On 8 February 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court decided on whistleblower protections under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
The case clarifies the standards for proving retaliation against whistleblowers in publicly traded companies.
The Supreme Court clarified that whistleblowers are required to show that their protected activity contributed to the adverse employment action without the need to demonstrate retaliatory intent on the employer's part.
On 16 November 2023, the Fair Work Commission ruled on an employer's right to refuse a request for remote work.
The decision marks an important first step following the entry into force of the new flexible work legislation, the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay), that came into force at the beginning of the year.
Among the significant changes introduced by the law is granting the Fair Work Commission the power to decide a dispute over a flexible work request.
The objective is to support employers in fulfilling their positive duty to eliminate sex discrimination, sexual harassment, and conduct that creates a hostile work environment because of sex and related acts of victimisation in the workplace.
Last March, the South Australian district court rendered the first decision under Australia's whistleblowing laws, stating that a former civil servant could not be protected for alleged wrongdoing while collecting evidence to support his revelations about the Australian Taxation Office's unethical and aggressive pursuit of debts.
The judgment that caused considerable debate in the country is based on the Court's narrow interpretation of the scope of whistleblower protections, which would apply only to whistleblowing and not to the preceding preparatory conduct.
On 23 February 2023, the Australian Workplace Gender Equality Agency reported that the national gender pay gap has dropped to 13.3% and, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), women earn, on average, 87 cents for every $1 made by a man.
The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has released advice on mental health and well-being in the heavy vehicle transport industry.
It is relevant for all parties in the chain of responsibility (CoR), especially employers, and outlines practical steps to increase awareness of these and create a mentally healthy workplace.
Randstad published the Workmonitor 2022, the first full survey of 2022 that addresses issues such as job flexibility, work life balance, personal and professional growth and corporate social responsibilities (CSR) in the context of the recovery from the pandemic.
The survey was conducted between 21 February and 13 March 2022 in more than 30 countries worldwide.