This article examines the issues surrounding employers adopting drug and alcohol testing policies.

A recent case before Fair Work Australia (FWA) highlights the benefit for companies in having a social media and other relevant policies and making staff aware of the content of those policies.

Fair Work has recently announced the new higher limit used to determine eligibility of high income earners to take an unfair dismissal action, and also award coverage.

In this article we consider some of the statutory limits surrounding the ability of an employer to make authorised deductions from an employee’s wages.

During the recent Queensland flood and cyclone emergencies, most Australians - employers included - were quick to offer support to the community and staff. This article provides an update on additional means employers can support their staff, as well as outline their obligations according to legislation.

There are sometimes surprising complexities around who can take an unfair dismissal under the Fair Work Act.

We answer a client query about what is included and excluded in determining whether a high-income executive who is not otherwise covered by an award or an enterprise agreement is able to take an unfair dismissal action.

There are some overall positives arising out of the introduction of the Fair Work Act and the NES in particular.

Employers will need to make sure they dismiss employees in writing from 1/1/10.

Common sense appears to have prevailed with one aspect of Fair Work protections for sick and injured staff members.

Final Small Business - Fair Dismissal Code now available.

The Fair Work Act will significantly change the employment conditions that apply when an employee 'transfers' in their employment to a new employer, where they are employed within 3 months.

Payment for work on a public holiday for most employees is dependent on things like award or enterprise agreement provisions. We stress that it is therefore hard to generalise about public holidays, but here is some information about Easter Saturday and Anzac Day in 2009. 

100 employee exemption gone for SMEs; small employers must meet Fair Dismissal Code when dismissing; new employee protections introduced; and more.

The 6 month qualifying period has been retained. Unfair dismissal applications must be lodged within 7 days, but this is likely to be changed to 14 days by the time it becomes law.

The Fair Work Bill represents a significant change for SMEs in that they will once again be subject to unfair dismissal laws. 

As with employers with 15 to 100 employees, the area of unfair dismissals is being re-regulated for smaller employers. However, they will have a slightly different regime to comply with, compared with larger employers.

A client has raised an interesting situation involving people speaking in a language other than English in the workplace. Whose rights do we trample? Join our forum on the topic.

We spend a lot of our time helping employers extract themselves from difficult situations arising around employee counselling and discipline. This is a great source of new business for us, but not what we would prefer to spend our time doing, because inevitably, its not productive for our client. In this article, we talk about some of the procedural steps involved in dealing with difficult or non-performing employees and provide you with access to a free template 'Disciplinary Record' form which you can adopt as your own.

In our professional experience, it doesn't really matter what Government or legislation is in place - some employees will simply do whatever it takes to get back at you. The solution? To lower your risk of it happening to you, apply some basic fairness in everything you do.