Managing Employees

HR is not easy. We know that understanding and exercising your rights and obligations as an employer can feel overwhelming and complex. It gets harder when you include the ‘human’ dimension.

BAL’s Employment Law and Investigations team is led by Legal Director John Wilson, a NSW Law Society Accredited Specialist in Employment and Industrial Law.

Our experienced and knowledgeable team is best placed to assist you and your business in all aspects of employment and industrial law, including establishing contracts, enterprise agreements and HR policies, handling workplace disputes and conduct issues (including bullying, harassment and discrimination complaints), advising on WHS, tax, superannuation and other employee and contractor entitlements. We also advise and act for businesses assisting with separation.

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Getting workplace investigations right is a tricky business, particularly in the public sector. When a worker is alleged to have engaged in misconduct, we know an investigation can easily become procedurally messy, personal, and out of control. As lawyers, we provide expert independent and objective advice to help you navigate your legal obligations, no matter how complex the background employment law framework. We ensure your workplace investigation is performed efficiently and fairly and with proper regard to the interests of all relevant parties.

BAL’s Employment Law and Investigations team is Canberra’s experts in best practice investigations. If you are dealing with whistleblowing, bullying, sexual harassment, reportable conduct, working with vulnerable people, occupational discipline matters, discrimination, fraud, data theft, privacy breaches and other serious misconduct claims, BAL can help ensure your investigation is conducted lawfully and sensibly. We also understand the need, at times, to move quickly and with discretion. In relevant cases, our investigation reports may have the benefit of legal privilege (a benefit not open for investigations conducted by non-solicitors).

BAL’s Employment Law and Investigations team can provide workplace conduct training packages, tailored for staff and managers.

We can host you in our Canberra city-based office (including catered packages), via electronic platforms for remote attendees, or we can come to you. We are passionate about providing training that is tailored to the individual needs of each workplace, engaging attendees through interactive and inquiry-based sessions. Not only does BAL provide insight from leading experts in employment law, but we can also help you discharge or reduce liability and compliance obligations that arise under discrimination, WHS and Corporations Act laws. We can also help make your workplace happier.

A few of our most popular training topics include:

• Conduct No-No’s: Bullying, sexual harassment and discrimination at work

• Respectful workplace relationships

• Social Media Use at Work

• Work Health & Safety: The Basics

• Complaints management 101: Managing workplace grievances

• Whistleblowing: Rights and Obligations

• How to run a workplace investigation

All businesses should have policies and procedures in place to ensure workers and managers understand their rights and obligations. Our experienced team has a wealth of knowledge to determine the policies that will work for your organisation, taking into account the individual needs of your business. We focus on ensuring your organisation:

• Has the HR policies that it needs (and only those that it needs)

• Has HR policies that comply with the law in a way that actually works for the business

• Has HR policies that are consistent with each other, and are consistent with your Employment Contracts, Modern Awards and Enterprise Agreements

• Has HR policies that do not contain terms that might be considered to be part of the employment contract.

The HR Breakfast Club is BAL’s complimentary information and discussion forum for HR practitioners. The HR Breakfast Club began in 2016 with a dozen professionals around a breakfast table, a simple meeting of minds to network and share on the kinds of issues faced in workplaces Australia-wide.

The HR Breakfast Club has evolved into a leading source of information, dialogue, training and networking for HR professionals. It is hosted by our Employment Law experts in face-to-face and remote delivery modes. The Club’s free informative podcast series and regular information updates are a great way for HR and management personnel to stay in-the-know.

Full details and resources of the HR Breakfast Club are here.