The Employment Law Practical Handbook is a comprehensive, alphabetically organised guide to Australian workplace law, written in simple, easy-to-understand terms with no legalese. It explains how to manage labour issues by using practical step-by-step instructions, checklists and examples.

Your handbook package includes:

• A 600-page, alphabetically-organised handbook
• A FREE 14-day trial period (which begins from the day you receive your handbook)
• A FREE booklet – ‘How to Stop Stress Claims Costing Your Company Money’
• A FREE subscription to the Workplace Bulletin – your twice-weekly employment law e-letter

PLUS…

• You’ll receive updates approximately every 8 weeks which you simply slot into your handbook – so you can be sure that your Employment Law Practical Handbook will always be up-to-date. Each update is approximately 80-100 pages in length and is priced at just $97.
• As a paid-up subscriber to the handbook and updates, you will have access to the invaluable service, the Workplace Helpdesk where you can email all your short employment law queries to our team of labour law experts, and receive a response within 72 hours. This is one of the most useful benefits of your subscription – and it’s completely free, yours to use as regularly as you want.
• As a paid-up subscriber to the handbook and updates,, you will also gain access to the ‘subscribers only’ area of our website where a comprehensive archive of all handbook chapters will be available to you electronically.

When you order the Employment Law Practical Handbook on a free 14-day trial period, you’ll have two full weeks to review it at your leisure and see exactly how you could put it to use in your workplace.

Then you have two choices: if you wish to keep the handbook and get our regular updates, simply pay the invoice of $197 (incl. GST) included with the welcome package. Or, if you decide the handbook isn’t for you, just rip up the invoice and return the handbook to us – no questions asked!

Does the Employment Law Practical Handbook cover the national legislation?

Yes, the information covered in the handbook is written from a national perspective. If there are differences to the national legislation in your State or territory, the handbook will you inform you of them.

Who has written the material in the Employment Law Practical Handbook?

Our authors are top-class employment lawyers and consultants, with extensive experience in their respective fields. And that’s not all – every piece of information contained in the Handbook is verified by independent consultants, so you can rely 100% on the quality of advice given in the Employment Law Practical Handbook.

Who is the Editor of the Employment Law Practical Handbook?

The Editor-in-Chief of the Employment Law Practical Handbook is Charles Power. Charles is a partner and head of the employment law department at Holding Redlich.

What is the difference between the Employment Law Practical Handbook and other loose-leaf publications?

The Employment Law Practical Handbook is alphabetically organised and written in layman’s terms, so it is very easy to understand. It provides brief, comprehensive, precise and practical answers to your employment law questions.

Why should I buy a loose-leaf publication?

This is the only way to guarantee access to the most recent information available. Being a loose-leaf publication, the Employment Law Practical Handbook can easily be updated and added to. By receiving our updates, you can ensure that your binder is always 100% up to date.

This is one of the most useful benefits of your subscription to the Employment Law Practical Handbook – and it’s completely free, yours to use as regularly as you want.

Here’s how it works…

Whenever you have a legal issue at work – however small – and you need to be absolutely sure you’re on a sound footing before acting, just email our workplace helpdesk with your short query. Our employment law experts will get back to you, with an answer you within 72 hours – GUARANTEED.

It doesn’t matter which area of Australian employment legislation your question relates to – or how insignificant you think it is – by emailing us, you’ll know you can be 100% sure of the action to take, and you’ll be able to move forward with complete confidence.

This is a FREE service. Unlike when you pick up the phone to an employment lawyer, we won’t charge you a cent for our time or our expertise. And all of our advice will be accurate, up to date and fast.

Most of the time, our legal team will get back to you by return of email. On the occasions we can’t, we’ll take no more than 72 hours to find you the answer you need.

To give you an idea, here are some sample questions our email helpdesk has fielded in recent weeks – and how we responded to them…

Q: “In the current climate, our company has enforced a maximum 2-week leave allowance. However, I have an employee wanting to take Long Service Leave – are we able to enforce this ruling on Long Service Leave as well?”

A: Be careful applying a universal rule in either case. Instead I suggest you convey the message to employees in the following terms (The 4-week minimum I suggest for LSL reflects the QLD LSL Act):

“Given current economic conditions the Company will only grant periods of paid annual leave in excess of 2 weeks and long service leave in excess of 4 weeks if, having regards to the circumstances of each case, there is a fair balance between the needs of the business and the employee concerned.”

Q: “How can I ensure my confidential information is protected when employees leave?”

A: The best way to protect your confidential information is to ensure the employee’s contract of employment contains an ‘express restraint’ clause. This can require an ex-employee not to utilise your confidential information if they commence employment with a competitor to your business when their employment with you ends. You will need to make sure these restraints are properly drafted.

Q: “Can I speak to an employee’s doctor to confirm their inability to work?”

A: You will not be able to obtain a copy of a medical report or speak to an employee’s doctor, unless the employee consents. It is advisable to have the employee provide their consent in writing. This is because doctors often require a signed medical authority from their patients before they will release any medical reports or discuss a patient’s condition.

Q: “How often should I review my employees’ contracts?”

A: When employment roles change, you should take this as an opportunity to review the terms of your employees’ contracts.

Q: “Do you have any information on storing employees’ confidential information, e.g. medical results and drug and alcohol screens? I am having difficulty explaining to my managers that these documents are subject to privacy laws and cannot be made available to everyone in the office.”

A: As you are aware, privacy laws strictly govern the management of employee information in relation to health, and employers must ensure that information is collected, stored and used appropriately. Therefore, we suggest that you circulate a policy or memo to all managers stating something along the following lines:

“It is company policy that all medical information about job applicants and employees, including but not limited to drug and alcohol screening results, must be kept strictly confidential. This is in accordance with the requirements of privacy legislation. All medical records must be kept in separate, locked files apart from personnel files, and access to such information will be restricted to a specific person or persons as determined by [insert name]. Any breach of this policy could expose the company to serious legal liability. Consequently, any breach of this policy could lead to disciplinary action, which may include termination of employment.”

Imagine hiring a top employment law firm… having them at your beck and call around the clock… and NEVER getting billed!

That’s what the Workplace Helpdesk gives you. That alone is worth the small subscription cost.

Our free twice-weekly e-letter, the Workplace Bulletin, will keep you completely up to date with developments in the world of employment law, and offer you practical and actionable labour law tips you can implement in your workplace immediately. It also contains regular contributions from Australia’s top employment law experts, including Employment Law Practical Handbook Editor-in-Chief Charles Power.

The Workplace Bulletin is written in plain English – so it will only take you a few minutes to read – but the important information it contains will help keep you and your business on the right side of the law.

Here are just a few examples of the practical topics the Workplace Bulletin has covered in recent weeks:

• 5 things an award flexibility agreement must include
• Why you must keep proper employment records for 457 visa workers
• 5 things your workplace social media policy should include
• 7 steps you can take to prevent bullying in your workplace
• How to conduct a fair and legal workplace investigation

The Workplace Bulletin will keep you in the know about developments in the world of industrial relations in just 10 minutes a week.

To sign up, just enter your email address in the space provided below:

The law is pretty clear. You are required to provide a working environment that is safe and free of risks to health. For the most part, these risks are easily identifiable and easily avoidable.

But did you know that these risks can also include psychological hazards, such as stress, bullying and workplace violence?

These can be a lot more difficult to detect and address. But as an employer, it is your responsibility to protect your employees under these guidelines.

According to a study by Medibank, workplace stress costs the Australian economy $14.81 billion a year… this cost is mainly borne by employers in terms of lost productivity.

For sure, it’s a huge problem for businesses.

But how do you identify stress in the workplace… and how do you provide a safe, stress-free environment for your employees while protecting your own interests?

Well, when you order the Employment Law Practical Handbook on a 14-day free trial, you’ll receive a copy of the invaluable booklet: ‘How to Stop Stress Claims Costing Your Company Money’.

You’ll learn exactly what you can do to prevent stress in the workplace – and deal with it swiftly, sensitively and legally when it arises. The booklet covers, amongst other things:

• How to detect psychological hazards in the workplace.
• How to create and implement an effective bullying policy.
• How to approach disability discrimination issues sensitively and fairly.
• How to manage performance fairly and reasonably – so that you don’t ‘overload’ workers.
• How to deal with stress-related compensation claims in the proper way.

We normally sell ‘How to Stop Stress Claims Costing Your Company Money’ for $34.95. But it’s yours for free – and to keep – when you take a 14-day free trial of the Employment Law Practical Handbook – regardless of whether you stay on as a subscriber!