Australia: You’re a “complete d-ck” and other things not to say to your boss

Key Points:

With the recent high-profile case of an employee sacked for calling her boss a “complete d-ck”, employers and employees alike are now wondering what the rules are. Hedy Cray and Laura Hillman avert their eyes from some appalling language and explain when and how swearing can be a disciplinary issue.

Ordinarily there are some things you should not say to your boss.

However, in recent times you could be forgiven for thinking the 2015 Australian […]

By | April 19th, 2015 ||

Australia: Concerns over toilet pressure not enough for industrial action

Key Points:

Each of the workers were ordered to pay the $1,000 pecuniary penalty.

The Federal Court has held that workers’ concerns over toilet pressure on a construction site is not enough of an imminent threat to safety which would justify the taking of industrial action.

The decision of Director of the Fair Work Building Industry Inspectorate v Merkx [2015] demonstrates that for employees to be able to lawfully take action in relation to concerns about health […]

By | April 19th, 2015 ||

United States: NLRB Has No Problem With Employee Calling Boss A ‘Nasty MF’

Warning: This post contains language that many working outside of the NLRB will find offensive.

The National Labor Relations Board recently ruled that an employer acted unlawfully when it fired an employee who said on Facebook that his boss was a “nasty motherfucker” and “Fuck his mother and his entire fucking family.” A majority of the 3-member panel concluded that the language was sufficiently tied to an upcoming union election to constitute protected activity. A […]

By | April 15th, 2015 ||