An employer had a valid reason to dismiss an employee who failed to follow its lawful and reasonable directions to work in its office spaces, the Fair Work Commission has ruled.
Qantas took unlawful adverse action when deciding to outsource thousands of positions to prevent workers from engaging in industrial action, despite those workers not having a workplace right to take such action at the time, the High Court has ruled.
A Fair Work Commission full bench has accused six employees of engaging in a "sham exercise" when they voted up an enterprise agreement, finding their approval was "entirely lacking in authenticity and moral authority".
An employer mischaracterised an employee's "carelessness" as serious misconduct, which further "coloured its judgement" about his lack of remorse, the Fair Work Commission has ruled in unfair dismissal proceedings.
An employer criticised for failing to undertake "even the most basic level of investigative analysis" has been ordered to reinstate an employee it sacked for misconduct.
It was "incumbent" on an employer to investigate allegations an employee had been spreading rumours at work, but its process was "most inappropriate", and caused a psychological injury, a commission has ruled.
In a decision that "highlights the perils of litigating hurt feelings", a court has found an employee wrongly interpreted "petty workplace disagreements" as race-based insults.
An employee who was not given a reasonable opportunity to defend himself against "very serious" misconduct allegations has won maximum compensation for unfair dismissal.
Two managers treated an employee in a "high handed, hostile way", manifesting in an unfair disciplinary process, the Federal Court has found in upholding her adverse action claim.
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.
