Workers who receive little support from colleagues and managers are twice as likely to develop "significant depression symptoms", and far more likely to take sick leave, a new Safe Work Australia-commissioned report has found.
A judge has slammed WorkCover NSW's sacking of one of its senior IT employees, describing the investigation and dismissal process as "shabby", "devoid of any common sense or fairness", having the "characterisation of institutional bullying" and conveying "an attitude of premeditation and witch hunt".
Draft stevedoring Code and wharf fatality report released; Asbestos guide released as national exposure register opens; and FWC expecting 3500 anti-bullying applications per year.
The Federal Government's FWA Amendment Bill has passed through the House of Representatives, but its bullying provisions have been delayed for six months. Queensland workers' comp changes have also passed through Parliament.
A Westpac employee who was bullied and called "Scabby Abby" by colleagues has been awarded workers' compensation, after the Queensland IRC found one manager lied about the worker's performance, and another failed to act on her harassment complaints.
ACT funds new safety inspectors as Qld locks in "competitive" premiums; Coalition confirms commitment to FWC bullying plan; and Warnings issued after outdoor workers killed in South Australia and Victoria.
All employers, including those that foster a fun or relaxed working environment, must take steps to prevent workplace pranks, or risk being found liable for jokes that get out of hand, says OHS lawyer Saul Harben.
Safe Work Australia has released a revised draft model Code of Practice on the prevention of workplace bullying, which no longer includes the words "subtle" and "indirect" or references to initiation practices in its examples of bullying.
Safe Work Australia members have agreed - for the second time in three months - to release the draft model Codes of Practice on the prevention of workplace bullying and stevedoring risks. The statutory agency has also finalised its cash-in-transit Code, and published a new notifiable fatalities report.
A worker who claimed she was forced to quit her job because her employer wouldn't investigate her complaints of sexual harassment and bullying has had her unfair dismissal claim rejected.
