Two organisations have avoided being found vicariously liable for s-xual harassment committed by employees, after proving they had taken reasonable steps to prevent and manage the incidents.
Leading cultural change demands strong focus, an unwavering determination and a willingness to be held accountable, says Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick.
Industrial tribunals have responded well to the challenges posed by social media misconduct, and employers shouldn't be afraid to take action in appropriate cases, says barrister Elizabeth Raper.
Employers that are serious about improving gender diversity should implement a "no just joking" policy to eliminate low-level sexism at work, a new report recommends.
Not enough employers are conducting the workplace audits necessary to prevent and manage bullying, says People and Culture Strategies managing principal Joydeep Hor.
Organisations seeking to avoid sexual harassment scandals should rely not on policy or procedure to change their culture, but on the behaviour of their leaders, says Professor Julie Zetler of the Faculty of Business and Economics at Macquarie University.
Most HR policies fail to deal with modern bullying, discrimination and harassment challenges - including after-hours misconduct and misuse of social networks - says workplace lawyer Brad Swebeck.
Employers can significantly reduce the risk of a psychological injury claim if they practise eight important steps, say Hicksons employment lawyers Brad Swebeck and Stewart Cameron.
Most HR policies fail to deal with modern bullying, discrimination and harassment challenges - including after-hours misconduct and misuse of social networks - says workplace lawyer Brad Swebeck.
In this presentation, he and fellow Hicksons Lawyers partner Stewart Cameron outline:
How to detect, prevent and manage bullying, discrimination and harassment;
New psychological injury risks posed by misuse of social networks/media;
What to include in bullying and harassment policies;
Your rights and responsibilities when managing employees' out-of-hours behaviour;
Appropriate responses to employee complaints;
Lessons to be learned from successful claims brought against employers;
How to defend spurious claims;
How to avoid claims arising from performance management; and
HR managers' liability for psychological injury under the existing and new OHS national framework.
In an important ruling for employers, a tribunal has cleared an organisation of vicarious liability for sexual harassment, finding that it took "all reasonable steps" to prevent the behaviour from occurring.
The laws around engaging casual and contract workers have changed drastically this year. Understand how this affects your organisation by attending this HR Daily webinar.
It's always important to review and update employment contracts, but this is especially so following the raft of legislative changes over the past year. Watch this HR Daily Premium webcast to learn key areas to look out for.