United States: SEC Fines Engineering Firm For Whistleblowing Violations

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) fined engineering firm KBR Inc. for whistleblowing violations.

The US firm violated whistleblower protection Rule 21F-17 enacted under the Dodd-Frank Act. In certain internal investigations, KBR made its employees sign confidentiality statements, with warnings that they could face discipline and even be fired if they discussed the matters with outside parties without the prior approval of KBR’s legal department.

Since these investigations included allegations of possible securities law violations, the […]

By | April 20th, 2015 ||

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 ||