Employment Law
Working from Home – The Forced Hand of the Coronavirus
The Coronavirus has had a number of unexpected (and expected) ripple effects in the workplace.– Pay cuts– Stand downs– Redundancy– Government Assistance and Stimulus packages– Social Distancing– Increase in Microsoft teams and Zoom use– Sourcing a webcam been a bit more difficult– Who should stay in the office and who should work from home Working from home is not a new phenomenon and…
Read MoreRedundancy, Pay Cuts and Stand Down in the face of the Coronavirus
Pay Cuts? Stand Down? Redundancy? This is a difficult time we are currently in as we see clients, friends of the firm and connections take hit after hit during this time of pandemic status of the coronavirus. No doubt there will be a plethora of opportunity for Employers after this outbreak is satiated however in…
Read MoreWage Theft – the new compliance fear for Employers
Underpayment of wages by major companies has led to a term being coined “wage theft”. In particular, there has been a push by Unions as well as the Federal and State Governments to put in place criminal penalties for underpayment of wages – wage theft. Woolworths Coles Subway Commonwealth Bank Made Establishment (George Colambaris) Dominos…
Read MoreCoronavirus in the Workplace – What do Employers do?
The Coronavirus has impacted a number of clients in various fields that rely upon travel, business in Asia, retail and manufacturing. We have had a number of clients asking for guidance as to what to do in these troubled times. The question needs to be asked – what do Employers do? A number of Coronavirus…
Read MoreLong running jokes – is it sexual harassment? An Employment Lawyer’s answer
As an employment lawyer and part of a law firm that represents employers in employment law I am regularly challenged by numerous people, be it – clients, managers, supervisors, consultants, accountants, other lawyers with different specialties, and even friends in regards to the complex issues around sexual harassment and workplace bullying. It will usually go…
Read MoreAnnualised Salary Changes in Modern Awards – A Checklist
As part of its four-yearly review of modern awards, the Fair Work Commission (FWC) handed down a decision to insert two new ‘model’ clauses impacting the payment of Annualised Salaries to employees covered by certain awards. These changes are primarily intended to address a lack of uniformity among the range of clauses currently found in…
Read MoreCosts for the Coast – How commercial decisions can assist Councils in obtaining costs orders
NB Lawyers – lawyers for employers recently acted for the Fraser Coast Regional Council (the Council) and successfully obtained a costs order following an unsuccessful application for reinstatement filed by a former employee.[1] We have previously written an article discussing the unsuccessful substantive application (https://www.lawyersforemployers.com.au/application-for-reinstatement-denied). HR Teams in Councils (or any practitioner familiar with employment…
Read MoreApplication for Reinstatement, Denied – How Excellent Complaint Management gives Lessons for HR Teams in Councils
Application for Reinstatement, Denied – How Excellent Complaint Management gives Lessons for HR Teams in Councils Our firm has recently acted for the Fraser Coast Regional Council (the Council) in relation to an application for reinstatement before the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC).[1] Following our successful defence of the application for reinstatement, we continued to…
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