An HR manager acted unreasonably in failing to gauge whether a worker was able to continue with a surprise two-hour meeting, during which the worker was bombarded with allegations of bullying and harassment, the ACT Supreme Court has found.
Encouraging employees to socialise out of hours is good leadership practice, but employers should reconsider whether such encouragement extends to "kicking on" into the night, a Fair Work Commissioner has said in an unfair dismissal dispute.
The Victorian Magistrates Court has rejected a manager's claim that his psychological injury arose from being overworked and bullied by managers, finding he sustained it after he was suspended for abusing colleagues.
A worker who claims her supervisor directed her to accompany him alone in his work vehicle, before taking her to a caravan park "to party", has been awarded workers' compensation for a psychiatric injury.
A special Safe Work Australia report has found that while almost all construction employers take steps to identify and remove hazards, nearly one in three workers feel their conditions prevent them from working safely, and many believe that substance abuse is one of the "main possible causes" of injury.
The Fair Work Commission has found that workers aren't required to report bullying to their employers before applying for stop-bullying orders, and that sacking a worker doesn't necessarily nullify his or her bullying application.
A Fair Work Commissioner has slammed a sacked worker for "acting the eejit" and groping a waitress while staying at a hotel, in finding his employer had "good grounds" to dismiss him.
Introducing or changing drug and alcohol policies that include testing regimes create both opportunities and challenges for employers, which must consider consultation, privacy and a host of other matters throughout the process, an international law firm says.
A judge has rejected a worker's claim that her employer took adverse action against her in sacking her for making a bullying complaint against managers, finding she was dismissed for performance issues and reacting poorly to criticism.
