Regularly contacting an employee outside her work hours was unreasonable, but the employer didn't breach the Fair Work Act's right-to-disconnect provisions, a tribunal has found, in the first determination of an alleged contravention.
A major review has largely rejected arguments that the Closing Loopholes reforms have had "unintended consequences" for employers, however it recommends that clearer guidance should be developed as a priority, to reduce uncertainty and complexity.
In the space of a year, "holdouts" expecting full-time office returns have become the minority, but a workplace futurist is warning employers to prepare for much greater narrowing of their discretion around flexibility.
In 2025 the employment law landscape will continue to evolve, as the true impact of recent legal reforms becomes clearer, and potentially with further changes to come. Watch this webcast to understand what lies ahead for HR.
Employees' right to disconnect doesn't extend to Fair Work Commission proceedings, a Deputy President has stated in rejecting an employer's request for more time to prepare its defence to an unfair dismissal claim.
Conversations about disconnecting from work after hours are important to ensure compliance with the law, but managers should be having them anyway, a communications expert says.
Communicating via email and chat apps during non-work hours reduces employees' ability to psychologically detach from work, more so than any other form of IT-based communication, research has found.
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.
