Browsing: Bullying

Federal parliamentarians and parliamentary workplace staff will be better protected from s-xual assault, harassment, bullying and other WHS risks through a new complaints mechanism, being established under a legislative instrument.

Being able to talk to managers about stress experienced at work, without fear of recrimination, more than doubles a worker's ability to cope with the stress, a major burnout study of more than 1,500 Australian and New Zealand workers has found.

The struggle of workers to "decode" written communications, which are prolific in remote-work set-ups, is triggering a hunter-gatherer survival mechanism and perceptions of being bullied, a senior WHS researcher says.

A doctor's role in "one of the most stressful occupations" did not excuse his conduct in bullying and denigrating workers during a complex procedure, a commission has found in upholding a sanction against the man.

A man has been convicted of two category-1 WHS breaches - the first reckless conduct convictions recorded in his jurisdiction. After he was sentenced, a regulator slammed his workplace's stoic culture and the inaction of witnesses to a teenage worker's serious burns.

A full Federal Court has quashed a $5.2 million award to a senior manager who was sacked after making bullying complaints. The Court ordered a retrial to consider his employer's stated reasons for terminating his employment, including that he created a culture of fear in his team.

In a case highlighting the potential financial ramifications of workplace harassment and safety incidents, the Federal Court has rejected a bid to recover nearly $700,000 in incapacity payments and medical expenses from an injured worker, who was paid $1.25 million to settle her s-xual harassment and discrimination claims.

A team leader has been ordered not to use Slack or other online communication apps to give a worker directions where they can be made verbally, with the Fair Work Commission upholding the worker's bid for stop-bullying orders to protect her health and safety.

A worker has unsuccessfully claimed her employer unreasonably rejected her "return to work conditions" aimed at protecting her from the "semi-hostile" workplace, making it liable for her psychological injury.

Leading Australian WHS experts have found, from two studies, that promoting work engagement to boost productivity can create "workaholics" at high risk of depression where the workplace is not psychologically safe.