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Mentally ill employee wins adverse action discrimination case: Six pillars of wisdom to reduce and manage mental health issues in the workplace
A court has accepted that a transport company made an ill employee’s position redundant as part of a genuine restructure, but found it took unlawful adverse action when it detrimentally…
“Fanciful” sexual discrimination and harassment claims rejected by Federal Court: what is sexual harassment?
The Federal Court has rejected a University academic’s sex discrimination claim, based on more than 50 alleged incidents over five years of employment, finding that she subjectively reconstructed “innocent events”…
Chicken run: sleepy poultry worker blamed for death of chickens after Melbourne Cup drinks – the importance of managing everyday performance
A poultry worker, who was sacked the morning after Melbourne Cup Day for allegedly being drunk and sleeping on the job, has won her unfair dismissal claim. After drinking wine during…
“Where is your facial hair policy?” Dispute over beard ends in dismissal, court and payout
A court has found that a driver sacked in part for coming to work with a half-shaved beard was unfairly dismissed and awarded him $6000 compensation. The transport company’s director…
“Toxic” husband and wife bully-fest ends in court: the importance of establishing a healthy workplace culture
A court has upheld a management consultancy’s sacking of a senior employee for her role in bullying her colleagues and creating a “toxic” work environment. It also found that they…
Sexist CEO offers employee “boob job”: a case of misguided leadership
The CEO of a US Sports Bar and Grill has fired a waitress for wearing a T-shirt instead of a bikini at work and offered to pay for a breast…
“Treated like a slave” – is it bullying or managing?
A senior public servant who alleged his manager treated him like a “slave” has failed to win anti-bullying orders, with the Fair Work Commission finding the management of his performance…
Pregnant employee with severe morning sickness – discrimination claims rejected by VCAT
Leave entitlements can be a tricky business for employers, particularly when the employee is an expectant mum – and, after a recent tribunal ruling, especially if the pregnant employee has…
CEO swears at and dismisses employee – ruled as ‘unfair’ by Fair Work
A small business owner was found to have unfairly dismissed an employee after telling her to “f-ck off”. The Fair Work Commission ruled that the female employee was unfairly dismissed…
Name too foreign-sounding? Perceived ethnic origins can influence recruitment processes, study finds
A recent study finds French job applicants with foreign-sounding names are much less likely to get callbacks from recruiters. Researchers from the Paris School of Economics and Stanford University sent…
Rude text accidentally sent to boss: how to avoid poisonous office relationships
A dismissed employee has failed to convince the Fair Work Commission that an accidentally-sent text to her employer, in which she called him a “complete d-ck”, was a “lighthearted insult”.…
Anger management: Jeremy Clarkson and the end of “angry man”- how the workplace is changing
Angry men like Jeremy Clarkson are no longer welcome in today’s workplace, or so it appears. As Amelia McGuinness observes, “no matter how much the public loves you, the myth of…
