Party Planning What to do before the Christmas Party

Posted by | Articles, HR Advice & Support, Performance Management & Misconduct Investigations, sexual harassment, Terminations, Unfair Dismissals & Adverse Action, Work Christmas party | No Comments

By Joanna Knoth, Senior Associate and Lauren Wright, Lawyer

As we rapidly approach the end of the year, the office Christmas party can be cause for concern for many employers. There are two key issues that employers should turn their mind to when planning the party.

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Contractor arrangements subject to continued scrutiny as Foodora rider found to be an employee

Posted by | Contracts, contractual entitlements, Doing Business in Australia, independent contractor, sub contractor, unfair dismissal | No Comments

By Nikita Barsby, Special Counsel and Gemma Little, Lawyer 

In the recent decision of Joshua Klooger v Foodora Australia Pty Ltd [2018] FWC 6836, the Fair Work Commission held that a Foodora rider who was engaged as an independent contractor was in fact an employee and, therefore, eligible to bring an unfair dismissal claim.

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Employer unfairly dismissed employee due to wrong view on student visa

Posted by | Articles, Terminations, Unfair Dismissals & Adverse Action, unfair dismissal | No Comments

By Mark Cox, Director and Madeleine Brown, Associate 

An employee who was suspended indefinitely without pay after her employer decided that she had breached the conditions of her visa was unfairly dismissed, according to the Fair Work Commission in Devi v Doutta Galla Aged Services Limited [2018] FWC 4142.

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Say what? Navigating Unlawful Interview Questions

Posted by | Articles, Discrimination & Bullying, HR Advice & Support | No Comments

By Nikita Barsby, Special Counsel and Lauren Wright, Lawyer

An interview provides an employer with an opportunity to get to know prospective employees and assess their suitability for employment. Often, there are many questions an employer wants to ask a prospective employee – however care should be taken to avoid questions which can later be relied on by the interviewee to mount legal claims.

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Smoking at work FAQs

Posted by | Articles | No Comments

By Madeleine Brown, Associate 

With the sharp increase in restrictions around the sale, promotion and public consumption of cigarettes over the last 15 years, it’s no wonder there’s confusion around smoking in the workplace.

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Travel extends the mind but not limitation periods: Wragg v Queensland Scaffolding Pty Ltd [2018] FWC 4986

Posted by | Articles, Terminations, Unfair Dismissals & Adverse Action, unfair dismissal | No Comments

By Nikita Barsby, Special Counsel and Madeleine Brown, Associate

The Fair Work Commission has refused an application for an extension of time to file an unfair dismissal application, following a detailed examination of a travelling employee’s social media activities and text messages which demonstrated that he was not incapacitated by depression and grief following his dismissal.

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Keeping it casual: Casual employee entitled to annual leave

Posted by | complaince, Contracts, contractual entitlements, HR Advice & Support, leave entitlements, modern award | No Comments

By Renae Harg, Senior Associate and Lauren Wright, Lawyer 

WorkPac Pty Ltd v Skene [2018] FCAFC 131

The Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia has rejected WorkPac’s argument that the “industrial meaning” of the term “casual employee” has been incorporated into the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (the Act) for the purpose of the National Employment Standards (NES).

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Are you being underpaid? Are you underpaying your staff?

Posted by | Articles, complaince, Contracts, contractual entitlements, HR Advice & Support, modern award | No Comments

By Nikita Barsby, Special Counsel and Lauren Wright, Lawyer

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) recently conducted an audit of businesses throughout the eastern states of Australia which found that 72% of the businesses had breached workplace laws.[1] The audit resulted in the recovery of $471,904 for 616 workers across the 234 businesses audited. The most common breach was an underpayment of hourly rates, followed by non-existent or inadequate employment records.

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Directing an employee to attend an independent medical assessment

Posted by | contractual entitlements, Dispute Resolution & Advocacy, HR Advice & Support, leave entitlements | No Comments

By Mark Cox, Director, Gemma Little, Associate and Lauren Wright, Lawyer

The winter months often bring an increase in employees’ use of personal leave, primarily due to illness. An employee’s brief and temporary absence, whether due to illness or even injury, supported by adequate medical evidence, can usually be managed by the employer without issue.

However, difficulty and uncertainty arise where an employee takes extended personal leave with medical evidence that has little or no detail on the illness or injury suffered, or which offers no foreseeable return to work date. An employee’s extended absence can pose significant issues for the management and operation of a business. Navigating this situation can become increasingly complex if an employee has taken personal leave in response to a disciplinary or performance management process.

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