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…