Employers that fail to make "reasonable adjustments" for stress-affected employees returning to work could face discrimination claims, an employment lawyer warns, and improving communication streams, according to a business lecturer, is pivotal.
The Fair Work Act allows for greater union involvement in the workplace, an IR lawyer says, and smart employers are fostering positive relationships with employees and their representatives in an effort to cement long-term growth.
Employers must move "beyond legislative compliance alone" to combat the growth of stress-driven compensation claims and injuries, according to Curtin University research.
Fair Work Australia's first good faith bargaining order should spur employers to put more thought and preparation into negotiations than was necessary under the old legislation, according to an employment lawyer.
Changes to disability discrimination laws and other human rights legislation that take effect next week will make it easier for aggrieved employees to establish they were discriminated against, a workplace relations lawyer warns.
Employees whose requests for flexibility are only partially granted are as unlikely as workers whose requests are refused to improve their work/life balance and lessen "time strain", the third annual Australian Work and Life Index survey reveals.
The "adverse action" provisions under the new industrial relations legislation will compel employers to be more cautious when making decisions that affect employees, according to workplace lawyer Alex Manos.
A $466,000 damages award is a timely reminder of how devastating the effects of workplace sexual harassment can be on both the victim and the employer if the issue is dealt with poorly, says Harriet Stacey of WISE Workplace Investigations.
Employers that defy the traditional adversarial approach to workplace negotiations when the new bargaining laws kick off this week will have a competitive edge over those that fail to engage with all business stakeholders, says lawyer, mediator and CoSolve director Clive Thompson.
General protections claims are the fastest-growing category of applications in the Fair Work Commission, with reforms now underway to stem the tide. This webinar will discuss important developments in both procedural issues and case law.
