Legal Updates

Summary: Thorough investigations of complaints will help to protect both employer and employee from malicious or fictitious bullying complaints. Investigations need to not only be impartial but also appear impartial to all employees involved in the complaint. When possible, the investigation should be considerate of the employees involved in relation to their preferred methods of […]

Summary • The Health Professionals and Support Services Award 2010 (the Award) requires employers to consult with their employees before effecting certain workplace changes. • Consultation should aim to discuss how to reduce adverse consequences of the workplace change but is not intended to provide an opportunity for the employee to change the employer’s mind

Mr Moskou was completing his Sunday night courier run collecting pathology samples from a medical clinic when he experienced an unexpected and urgent “call of nature”. In the absence of a bathroom nearby, Mr Moskou defecated in the clinic carpark. He made attempts to clean up the incident and tried calling his supervisor – but

By Yasmine Healy, Managing Director of ClinLegal. Yasmine is an experienced lawyer and chartered secretary, who established ClinLegal after seeing too many unfair work claims against her clients. ClinLegal provides legal, compliance and human resources expertise to healthcare professionals in your industry. The private practice was doing well and an advertised, interstate conference in Sydney

By Yasmine Healy, Managing Director of ClinLegal. Yasmine is an experienced lawyer and chartered secretary, who established ClinLegal after seeing too many unfair work claims against her clients. ClinLegal provides legal, compliance and human resources expertise to healthcare professionals in your industry. We were recently engaged by a highly successful, city-based dental practice that had

By Madeleine Brady, Workplace Compliance Advisor at ClinLegal. Madeleine holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons), a Bachelor of Arts and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice. Commencing 12 March 2014, significant changes were made to the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). These changes were the product of privacy law reform that began in 2004. In light

As of 1 January 2014, the Fair Work Act has introduced several anti-bullying provisions. The Fair Work Commission now has the authority to hear claims about ongoing workplace bullying and may make an order to stop the bullying from continuing. It is a good time for employers to review their anti-bullying policies and procedures to

When an employee takes something that is owned by the employer, or another employee, without permission and uses it for their personal benefit, this is stealing from the workplace. Examples include taking practice supplies and using them for personal use at home, or refunding patient transactions and pocketing the refund. All forms of stealing have

All the rules and regulations governing us today can make us groan at the thought of yet another Policy! Yet without a Social Media Policy in place, you’re likely to find yourself in a difficult place to take action when an employee posts something harmful to your Practice. Social media is an everyday communication tool

Australian workplaces reflect the cultural diversity of our nation. Within your practice, you may have employees of varying religious and cultural beliefs all working together. Sometimes it may not be clear what is acceptable regarding the practice or assertion of someone’s religious belief while they are at work. You can minimise the risk of an