A football club's "deficient" investigation and lack of procedural fairness rendered unfair its sacking of a worker for spreading "false and degrading s-xualised rumours" in the workplace, the FWC has found.
The Human Rights Commission and the Law Council have voiced major concerns to a Senate inquiry into a Bill designed to protect workers who bring sexual harassment claims from costs orders in most circumstances, but the ACTU says criticisms are "unfounded".
A couple has been cleared to pursue Telstra over claims it is vicariously responsible for their alleged s-xual harassment by a former employee using confidential contact details sourced through the telco.
Legislation introduced to Federal Parliament today to protect workers who bring sexual harassment claims from costs orders in most circumstances marks the "final legislative reform" in implementing the recommendations of the landmark Respect@Work report, according to the Albanese Government.
Employment rights legal centre JobWatch says a client survey suggests most employers are failing to take internal complaints of workplace sexual harassment and discrimination seriously or to adequately protect employees, prompting recommendations to expand positive duty and vicarious liability provisions, and actively monitor compliance.
A jeweller who showered a manager with gifts and compliments, along with unrequited declarations of his affections and a slap on the bottom, is facing a record damages payout for sexually harassing her and victimising her for complaining about it, while his law firm is under fire for the "intimidatory and vindictive" tone of its correspondence.
Maurice Blackburn's head of employment and industrial law, Josh Bornstein, says damages for discrimination and harassment "remain persistently low" but he expects an upwards trajectory as their impact has been "laid bare" and expectations are now clearer.
The NTEU is calling for urgent change, after its latest survey found that "s-xual harassment, s-xism, and gender-based bias in tertiary education workplaces continues to be largely ignored and as a result remains firmly entrenched in our universities".
The Productivity Commission's leadership and human resources teams will undergo training in trauma-informed, victim-centred responses, as part of a suite of "significant" changes for the advisory body, after staff told an independent review that HR is a "black box" offering limited insight into actions to address complaints of inappropriate workplace behaviours.
An employer has fended off a new employee's adverse action claim after providing evidence of the numerous steps it took to address se-xual harassment and bullying allegations before her abrupt resignation.
