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Recently the Federal Court considered a case in which an Australia-wide 2 year restraint period for a former director and founder of an HR outsourcing business was upheld and considered to be reasonable in the circumstances. The case reinforces the importance of employers including well-drafted restraint clauses in their employment contracts to protect their business …

Personal or Carers Leave Background and eligibility Paid personal or carers leave isthe correct terminology for the phrase ‘sick leave’. All employees (other than casuals) are entitled to paid personal leave or paid carer’s leave, of 10 days per year. The entitlement to paid personal/carers leave accrues from year to year. Paid personal/carers leave is …

Since 1973, a four (4) week annual leave period for the benefit of an employee has been standard practice, increasing from the initial one (1) week annual leave standard introduced in 1941. Today, annual leave entitlements now form part of the National Employment Standards (NES) providing a minimum safety net of employee entitlements. Under the …

There are two types of parental leave: paid and unpaid. While many organisations have historically chosen to provide a period of paid maternity or paternity leave, legislated paid parental leave is relatively new to Australia having only been introduced by the government on 1 January 2011. Unpaid parental leave is available according to the National …

The entitlement to Long Service Leave (LSL) is contained in the National Employment Standards (NES). As of 1 January 2010 the NES applies to all employees covered by the national workplace relations system (national system employees) There is currently no uniform national LSL standard, and the legislation governing LSL is contained in state Acts. For …

Entitlement to Leave Without Pay While there is no general entitlement to unpaid leave under the Fair Work Act 2009, there are some provisions that deal with when unpaid leave can be taken and in other cases it is a matter for agreement between the employer and employee. Unpaid Leave under the Fair Work Act …

An Article in BRW When Qantas invited its Twitter followers to describe a luxury inflight experience to win a gift pack, the airline presumably was seeking to repair relations strained from its grounding of the entire fleet a few weeks earlier in response to a labour dispute. Instead it faced an almighty backlash. Within hours, …

Personal/Carers, Compassionate & Community Service Leave. 1. Personal or Carers Leave  Background and eligibility The National Employment Standards (NES) details the entitlements to personal and carers leave. Paid personal or carers leave is the correct terminology for the phrase ‘sick leave’. All employees (other than casuals) are entitled to paid personal leave or paid carer’s …

Recent FWA Decision Stresses the Importance of a Social Media Policy. A decision handed down on Monday 19 December by FWA has once again shown the need for organisations to have a social media policy in place. In this case a former Linfox employee was seeking reinstatement to his position after being terminated for comments …

Every year, around this time, we get questions about employer’s obligations to their employees, particularly in the context of workplace functions. There are many parties, celebrations, after-work drinks and festivities for employers and employees to attend, and many of them are connected to work. As such, employers should be aware of, and be prepared for, …