' rights to monitor and regulate employees' social media use;
• Employees' obligations when using social media;
• What to include in a social media policy;
• Employer risks in using social media in the recruitment process;
• The interaction between social media and privacy laws; and
• Recent case law involving social media issues in the workplace.

Intellectual property (IP) theft and fraud are rampant in the workplace, and can cost businesses millions of dollars in lost customers and eroded confidence, KordaMentha partner (forensic) Nigel Carson told a Kemp Strang briefing in Sydney last week.

Australia's "anti-dobbing" culture can obstruct efforts to eradicate workplace bullying and create a "huge problem" for employers, says general counsel for Harmers Workplace Lawyers, Greg Robertson.

The surest way to assert ownership over intellectual property (IP) and confidential information created by or disclosed to employees is to include relevant express terms in employment contracts, according to Allens Arthur Robinson partner, David Yates.

Employers looking to implement workplace drug and alcohol testing must ensure that the process is completely transparent to avoid possible litigation - especially when it comes to sacking workers who test positive to prohibited substances, says Harmers Workplace Lawyers partner, Jamie Robinson.

Employers should develop workplace surveillance policies to avoid the risk of breaching privacy legislation and copping heavy fines - whether they intend to monitor staff or not, according to Harmers Workplace Lawyers senior associate, Bronwyn Maynard.

An employer defrauded of more than $120,000 by a sales manager has successfully claimed damages from a recruitment company that failed to conduct adequate background checks.