Trent Hancock – principal at Jewell Hancock, and winner of this year’s Lawyers Weekly 30 Under 30 Award in Employment and Workplace Relations …
News
A Current Affair - June 18, 2022
Australia’s office occupancy rates following the pandemic have re-ignite the work from home debate amongst employers and workers …
Office occupancy rates ignite working from home debate
Melbourne merchandise manager Jenny Searle is among a growing number of employees around the country who say they’re done with the office …
The legal considerations you need to know when your employees request a pay rise
Much has been made of a recent increase of the cost of living in Australia which has been matched with flat wage growth …
Can you deny an employee’s annual leave request?
As the world reopens and people start planning holidays, employers might be faced with resourcing issues …
Know your rights: LGBTIQA+ discrimination at work
Most people are aware that it’s illegal for a company to decide not to hire you based on your LGBTIQA+ identity. What some people may not realise though …
How to ensure compliance when conducting reference checks
A thorough reference check could be your best defence against a bad hire, but be wary of legal pitfalls that could arise …
Religious Discrimination Bill ‘Trojan Horse for hate’
The Religious Discrimination Bill now has the support of the opposition following another controversial amendment, making it that much more likely to pass through the House of Representatives and into the Senate …
Back to the office? These are your rights as an employee
As Australia muddles through another wave of the pandemic, employees are reluctant to head back to the office full-time after years of working from home …
Staff could walk out on the job unless they get RATs free of charge
Unions are threatening to walk off the job unless employers give out elusive rapid antigen tests (RATs) free of charge …
Workplace commission rejects an employee’s bid to work remotely from interstate
A workplace tribunal has found a Queensland employer’s decision to reject a worker’s request to work remotely was “fair and reasonable” …
Know your rights: Internships
Internships can be a great way of giving you valuable experience in your industry and an opportunity to get your foot in the door with an employer …
Two legal experts answer HR’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate questions
After our readers put forward some of their most pressing COVID-19 vaccination mandate questions, we asked two lawyers to respond. Here’s what they said …
Fair Work upholds dismissal of worker who refused to get the flu shot
Employment lawyers say a decision on Monday to uphold the dismissal of an aged care worker who refused to get the flu shot last year should provide some reassurance to employers …
5 common legal pitfalls to avoid when you're hiring
Thinking about your responsibilities when it comes to the law and HR can be daunting …
NSW mandates COVID-19 vaccine for certain workers: What does it mean for employers?
NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian has suggested some industries will reopen to vaccinated customers and employees from next month …
Can I be fired without 3 written warnings?
When it comes to the law around written warnings, it’s normal to have questions …
SEEK boss predicts employers will ‘inevitably’ request vaccination status of job seekers, but is it legal?
Employers that enforce a vaccination mandate in their workplace will be able to request the vaccination status of candidates on job ads …
‘Unrealistic’: SPC’s no jab, no work plan out on a legal limb
Food giant SPC Australia’s plan to force workers to get COVID vaccines has sparked controversy, with unions labelling it “unrealistic” …
SPC becomes first Aussie business to make COVID-19 vaccine compulsory for 450 workers
The direction of Victorian food processor SPC for all staff to get vaccinated against COVID-19 could lead to Australia’s first ever test case over what’s considered a frontline worker …
Aussie chairman says staff 'very happy' with vaccine mandate
SPC is Australia’s first company to mandate vaccinations for staff, a decision chairman Hussein Rifai said is welcomed by all employees …
WA's hotel quarantine workers have been told no jab, no job
All hotel quarantine workers in Western Australia must now be vaccinated under the state government’s public health direction …
Legal roundtable: How will defining sexual harassment as ‘serious misconduct’ affect SMEs?
The Fair Work Act will be amended to allow employers to summarily dismiss perpetrators of sexual harassment in the workplace …
KPMG to abolish controversial ‘expected’ retirement policy
Partners at KPMG have reportedly voted to abolish the firm’s “expected” retirement age of 58 from July 1 this year …
What employers can learn about duty of care from the government’s handling of Brittany Higgins’ alleged sexual assault
There are a lot of disturbing details in the recent story about the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins in Parliament House …
Redeployments: a legal refresher
As JobKeeper comes to an end next month, redundancies could be on the table for some organisations …
In limited circumstances, an employer can require an employee to get a COVID-19 vaccination: Here’s who is in the minority
Whether or not employers have the ability to lawfully require employees to receive a coronavirus vaccination has been a hotly debated topic …
Can secret recordings be used as evidence in workplace disputes?
HRM asked a legal expert what employees can and can’t do with secret recording during workplace disputes …
Age Discrimination | Your rights at work
Learn what age discrimination is and how you can mitigate it in the workplace or recruitment process from Andrew Jewell …
COVID-19 vaccine: NSW Premier suggests venues could bar entry to those who refuse jab
The NSW Premier said the state is considering a radical plan to allow venues like bars and restaurants to refuse entry to people who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 …
What you need to know about probationary periods
With the job market starting to open up again, lots of candidates are on the move and starting new roles …
A COVID-19 vaccine is coming: how mandatory could it be?
“As mandatory as you can possibly make it.” That was how Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison described …
Will the government’s new casual loading offset provisions prevent double-dipping?
Over the last six months, the federal government has been openly critical of the decisions of the Federal Court of Australia …
Unpacking the Fair Work Act’s new casual conversion “right”
Earlier this week, the federal government unveiled the much-anticipated Fair Work Amendment (Supporting Australia’s Jobs and Economic Recovery) Bill 2020 in parliament …
The new definition of the “casual employee”: The details, the flaws and the likely outcome
On December 9, 2020, the federal government introduced the long-awaited Fair Work Amendment (Supporting Australia’s Jobs and Economic Recovery) Bill 2020 …
Top five legal mistakes for recruiters to avoid
As an employment lawyer working predominantly for employees, I’ve seen the best and worst of recruitment practices around Australia …
Casual worker rights: What IR reforms mean for employers
Casual worker rights will be one of the biggest shake-ups under the coalition government’s hotly anticipated IR reforms bill …
Is it legal to direct employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19?
Earlier this week, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce announced the airline would require international passengers to prove they had been vaccinated for COVID-19 …
Isn’t it about time we give every employee the right to work from home?
Last week, Christian Porter urged employers across Australia to bring their employees back to the office as quickly as possible …
‘Workplace relationships are back on the agenda’
In the new normal, employers must ensure their fundamental WHS obligations are in line with evolving workplace environments and employee interactions …
Is it legal to advertise positions for JobMaker-eligible candidates only?
The ABS reported on October 15, 2020, that the youth unemployment rate increased by 0.4 points to 14.5% in the month of September 2020 …
The illegal interview questions employers can’t ask you
Before you head to an interview, it’s important to be aware of the questions that recruiters and employers shouldn’t be asking you …
New employment law firm launches
In the face of changing employment and workplace challenges, two former McDonald Murholme lawyers have started their own firm …
The myth of the three warnings: What’s required in a dismissal process?
The ‘three warnings’ rule is one of the most common misconceptions in employment law. It simply does not exist…
Post-employment obligations in the legal industry
Legal employers and employees must ensure they are fully on top of the varying obligations placed upon them in a marketplace after COVID-19…
WFH: Employment obligations in the ‘new normal’
Employers will have to be especially prudent about ensuring they uphold their workplace, health and safety obligations post-pandemic …
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