Many employers responded swiftly to COVID-19 by standing down workers, and now as restrictions lift they face big questions about which steps to take next. In this Q&A, an employment lawyer shares some guiding principles.
With IR reform discussions now underway, a workplace lawyer has called for a "reawakening" of some older practices as an alternative to simplifying modern awards.
The end of the JobKeeper stimulus poses a "significant threat" to Australian employment, a labour market analyst warns. Also in this article: organisations have largely impressed workers in their first-phase crisis response; employers weigh up keeping their workforce at home; new guidance on returning to workplaces safely; and more.
The industrial relations reform agenda outlined by the Federal Government "offers a lot of promise" if its unprecedented approach actually delivers outcomes, says a workplace lawyer.
The Fair Work Commission, in assessing what constitutes a stoppage of work and useful employment when standing down employees, has rejected a worker's claim that he shouldn't have been stood down because his role was still being performed.
Despite the COVID-19 workplace risks that can arise from employees' out-of-hours activity, there's very little employers can legally do to regulate it, a lawyer says.
An employer and individuals have been fined nearly $1m for underpaying workers; a bullied employee who was 'managed out' has been awarded $615k; Coles is facing a $150 million class action; and more.
Impacts of the Rossato v WorkPac case are likely to include both a loss of flexibility for employers if more casuals convert to permanency, and also a rise in the irregularity and unpredictability of work for those who don't, experts say.
The regulation introduced to protect employers from 'double-dipping' claims has "absolutely no utility" as a result of the Rossato v WorkPac ruling, an employment lawyer says.
