From 26 August 2024 (or 26 August 2025 for small businesses), employees gain a new right in the workplace, the ‘right to disconnect’.

Workplace investigations are becoming increasingly commonplace (and more complex) in what can be a fast-paced, pressured decision-making environment, whether you work in the corporate or government sector. Such investigations can quickly become media spectacles, affecting the reputation of even the most prominent organisations and the most innocent of participants.

Working remotely has become a hot topic, prompting organisations to carefully navigate requests for flexible arrangements. In a recent decision, the Fair Work Commission (FWC) outlined some factors that may justify denying a working from home (WFH) request

Identifying a workplace’s specific psychosocial risks is not easy. It not only requires research and evidence to inform decision making, but sometimes brave decisions by leaders when their managers are not acting on information they receive about risks, or in fact when that manager themselves is the problem. Creating a safe workplace requires vigilance, empathy, and action from its leaders.

Rejecting a return-to-work plan may lead to disability discrimination risks, as demonstrated by a recent VCAT decision where an employer was ordered to pay $45,000 for pain and suffering, along with over $190,000 for lost income and entitlements, reinforcing the growing trend of substantial awards for anti-discrimination law breaches.