If you’re considering a new job, you might be more interested in what the role itself involves than what kind of employee you’ll be hired as. But the benefits, entitlements and conditions of a job can differ depending on whether you’re a casual worker or a part-time or full-time employee. We’ve asked an expert employment
As appetite for simplifying Australia’s workplace law grows following the election at the weekend, small business ombudsman Kate Carnell is preparing to hand the relevant incoming minister a case for overhauling unfair dismissal protections for small businesses. Speaking to SmartCompany on Monday, Carnell said provisions to protect small employers from unfair dismissal in the Fair Work Act aren’t working very well
Is terminating an employee based on expressions of religion legal? At this point, Israel Folau is probably more well known for the outrage caused by his Instagram summary of biblical doctrine than for his career in rugby. The long and ongoing drama of whether he will be fired for that social media post has become
An employment law firm has responded to Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s first budget, saying it is set to benefit both SMEs and employees in a multitude of ways. Among last night’s budget delivery was a promise to cut SME taxes to 25 per cent and increase their access to finance with a new $2 billion fund. The instant asset write-off
By Trent Hancock The recent scores of reports relating to unpaid internships are indicative of the pressures on young people entering the workplace to gain industry experience. There was a survey commissioned by the Federal Department of Employment that revealed more than half of Australia’s young adults have completed unpaid work as part of an internship or job
A niggling tickle in your throat has developed into something more sinister: you’ve caught that cold, flu or undiagnosed viral thing that has been making its way around your open-plan office. You’ve got to call in sick. Or do you? There’s so much to do and there is nothing stopping you from responding to all
Like in many professional services industries, office romances are “quite common” in law. Lawyers Weekly spoke with a principal lawyer about some of the issues surrounding office romances, and how law firms can navigate such sensitive territory. Romance within law firms can be commonplace, McDonald Murholme principal Andrew Jewell surmised, because lawyers spend a lot
The recent Westpac v Deng decision acts as a warning to the big banks: follow the rules or risk being called out. In a hearing late last year, the Fair Work Commission ruled that Westpac banking employee Kefeng Deng should be reinstated to his original position after he was not afforded procedural fairness into allegations against him.
A manager at a McDonald’s franchise tried to ‘negotiate’ with disgruntled workers on Facebook, and his post went viral. Here’s a breakdown from an HR perspective. A snapshot of a post from a McDonald’s franchise manager, in which he threatens workers with restricted water and toilet breaks, has gone viral. The post is a case study in
As of 1 December 2018, the rules around flexible work requests have changed. Experts break down who this hurts and helps, how to reject a request, and why you shouldn’t. A new ruling by the Fair Work Commission means that, as of 1 December 2018, employers need to make a genuine attempt to reach flexible work agreements with their
A QUEENSLAND sawmill worker sacked for refusing to sign in using a fingerprint scanner has lost an unfair dismissal claim despite his employer’s “disturbing” privacy failures. Factory hand Jeremy Lee took his case to the Fair Work Commission in March after being let go from the Superior Wood mill in Imbil, near Gympie, where he
What happens when a culture of transparency is taken to extremes? HRM examines the performance practices at Netflix and whether the company could legally operate in Australia. Organisational transparency is generally considered a good thing for workplace culture. It helps to ensure the right people are recruited and fosters a culture of inclusion and trust.
IS the long lunch a thing of the past? Nearly three quarters of Australian workers are not taking their full designated lunch break, with almost one in 10 skipping lunch breaks altogether, a new survey by Hays has found. The recruitment firm asked 1253 professionals about their lunch habits. Twenty-eight per cent said they take
A top executive at Lego Australia is suing the toy company for more than $400,000 because it allegedly fired him when he returned from an overseas transfer to care for his family. Lego Australia director of operations Robert Csano, who had been seconded to Japan since 2016, accused the family-owned company of discriminating against him
An Australian law firm has opened up on the firing of ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie, saying the dismissal should have lasting consequences for employment law cases going forward. McDonald Murholme has responded to news of Ms Guthrie being terminated from her top job at the ABC earlier this week. The highly publicised dismissal has
The firing of the ABC’s managing director Michelle Guthrie, and the subsequent fallout, has been the story of the week. But beyond the headlines are lessons for HR. The termination of the ABC’s managing director Michelle Guthrie this Monday has grown from what the organisation no doubt hoped would be a relatively quiet decision into
How and when should you withhold an employee’s bonus? HRM examines the legalities and neuroscience of this approach. Qantas has made headlines for a provision in a performance bonus they announced in August. The bonus, paid when an employee signs a new wage agreement, will be withheld if the employee “harms” Qantas. The kicker is that individuals
Former and current employees have accused Flight Centre of having a corrupt, booze-filled culture and troubling pay practices. HRM talks to legal experts Trent Hancock and Athena Koelmeyer about the matter. Travel company Flight Centre has been accused of encouraging staff to charge questionable mark-ups, and engaging in troubling pay practices. The workplace culture has
Workers are losing extra pay on weekends and public holidays because of deals between unions and businesses not because of cuts to penalty rates, the Turnbull government says. Government MPs aren’t backing a private member’s bill by Labor leader Bill Shorten to restore penalty rates for 700,000 workers, with Liberal Craig Kelly saying the bargaining
Uber passengers across Australia face the prospect of more stop-work action by drivers if the ride-sharing company refuses to improve pay rates for add-on services. Tens of thousands of Uber drivers did not pick up passengers during Monday’s morning commute as they protested for fairer conditions. Ride Share Drivers United want Uber to axe its
