A worker was accused of being a “disruptive menace” for assaulting the chief executive and causing a panic amongst staff members when he came in to work visibly angry after he had been told to take a leave to sort out his mental health. The employee made a general protections claim against the employer...

A chef was accused of making discriminatory remarks against indigenous employees and employees who were people of colour and members of the LGBTQ community. During the investigation, there was insufficient evidence against the chef, but the chef failed to follow the HR manager’s instructions and behaved towards the HR manager in a disrespectful manner....

A passenger who refused to pay the fare, sat in a seat reserved for disabled people, and wore a face mask under his chin was implored by a bus driver in the Gold Coast to wear his mask properly. The passenger refused and said, “F-ck off, Karen” to the driver. The driver asked the...

The NSW Corrective Services dismissed a senior correctional officer in May 2021 after he had pleaded guilty to two charges of common assault against a co-worker with whom he’d had an extra-marital affair. The employer determined that the corrections officer violated the NSW Government Sector Employment Act but during the investigation of the incident/complaint,...

A Risk and Compliance manager at an all-girls grammar school was dismissed for her failure and refusal to meet the vaccination deadline which the school required of all employees prior to conducting face-to-face classes. When the grammar school sent her an allegations letter, instead of responding, the risk and compliance manager asked for a...

A union delegate who also worked as a casino inspector had spoken to the media about the employer keeping them in the dark regarding staffing levels, wages, and conditions considering the impending shift in the casino’s ownership structure. The lawyer for Casino Canberra then sent the union delegate a notice that his speaking with...

A production coordinator accused her manager of sexually harassing her throughout her six-month employment. She alleged that her manager tickled her and slapped her bottom whilst telling her that her bottom was too skinny. The production company immediately dismissed the manager but asked the production coordinator to keep her complaint confidential.   The production...

Sydney Trains reduced the annual pay of a shift manager as a penalty for disciplinary reasons. The shift manager remained on the job and the enterprise agreement as well as government regulations allowed such a penalty for disciplinary reasons. The FWC was asked to decide on whether the 10% pay cut could be considered...

A truck driver was hired by a milk company under casual employment arrangements. The truck driver offered to do some unscheduled work if he was paid. The milk company then refused to give the truck driver any casual loading. The truck driver then filed an adverse action claim. The Federal Circuit and Family Court...

A service technician assigned at a remote iron ore mine site groped the breast of and pursued two young female cleaners. One of the female cleaners left the worksite declaring that it was too unsafe to return. An external investigation found the women’s complaints substantiated. After the external investigation, the management of the mining...

A liaison officer agreed for her employer to use her image in a workplace poster urging employees to “Feel great—lubricate!” She had volunteered to participate in a spine safety campaign but had not been told how her photo would be used. A Chaldean Catholic, she nearly collapsed when she saw the widely circulated poster....

A barista working as a casual at a small coffee shop in Brisbane was summarily dismissed and was told that her services were no longer needed. She claimed that her sacking was due to her making complaint with the Fair Work Ombudsman about underpayment or delayed payment of salaries. She also claimed to have...

A senior manager was first employed by a bank as a Customer Service Officer. Through 35 years of employment, he had reached the position of Senior Relationship Manager in a branch. He had been provided training on the bank’s policies regulating employee conduct. His most recent training focused on victimisation, discrimination, and sexual harassment. The...

A growing side business A health and safety manager began full-time employment in December 2020. In February 2021, the manager listed her farm cottage on Airbnb, intending to rent it out. However, she was contacted by another company proposing for her to allow caravaners to park on her property nightly.   Her property began to...

A council worker was hired to work as a school crossing supervisor in March 2009. He was one of 108 school crossing supervisors employed by the council. He had been working for three years at the school crossing near a primary school.   Incident of 12 March 2021 Request to touch the teacher’s hair. A...

A retail employee worked part-time at a supermarket beginning October 2017 as a check-out operator and swiftly became a supervisor in the customer service department. From working for only 25 hours per week, she was asked to work 35 hours a week.   Discovered that a co-worker was a convicted paedophile On 3 July 2021,...

Constable, promoted to senior constable, then, sergeant A constable had been posted at several police stations in New South Wales since he completed training at the police academy in 1997. In 2003, he was promoted to Senior Constable and in 2005, he was promoted to Leading Senior Constable. In 2012, he was promoted to the...

An associate professor of mathematics began his employment at a university in June 2012.   Kissing incident at the beach during a retreat On 21 November 2017, the professor coordinated a mathematics academic retreat at a beachside campus. The professor was in his mid-30s and he had a female student who was in her 20s....

A child protection case worker had been working full-time for a community service centre since January 2019. She had received positive performance reviews and had been commended for the quality of her work. She went on maternity leave in June 2020 but returned to work on 22 March 2021.   Case worker, distressed by Covid-19...

Aviation First Aid Training An Aviation Safety Training Instructor for Flight Operations had been employed with an Australian airline company since August 2013. On 7 January 2021, the training instructor conducted a training course for the airline employees at their jet base in Sydney. The training consisted in a morning and an afternoon session with...