One of the most significant factors in how well an employee takes restructuring news and moves on from their redundancy is how you, their employer, handle the situation.

When you handle it right and give your employee the compassion, respect and support they need, you will part ways in a healthy and positive way that will ensure you both move on successfully. But do it wrong, you can be paying for it for a long time. To help you avoid the latter, here are the six biggest mistakes…

The festive season is a joyous time of year. But coming at the end of 12 long months (particularly the 12 months we’ve all just had thanks to the pandemic), senior managers and HR departments need to remain especially vigilant. For it can also be a challenging time for hard-working employees who may have one eye on taking a…

A reportable conduct investigation is necessarily different, and can sometimes be more complex to navigate, than other types of workplace investigations.

In a reportable conduct context, it is obviously imperative that the investigator ensures all children are provided the opportunity to be involved (unless there is a very good reason that they are not) and that they are provided with a supportive and comfortable environment to report their concerns and/or their version of events.…

The coronavirus is making us have to reevaluate our entire approach to the workplace organization and work in general. It affects the workers, the office managers and the corporations/organizations, as a whole. Sometimes, however, a temporary measure may grow into something else entirely. For instance, remote work was practised even before the pandemic. So, now that it has turned into a global experiment, it is questionable whether the employers will force…

Here are some insights from our clients from the pandemic

As Employment Lawyers we are in a privileged position to gather perspective on a very challenging time for many clients with uncertainty and fear prevailing.  For others it has been an opportunity to pivot or seek different options to ensure their business survives and thrives.

Discussing these points with many in human resources, personnel management and business owners there are some constant themes…

Using the Real Wishes Survey (Feb 2020) to address topical topics that are at the forefront of Australia’s mind, we have gathered top related Google Search Trends to explore search habits and trends throughout the year to date.

In this infographic, we have discovered some interesting findings across these categories: Health & wellbeing, Finances, New experiences, Friends and Family/Relationships, Careers, and…

This article was written by HopgoodGanim Lawyers’ Special Counsel, Damon King and Robertson O’Gorman Solicitors’ Senior Associate, Dominic Brunello.

‘Wage theft’ is a generic term which is often, but somewhat misleadingly, used to describe all forms of wage underpayment…

Under the general protections provisions in the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (FW Act), it is unlawful for a person to take adverse action against another person for a proscribed reason.

One of the features of the general protections provisions under the FW Act is the presumption that…

Workplace Investigations Secret Recordings - Can you record conversations without the knowledge or consent of one or more of the parties. Thanks to Navjot Singh from Pannu Lawyers for the…

In order to access the unfair dismissal jurisdiction, an employee must be “dismissed” from their employment by the employer. One of the instances in which an employee may be “dismissed” from their employment is if they were forced to resign because of the employer’s conduct or course of conduct. This is referred to as “constructive dismissal”.

This can often be a contentious issue as employees may perceive that…

The COVID-19 pandemic is changing the way people work and interact with each other. It's still vital to follow safety protocols, distance yourself from crowds, and forget about social dining until the pandemic is over. That's why a lot of Australians still have to work remotely and reach their professional goals from the comfort of their home. 

Remote work can be beneficial, and a lot of business owners are…

These days, it seems like every second person you speak to has a "side hustle". They're driving a ride share vehicle, selling essential oils, skincare or make-up, have an artisan stall at the local markets or online, create and deliver Instagram worthy share platters, provide graphic design services, or take photographs of newborn babies. The gig economy has made these means of secondary income accessible to the masses via social media and other online…

There has been an increasing interest and focus in recent years towards organisations recognising and leveraging the unique skillsets of neurodiverse employees – namely, those with neurological variations such as Autism, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, and ADHD.

This unique skillset can include one or many of the following:

• ability to be hyper focus,
• to think outside the box and innovate,
• greater awareness and attention to detail,
• greater logical and…

The Fair Work Regulations 2009 (Cth) (FW Regulations) impose a number of obligations on employers with respect to the making and keeping of employee records and pay slips.

The FW Regulations set out what records an employer is required to hold and the period for which they must be…

resigning in the heat of the moment – how should employers and councils act?

We have recently been asked by a client if they could treat a resignation by a disgruntled employee as a genuine resignation. The employee had felt stressed by events in his personal life and believed unjustified criticism was being directed towards him. He appeared to have verbally resigned at a performance management meeting and partially cleared his work desk.

We have recently…

The world as we knew it has been turned upside down with a global pandemic disrupting borders, causing economic downfall, mental stress and most of all – redundancies, unemployment and having to find new jobs. 

The job market has taken a large hit. Businesses have been forced to work remotely, companies have invested largely in e-learning and other technology-based solutions, zoom virtual backgrounds are the new “outfit of the day”

“Companies will need to be even more…

Planning a work Xmas party? read on…..

The Fair Work Commission’s recent decision in Chambers v Toll Transport Pty Ltd[1] (the Decision) is a useful reminder for employers that not all ‘out of work hours’ misconduct by employees may give rise to a valid reason for dismissal especially in…

With the entire workplace moving online – everyone has had to sharpen their digital skills in order to function. Using technology has now become a necessity rather than a choice. Technological advancements have been evolving since the beginning, but since the pandemic, companies have heavily invested in infrastructure, technology and online platforms to help make workplaces more efficient.

In this era, improving digital skills is really important to stay relevant and dynamic. At a…

HR professionals have their finger on the pulse of the workplace, so it’s no surprise that they are involved in more departments than most. Traditionally speaking, physical security and access control have not been HR’s main area of expertise because it hasn’t needed to be. COVID-19, however, has thrown every HR professional’s…