A "critical and insensitive" manager who routinely swore at his subordinates in an attempt to motivate them to meet purported "German demands" has lost his adverse action case, with a court finding his behaviour warranted instant dismissal and he wasn't the victim of WHS breaches.
Disingenuous attempts by companies to curb s-xual harassment in response to increased attention on the matter are damaging the chances for change, according to the latest instalment of a landmark Australian study.
Former Federal S-x Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick has been tasked with shifting her focus to a new sector and ensuring employers are complying with their positive duties to prevent harassment and protect the safety of staff.
A worker who claimed her employer bullied and demoralised her for not getting a COVID-19 vaccine has lost her psychological injury case, with a commission finding her commitment as an anti-vaxxer motivated her to "invent exaggerated symptoms".
A recent workers' comp dispute has illustrated the "tricky climate" new legislation on workplace s-xual harassment has created for employers, and the need to adapt processes to specific complaints, a senior safety and employment lawyer says.
A company director who bullied a subcontractor for four years, and abused him for raising safety concerns to do with the COVID-19 pandemic, has been convicted of workplace health and safety contraventions.
A major employer has been found, for the second time, to be liable for a psychological injury sustained by a worker subjected to a "stringent" rule - banning him from speaking to female colleagues without supervision - while harassment allegations against him were investigated.
A WHS regulator will step up its enforcement activities against workplace psychosocial hazards, like excessive workloads, with more specialist inspectors and better engagement with stakeholders, under two of 46 accepted recommendations from a highly anticipated review.