Being Flexible In Todays Workplace, Don’t Be On The Next Dismissals List
I am stating the obvious when I say that employers are downsizing, dismissing staff, making more and more employees redundant.
This has lead to increased enquires with us for unfair dismissals, general protections enquires, redundancy issues, unlawful terminations, the list is almost endless.
But the question a lot of employees asked are why letting me go? I was a really good worker, I’ve been there the longest, my figure are the best, I made budget. Why not someone else. Companies over the last few months now have dismissed their troublesome employees, work cover, complainers, the ill, the injured, Coming back from maternity leave, the higher paid. So who’s next? Is my question.
What companies are now looking for is employees that are flexible, who fit in, fill in, not every time the employer asks for something to be done, the employee wants to look up their employment contact to see if its in it, before they decide to do it or not.
However what’s a reasonable request to one employee is not reasonable to another. Presently I think too many employees are resigning, some 8 weeks out from Xmas without thinking of the ramifications through of their actions. How long will I really be out of work, its tough out there at the moment if you’re in the job market.
An option is to take your dispute to the Fair work Commission as a General protections application not involving dismissal, or a anti bullying complaint. Be aware you cannot just go to the Fair work Commission because you don’t agree with what your employer is doing, you must have grounds under the FWC Act. (check with us)
There is no doubt the pendulum has swung to the employer, but you still have rights, you don’t have to be trampled on. The key is to some how find middle ground, your happy with your job and pay, the employer is satisfied with what they are achiving with your labor, having stated that, its not that easy.
It will be interesting with the lockdowns finishing and the winding back of job keeper, that there will be employees who will refuse to return to work, arguing continued health concerns, equally there will be many cases employees will face coming back to different position from which they had left previously. The effects of the pandemic on the economy means nothing will be same again.
Think about being more flexible, fit in so you keep your job, not being in the next lot of redundancies, don’t resign, call us, get advice, you are entitled to excise your workplace rights and not be subject to adverse action, discrimination, being bullied, as a result. There is no doubt employers want more output for their labor dollar. It’s certainly a fine balance in these difficult times.