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We are continually advising employers to have thorough and compliant employment contracts in place with their employees. In addition we advise frequently on the need to have policies in place that deal with many aspects of daily working life including bullying, harassment and, one of the more important ones…occupational health and safety. We are often …

Mandatory Drug and Alcohol Testing – The Recent FWA Full Bench Decision In a previous article we discussed Drug and Alcohol Testing at Work and in particular whether employers should implement a drug and alcohol testing regime (click here to read previous article). This issue has been the topic of much discussion in the last week …

The return to work of an employee following maternity leave poses a challenge for employers- many of them seem unsure about their obligations and run the risk of falling foul of the Fair Work Act or anti-discrimination legislation.   What are employees entitled to? The fundamental entitlement of an employee returning to work after maternity …

From 1 July 2011 the government will pay the Parental Leave benefit directly to employers, who will then be required to administer the payment to the employee. Employers need to ensure their pay systems are compliant and ready. For an updated fact sheet on the governemnt funded paid parental leave scheme please click to download Parental-Leave-Fact-Sheet.

 On 6 April 2011 the Victorian parliament introduced a Bill to amend the Crimes Act so that serious workplace bullying could result in a jail term of up to 10 years. The definition of what type of behaviour would be covered by the legislation includes “using abusive or offensive words” that could reasonably be expected …

Are you looking for sample social media guidelines for your organisation? We have developed, in conjunction with bluewiremedia and QudosClub, two sample social media guidelines that you can download and customise to your organisations requirements. 1. Social Media Guidelines – Moderate - Suitable for organisations wanting to take a more temperate approach to social media in …

Andrew Bland talks about the recent high court decision on adverse action and the implications for unfair dismissal and parental leave.

Social Media & Unfair Dismissal – A Guide for Employers The recent decision by a full bench at Fair Work Australia in Dianna Smith T/A Escape Hair Design v Sally-Anne Fitzgerald [2011]FWAFB 1422 (15 March 2011) upholding an unfair dismissal finding is a timely reminder for employers to ensure they observe the correct procedures when …

As we get into 2011, we encourage employers to review and consider their obligations, employment terms and conditions, policies, procedures and practices to ensure an industrially successful 2011 ahead. We have highlighted some recent developments and upcoming matters for consideration in the workplace. To read the full article, click on the following; Looking Forward – …

Constructive dismissal Constructive dismissal occurs when the conduct of an employer causes an employee to resign. The employer may expressly ask the employee to resign or the employer’s conduct may leave the employee feeling that there is no other choice but to resign. An employer may believe that resignation is mutual however if an employee …