An employer had reasonable business grounds to refuse an employee's flexible work request, given her customer service work couldn't be performed from home or "behind locked doors", the Fair Work Commission has found.
There is no need for the Clerks Award to contain a specific term compelling employers to allow employees to work from home, but it should contain a 'right to request' term, the Fair Work Commission has found, in its much-anticipated decision on the matter.
If employers want their remote workers to feel valued and connected, leaders must deliberately create opportunities for virtual social interactions, a leadership and communications specialist says.
A hybrid working guideline that allowed employees to work from home up to three days a week was "on one view generous", the Fair Work Commission has found, in a flexible work dispute.
An employee's request for more working-from-home days was inconsistent with his employer's desire for knowledge sharing and team connection, the Fair Work Commission has accepted, in arbitrating a flexible work dispute.
An employee who has worked exclusively from home since the first COVID lockdowns has been ordered to return to the office once a fortnight, with the Fair Work Commission accepting the employer's arguments for requiring her attendance.
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.
