Vince Scopelliti – Wednesday, January 29, 2020 Perhaps one of the most vexed issues employers face is how to terminate employees without exposing the organisation to the risk of a successful unfair dismissal action. In light of the 15 January updates to the Fair Work Commission (FWC) Unfair Dismissals Benchbook, these two unfair dismissal cases […]
Alcohol and workplaces never mix well. No matter the sort of work they do, employees should not be in the workplace when they are under the influence or still suffering the effects of alcohol consumption. This includes drinking at work or immediately before starting work, and those who are still impacted by a big night […]
Most adults like to indulge in the use of alcohol from time to time. Some even like to partake a little more frequently – which is generally not problematic, in the privacy of one’s own home and social sphere. But occasionally problems with alcohol or even drug consumption can creep into the workplace, with […]
At a time when workers increasingly work remotely, communicate online or use hot desks, the annual staff Christmas party is a valuable opportunity to get everyone interacting face to face. A Christmas party is also a good way of getting staff who rarely see one another during the working week to meet, to reward […]
The office Christmas party. It’s an institution here in Australia, and most employees expect some kind of celebration. It’s only fair, too, given the hard work they’ve put in over the year. But increasingly, office parties have become legal minefields. The good news is that there are measures organisations can take to safeguard their staff, as […]
The perils of the office Christmas Party The office Christmas party. It’s a time of celebration, and an acknowledgement of all the hard work done by the team over the year. So what could possibly go wrong? Plenty for employers, as the recent decision in Keenan v Leighton Boral Amey Joint Venture demonstrates, especially when the […]
Drinking on the Job: Expensive Lessons for Employers History shows that a group of co-workers letting their hair down at an office function can sometimes lead to regrettable outcomes. Yet it doesn’t necessarily follow that a worker’s dubious behaviour will amount to serious or gross misconduct. A recent case in the NSW District Court highlights […]
Protecting Against Unwanted Sexual Advances at Work The definition of a workplace might seem relatively simple – the office, the work site, the place where you carry out your duties of employment. Yet a recent finding of the Full Federal Court has affirmed one judge’s ruling that the workplace can quite often extend beyond the […]
In a recent court ruling the Industrial Relations Commission of NSW decided that a NSW public servant who was dismissed for inappropriate touching should be given his job back. The policy officer for the NSW Attorney General and Justice Department lost his job in 2012 after touching the breasts of five women during a […]