Specialist employment law firm, Aitken Legal has promoted two employment lawyers based in its Sunshine Coast office and one in its Gold Coast office. Angela Engel, who heads the firm’s Gold Coast office, has been promoted to Senior Special Counsel. Angela has over 20 years’ experience practicing in employment law with 12 of those years […]
From 1 May 2023, a significant number of employers in Australia will lose a current right, contained in many modern awards, to direct employees to take unpaid leave during shutdown periods when the employee has no accrued annual leave. The majority of employers have a shutdown period at least once a year, sometimes due to […]
Two recent cases, the first before the Fair Work Commission (‘FWC’), and the second before Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (‘IR Commission’), provide two distinct examples of what employer should do, and what an employer should not do, in terms of assessing a flexible work arrangements request. Fyfe v Ambulance Victoria – Fair Work Commission Case […]
Industrial Relations reform was a dominant political battleground between the major parties, and a clear focus for the Albanese Federal Government throughout 2022. The Federal Government has now successfully passed arguably the most significant reforms to the Fair Work Act since its introduction some 13 years ago. Some amendments will have immediate impacts for employers, […]
Workplace Christmas functions are a great way to reward staff and encourage connectedness, both of which are key to creating a high-performing team. However, the work Christmas party can often result in HR nightmares if handled incorrectly. We have set out a guide to ensuring your end of year celebrations remain legally uneventful: Step One: […]
This month we deal with an extremely interesting decision of the Fair Work Commission where despite best practice investigation there was a ruling against the employer. Our key message is this should not detract from an employer seeking to follow best practice in allegations of serious misconduct. Sydney Trains has been ordered to reinstate an […]
The Commonwealth Parliament has passed a bill confirming a right to paid leave for all employees, including casuals, who are impacted by family and domestic violence (FDV). The new paid leave entitlement will be captured in the Fair Work Act 2009. For non-small business employers, the amendments will come into effect on 1 February 2023, […]
When considering disciplining an employee, employers usually turn their minds to the risk of an unfair dismissal claim, particularly where they are considering termination as the disciplinary action to be taken. Whilst unfair dismissal is often front of mind, all too often, employers are unaware of the significant risk posed by the general protections provisions […]
The Respect@Work Bill is set to create duty on employers to take reasonable and proportionate measures to eliminate sexual harassment, discrimination and sex-based harassment The Federal Government has taken the first step in delivering on its election promise to implement the remaining recommendations from the Respect@Work report. The most significant change from the Bill introduced […]
The Prime Minister has announced a one-off public holiday on 22 September 2022 for all Australian states and territories following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The day is to serve as a National Day of Mourning, and for the public to pay their respects to the Queen and her 70 years of […]