It has been predicted that up to 5 million jobs, or 40% of the current jobs in Australia, could disappear in the next 10-15 years. This, and other similar staggering forecasts, have got many considering the effects of technology on our workplaces. The rapidly changing environment of our workplaces has been the cause of much…
Category: News & Commentary
Unfair Dismissal or General Protection? A high pressure choice facing employee litigants
When National system employees are unlawfully dismissed from employment they will generally have a choice of which section under the Fair Work Act to make their application. Was it an Unfair Dismissal, or was it a contravention of a General Protection involving dismissal? There is considerable overlap in these actions, but the Fair Work Act…
What changes are coming on 1 July?
With the new financial year fast approaching, businesses and human resource managers must now turn their minds to workplace planning and employee entitlements, having regard to new changes that will come into effect on 1 July 2016. National minimum wage As is required every year, the Fair Work Commission has reviewed the national minimum wage…
Out of work conduct: when is dismissal justified?
We see it all the time in professional sports: athletes losing their contracts over poor decisions made away from the game. Take for example, Todd Carney who was spectacularly sacked from the Cronulla Sharks, without procedural fairness, following the ‘bubbler’ incident, or Nick D’Arcy who was kicked off the Australian swimming team bound for the…
Balancing your need for information with workplace surveillance legislation
Workplace surveillance can be a tricky slope to manage for employers, with their thirst for knowledge about their employee’s activities sometimes outweighing their requirement to comply with legislative obligations. It is understandable: an employer provides the workplace so therefore, they should be able to monitor that workplace in any way they like, right? Unfortunately that…
The Five Golden Rules of Coaching Uncooperative Employees
Uncooperative employees are hard to deal with at the best of times, but what about when you are actively coaching them? It is not hard to understand why many managers resile from such a task. However, coaching is an integral part of a manager’s role and uncooperative employees are always going to exist. I have…