Giving a senior employee three months' notice of termination, then summarily dismissing him on "inexplicable" grounds after just a month, had the potential to cause such "extreme" damage to his reputation that it warranted $450k in damages, a court has ruled. » more »
One employer will have to face an unfair dismissal claim lodged outside the 21-day timeframe after the Fair Work Commission accepted the employee had no internet access, but another employee has failed to prove his poor mental health prevented timely lodgment of his claim. » more »
Two employees have successfully argued that their post-termination mental health should excuse their late unfair dismissal claims, in separate cases before the Fair Work Commission. » more »
An external email implying an employee was sacked for "disciplinary reasons" was defamatory, a court has ruled in awarding him more than $230k in damages. » more »
An employer's decision to sack a worker for serious misconduct would have been unfair were it not for facts that emerged immediately after his dismissal, the Fair Work Commission has ruled. » more »
A manager who set up a business in competition with her former employer has been ordered to refile her defence to allegations she breached post-employment restraints and stole its confidential information. » more »
Modifications to an employee's incentive scheme and role effectively repudiated his employment contract, leaving his employer powerless to stop him from courting former clients, an appeal court has found. » more »
An employer has won a court order for a contractor to return its confidential information, some three years after they parted ways on unfriendly terms. » more »
An employer has proven it has enough ground to suspect a manager's confidentiality breach that it should be allowed access to his USB devices. Meanwhile, studies suggest employers aren't investing enough in information security training and workplace culture development; three new commissioners have been appointed; and more. » more »
Disputes about company information theft and LinkedIn connection ownership are rife, but can be prevented with steps taken early in the employment relationship, a law specialist says. » more »
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Courts and commissions are more closely scrutinising not just the validity of employers' termination decisions, but also the fairness of their procedures. This webinar will discuss typical mistakes, their ramifications, and how to avoid them.
