The ‘Right to Disconnect’ has been widely publicised but what does it actually mean for employees and employers? What about staff who need to be “on call” outside normal working hours? What happens if an employer fails to respect the right to disconnect? The introduction of the right to disconnect marks a significant shift in…
Category: General Employment
Contracts of Employment – Part 1
Published 17 November 2022 The employment contract governs one of the most significant relationships in people’s lives being that between the employee and employer. When well drafted, the employment contract is beneficial for both the employer and the employee as, amongst other things, it provides clarity regarding the obligations of both parties. In the last…
Social Media – Employee Use in and out of the Workplace
Published 11 November 2022 An employee’s use of their private social media accounts has the capacity to affect an employer’s legitimate business interests in a number of different ways, including: If an employee in their own time, posts disparaging remarks relating to the business or its clients, which causes damage to the business’ reputation. If…
Socialising at Work – Ten ‘Rules’ for Employers to Mitigate Legal Risk
Published 28 September 2022 Employees being able to socialise with each other can be an integral part of a successful and happy workplace. Further to this, officially endorsed ‘social events’ at work can be a great way to reward employees for their hard work and to help build team cohesion. Unfortunately, however, social events associated with…
Managing Sick or Injured Employees
Published 24 August 2022 At some point, every employer will confront managing an employee who is suffering from an injury, medical condition or disability. When this occurs, it is important to know that there are legal protections for injured and ill employees and for employees with a disability. Whilst at times, an employee cannot continue…
Managing Personal Leave
Published 21 April 2022 Businesses report that one of their biggest costs of managing their business is the cost of personal leave. Personal leave is an employee entitlement under the National Employment Standards, but is commonly misused, and this misuse costs the Australian economy millions of dollars each year. There are steps that all businesses…