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 […]
By Ian Edwards Changes to WA reporting requirements Coming into effect on July 1 are the changes to the reporting of Serious and Minor misconduct in accordance with the WA Corruption and Crime Commission Act 2003. The changes mean that minor misconduct is no longer required to be reported to the Corruption and Crime Commission […]
Reasonable Action? FWC ruling on Willis In a recent matter before Commissioner Lewin of the Fair Work Commission (FWC), some rather interesting findings were made around the question of ‘reasonable management action’. The case in question, Willis v Gibson & Anors, highlighted the reality that a jurisdictional challenge made upon such a basis will be […]
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 […]
Confronting Misconduct: Insights from the Public Service The recent release of the 2013-14 Australian Public Service (APS) State of the Service report provides some interesting kernels of data around workplace misconduct, including corruption and bullying. In particular, the report paints quite a discomforting picture of misconduct being on the increase – despite everything that the […]
Allegations of misconduct can have a serious effect on employees and your agency’s public image. All employees who work for the Australian Public Service (APS) are required to abide by the APS code of conduct. If it is alleged that an employee has breached the terms of the APS code of conduct the agency they […]