As it currently stands, employers cannot force their employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

While the question of whether an employer can direct an employee to have the COVID-19 vaccine has not been answered by a court or tribunal, employers should consider these factors first before such a direction is given to employees.

The Federal Court has awarded a payout of more than $5.2 million to a sacked senior manager of a publicly listed tech company, including a penalty of $7,000 payable personally by the company’s CEO.

The Federal Circuit Court has ordered a small Ballarat massage parlour, its accountant and officers of the employing company to pay penalties totalling $19,100 for contraventions of the Fair Work Act 2009 and Hair and Beauty Industry Award 2010 over a 7 month period ending in July 2017.

In a significant victory for Australian employers, Cadbury manufacturer Mondelez Australia Pty Ltd and Federal IR Minister Christian Porter have won their High Court challenge to previous rulings about the meaning of the word “day” in the context of the Fair Work Act entitlement to personal/carer’s leave.

A recent bid by Labor to disallow the Fair Work Amendment (Casual Loading Offset) Regulations 2018 has been defeated following a vote on 16 September 2019.

Goodwill is the essence of any business, and can often be a business’ most valuable (albeit intangible) asset. The value of goodwill lies in brand identity or recognition, customer networks, positive customer and employee relations, and broadly speaking, reputation.