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Fathers’ Day comes early: Dad and Partner Pay commenced on 1 January 2013
Partners in couples who have or adopt a child after 1 January will benefit from the Federal Government’s Dad and Partner Pay Initiative, which provides two weeks’ paid leave at…
Fairer or not: new changes to the Fair Work Act
*This article was first published in January 2013. For the latest on Fair Work Commission changes for January 2014 click here. The Fair Work Amendment Bill 2012 introduces some key…
52,000 Enrol in online courses at Melbourne University: The Future According to Frey?
US futurist Dr James Frey predicts that “teacherless classrooms” are the way of the future, with eLearning becoming dominant and teachers acting more as coaches or guides than the traditional…
Mental health issues in the workplace: a 10 billion dollar problem
It is only in recent years that mental health has been discussed more openly in a workplace context – nevertheless, it is still a delicate topic and one that requires…
When the sweet smell of success is not the only office odour….
Most of us have worked with somebody with bad body odour – and, in many cases, very little gets done about it. This is understandable – counselling someone on their…
Flight attendant claims compensation for injuries on day off
In a recent case before the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC) a flight attendant successfully claimed workers’ compensation for injuries sustained during a motorcycle accident on a day off. It…
Beauty and the Geek contestant’s adverse action claim sets new precedent on reliability of medical certificates
In an important ruling on the weight HR practitioners should accord to medical certificates, the Federal Magistrates Court has reinstated a weather observer who was dismissed for planning to appear…
Bully boys or nanny staters – does the draft Bullying Code of Practice make the workplace unworkable?
Bullying behaviour costs billions of dollars per year and the effect on individuals who are targeted by bullies can be devastating, however the draft Code of Practice introduces the concept…
Workplace Bullying: “We just want it to stop”
The House Standing Committee on Education and Employment as part of the House of Representatives inquiry into Workplace Bullying has tabled on 26 November 2012 a report titled, Workplace Bullying:…
Oldie but not goldie: 67 year old fails to prove dismissal was due to age
A 67-year-old company accountant has failed to prove that his dismissal within three months of commencing work with a lighting technologies company was due to his age. Federal Magistrate Heather…
Social media screening: smart selection or just suspicious snooping?
The debate continues on recruiters using social media to vet new recruits. Although it seems to be reasonably common for recruiters to check social media, is it actually useful? And…
Consensual sex reduces sexual harassment payout for receptionist
A former receptionist has failed to overturn a finding that she had consensual sexual intercourse with her then manager, which had greatly reduced her sexual harassment compensation in the original…
