No employer operates in a silo – all employers operate in complex systems of interrelated stakeholders including employees, customers, other businesses, and regulators who enforce the laws that apply to the employer and their business.



The actions of employers, therefore, have consequences for those stakeholders. Even decisions that on the surface appear only to concern two parties – the employer and the employee – can have ripple effects on the others.



For example, the…

The rapid rise of concepts such as the gig economy has seen a significant shift in our understanding of the differences between independent contractors and employees. The distinction between the two is now more complex and can be difficult to discern, but regulatory bodies have made it clear that they will not tolerate the intentional mischaracterisation of employment relationships as a means of depriving genuine employees of their entitlements.



There have been numerous cases in…

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) is responsible for ensuring compliance with workplace laws. It does this by investigating and taking enforcement action against suspected breaches of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (FW Act).



Under the FW Act, one of the enforcement powers of the FWO is to issue a compliance notice requiring the employer to address contraventions of the FW Act. Failing to comply with this compliance notice has serious consequences…

The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has recently ordered the re-instatement of a dedicated pelican feeder in the San Remo region in southern Victoria who worked only one hour a week, finding that his dismissal was without valid reason and procedural fairness (Matthews v San Remo Fisherman’s Co Operative [2019] FWC 4877).

Prior to his dismissal, the employee had been employed by San Remo Fisherman’s Co Operative (the Co-Op) as a pelican…

Work health and safety legislation aims to provide protections for workers and other persons by eliminating or minimising risks to health and safety. In addition to the primary duty of care imposed on businesses, the work health and safety legislation also imposes a duty on workers.



The duty owed by workers is separate to that owed by the business and workers can therefore be individually prosecuted for failing to comply with their duty – as recently occurred in a case in NSW…

Discussions with employees about restructures and redundancies are difficult and emotions often run high. Unfortunately, these things are a natural part of operating a business and can be the result of a range of factors from the introduction of new technology to the workplace, to a downturn in business.



With emotions running high, explanations about why a redundancy has occurred and what has happened to an employee’s job can sometimes get lost or confused. This is particularly so…

Employers regularly have to deal with issues relating to employee behaviour, work performance and misconduct. Often these concepts are interrelated and it can be difficult for employers to correctly characterise employee conduct and behaviour when a decision is made to commence a disciplinary process with an employee.



However, if the characterisation of the issue at hand is not made correctly in the disciplinary context, there is a real risk that an employee cannot properly answer…

Terminating an employee’s employment can be a confronting situation. It is difficult news to deliver and is often fuelled with emotion. For those reasons, many managers and employers attempt to avoid conflict or confrontation by delivering the news in a way that doesn’t involve a face to face meeting, such as in email or text message.

In two recent decisions, the Fair Work Commission (FWC) has warned against such an approach and has heavily criticised two separate…

One of Workplace Law’s lawyers recently attended a sporting event at one of the largest sporting arenas in New South Wales, and had the unfortunate experience of having to listen to nearby spectators make inappropriate (and racially charged) comments about the players on the field. This issue was raised with the hosting club and the venue subsequent to the game, however, as the perpetrators couldn’t be identified, the response was that the matter could not be taken any further.

For…

Social media has long been a platform through which athletes can engage with their fans and “build their brand”.



For professional athletes, their status as public figures make them instantly recognisable and immediately associated with their sport and their club. Even a non-professional athlete’s use of social media can impact the club or sport’s relationships with sponsors and the public. Given this linked recognition, posts on social media will inevitably be seen as a reflection…

Since it arrived in Australia, Uber has been under fire for its disruption of the transport industry and its complicated relationship with its drivers.



At present, Uber is facing a class action law suit from taxi and hire car drivers in Australia, as well as an enquiry into the working conditions of on-demand workers by the Victorian Government. Globally, drivers have protested seeking fairness in pay and better safety conditions.



Of all the issues faced by Uber, one of…

Managing employee exits can be tricky business, particularly when dismissing an employee for unacceptable conduct and behaviour. In some cases, the parties will try and reach an amicable solution to end the employment relationship such as agreeing to allow the employee to resign.



However, employers must be careful when entering into these types of discussions. The way in which an employee’s employment is finalised could have a significant bearing on that employee’s entitlement to…

Deciding on the terms under which to engage a person to perform services can be a complex task. There are benefits to engaging individuals as independent contractors where there is a particular task, project or specialised kind of work that needs to be performed. But mischaracterising the relationship can have dire consequences for employers.…

It has unfortunately become a common occurrence for employees who are subject to management action (such as the issuing of reasonable and lawful directions or disciplinary processes) to immediately seek redress by filing a claim against their employer (or other employees) alleging things such as adverse action, discrimination or bullying. In these instances, employers often feel obliged to delay or defer any further management action until the employee’s claim is resolved.

In a recent…

A recent decision of the Fair Work Commission (FWC) has reminded employers of the importance of taking a measured and consistent approach to enforcing workplace policies and procedures – particularly those relating to work health and safety.

In Cordowiner v Ashton Coal Operations Pty Ltd [2019] FWC 2525, the FWC ordered an employer to withdraw a formal warning that it had issued to an employee following a safety breach, because its supervisors had condoned the conduct to the…

When employees clash it can sometimes result in claims that one or both are bullying the other. When emotions are running high and differences are unable to be resolved, employees often turn to the anti-bullying jurisdiction of the Fair Work Commission (FWC).

Under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (FW Act), the FWC can hear a bullying claim and make any orders it considers necessary (other than orders involving monetary compensation) to stop bullying from continuing. Before…

The model Work Health and Safety Act (Model Act) imposes a duty on officers to exercise due diligence to ensure that the person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) complies with safety duties.

In SafeWork NSW v Macquarie Milling Co Pty Limited; SafeWork NSW v Samuels [2019] NSWDC 111, a company and its sole director pleaded guilty to, and were convicted of, failing to comply with their duties to a worker, including a failing on the part of the director to…

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