South Geldard Lawyers

It usually doesn’t start with a termination letter. A General Protections claim rarely begins on the day someone gets fired. More often? It starts months… Read More »General Protections Claims Are Exploding. Most Employers Still Don’t See Them Coming

Not every tough manager is a bully. Managers are expected to set standards, hold people accountable and address underperformance. Difficult conversations are part of leadership.… Read More »When Does Tough Management Become Bullying?

A contractor and a customer have been ordered to pay $116,000 after sexually harassing a worker. The unique part? Neither of them worked as an… Read More »Sexual Harassment at Work: Contractor and Customer Ordered to Pay $116,000

For years, restructures and redundancies have largely been viewed as HR and industrial relations processes. Consultation obligations. Redeployment considerations. Selection criteria. Communications strategy. But what… Read More »$100 Million Restructure Program halted by SafeWork And Every HR and Safety Leader Should Be Paying Attention

A Queensland Supreme Court decision is another reminder that workplace injuries do not need to leave a worker completely incapacitated for employers to face substantial… Read More »$920,000 Awarded To Injured Worker Despite Returning To The Gym And Taking Overseas Holidays

$180,000 Fine. A Finger Injury. And A Workplace Already Prosecuted Multiple Times Before. There is a dangerous assumption some businesses still make about workplace safety:… Read More »$180,000 Fine After Worker Injured In Dough Mixer: The Safety Warning Employers Cannot Ignore

$395,000 In Penalties Alone against an owner and manager. $802,000! Bubble Tea “Cashbacks”. False Records. And Migrant Workers Underpaid At Adelaide Eateries. Another Fair Work… Read More »$802,000. Forced Bubble Tea Purchases. False Records. How Did It Get This Bad?

There’s a dangerous assumption I see in workplaces all the time: “If we don’t act, we can’t get it wrong.” This case shows why that… Read More »When HR Ignores a Complaint… That Might Be the Biggest Mistake

An Employer successfully defends a general protections claim… and still ended up paying $176,250? Why? What happened? The Federal Circuit and Family Court decision in… Read More »Adverse Action Claim Fails… But Employer Still Pays $176,000: Here’s Why

Accusing an employee of theft is one of the most serious steps an employer can take. It is the kind of allegation that almost always… Read More »CCTV Isn’t Enough: The Unfair Dismissal That Cost an Employer 22 Weeks Pay

The Fair Work Commission recently dismissed a case, described the legal arguments as “incoherent”, found the applicant had misrepresented what his contract said, and then… Read More »He Used AI to Run a Fair Work Case. The Commission Was Not Impressed and awarded Costs.

Performance management has always been treated as a core HR function. Set expectations. Address underperformance. Improve outcomes. But that traditional view is now incomplete. In… Read More »When Performance Management Becomes a Psychosocial Hazard or Risk

If an employee uses their company email to apply for another job, can you fire them on the spot? One employer thought the answer was… Read More »A Single Email Cost This Employer 15 weeks pay in an Unfair Dismissal Case