An employer's actions in refusing a worker with a mental illness accommodations to return to work during a busy period were "realistic" and did not amount to discrimination against her impairments, a commission has ruled.
S-xism in the workplace harms workers' mental health, but interventions that make them feel like they belong in an organisation can reduce the impact, according to Australian researchers, who stress that the ultimate goal is preventing s-xism, not just its effects.
A worker with a disability's requested adjustments, like receiving all work directions in writing to avoid miscommunication, were "unjustifiable" and in some cases potentially unsafe, despite being recommended by his GP, a court has found.
A company owner has been jailed for recklessly endangering and killing a worker. Meanwhile, a major employer has been fined nearly $500,000 for threatening an HSR who refused to endorse an unsafe work method, and another employer has been fined over a quarry death.
An obese worker assessed as being a fall-risk has been granted leave to pursue discrimination claims against her former employer, including for its purported failure to provide reasonable work adjustments to accommodate her condition.
An employer has been ordered to pay a psychologically ill worker $160,000, after a court found its decision to dismiss him over "concerns about [his] capacity to return to work" was the same as dismissing him because of his mental disability.
Australian PCBUs tend to focus heavily on the "real and imagined" hazards posed by workers with mental illness, while being "almost indifferent" to how these workers are psychologically impacted by discriminatory and poorly designed work systems, according to a leading disability rights and industrial relations academic.
In a decision highlighting the risks of ignoring workplace complaints, a worker has been awarded damages after her manager discouraged her from formally complaining about another worker's menacing and s-xual comments.
