Topic: Asia Pacific

Global Employment Law: Leadership Reimagined -Transforming Workplace – #7

In the previous article in our series “Transforming Workplace” we considered the challenges to the employer’s organisational culture that will result from changed employee expectations and from modernising your Employee Value Proposition. In this article we look at how these enhancements to your organisational culture will challenge the capability and style of your leadership team. … Continue reading

Global Employment Law: How the Gig Economy is reshaping labour markets

On 24 March 2022, Maartje Govaert, Global Head of Employment and Labour, joined the panel for the JP Morgan virtual Global ESG Conference, discussing “How the Gig Economy is reshaping labour markets: Exploring ESG Risks and Opportunities”. Below is a summary of some of the points raised by Maartje in the discussion. What is the … Continue reading

Global Employment Law: Organisational Culture Reimagined – Transforming Workplace #6

In the series of Transforming Workplace articles we have explored some significant changes to the external and internal environments in which an organisation operates. In this article we look at how modernising your Employee Value Proposition will present challenges to your organisational culture. Organisational Culture Reimagined This article is part of our Transforming Workplace series. … Continue reading

Global Employment Law: Update and Modernise Your Employee Value Proposition Transforming Workplace #5

Asking your employees what they want and need (see our previous Transforming Workplace paper) is a vital part of updating your organisation’s Employee Value Proposition (EVP). In this article we explain more about your EVP. Update and Modernise Your Employee Value Proposition. This article is part of our Transforming Workplace series. Other articles exploring the … Continue reading

Global Employment Law: What do your employees want and need? Transforming Workplace #4

During the pandemic, employees rethought their relationship with work. Employees now seek roles that offer competitive remuneration with other benefits including flexibility, health, well-being and work-life balance. Read more on this in our next article in the Transforming Workplace series. What do your employees want and need? This article is part of our Transforming Workplace … Continue reading

Singapore Employment Law Update – April 2022

By Wilson Ang, Kei-Jin Chew and Jeremiah Chew on March 30, 2022 Posted in Singapore

The Singapore Ministry of Manpower (MOM) announced several changes to the S Pass and Employment Pass (EP) regimes in relation to the hiring of foreign employees. These changes encourage Singaporean employers to hire locally, and also introduce a new points-based evaluative framework for EP applications. Minimum Qualifying Salary for S Passes and Employment Passes MOM … Continue reading

Global Employment Law: The “Great Enlightenment”: Why and how employees have rethought their relationship with work. Transforming Workplace #3

In the next in the Transforming Workplace global series we examine why and owe employees have rethought their relationship with work. The “Great Enlightenment”: Why and how employees have rethought their relationship with work This article is part of our Transforming Workplace series. Other articles exploring the opportunities, challenges and risk of the transforming workplace … Continue reading

Global Employment Law – “Intent to Resign”: The Real Risk Transforming Workplace #2

In the next in the Transforming Workplace global series we examine the looming “Intent to Resign” challenge facing businesses worldwide “Intent to Resign”: The Real Risk This article is part of our Transforming Workplace series. Other articles exploring the opportunities, challenges and risk of the transforming workplace can be found here.… Continue reading

Global Employment Law: The “Great Resignation”: A Global Risk? Transforming Workplace – #1

By Jason Noakes and Jeff Landmann on March 28, 2022 Posted in Asia Pacific, Australia, Canada, China, Europe, France, General, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Latin America, Luxembourg, Middle East, North America, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, The Netherlands, UK, United States

With the global change in the way we work seen as a key element of the new “business as usual”, our Transforming Workplace global series examines the global perspectives of the opportunities, challenges and risks of this new transforming workplace. In the first in this series we examine the concept of the “Great Resignation”. The … Continue reading

Psychosocial hazards should be top of mind for Victorian employers

By Nicki Milionis and Darcy Moffatt on February 18, 2022 Posted in Australia

Victoria’s proposed Occupational Health and Safety Amendment (Psychological Health) Regulations (Proposed Regulations) were released yesterday and, if approved by the Minister, are slated to commence operation on 1 July 2022. Their introduction follows a period in which workers’ compensation claims for mental injury have persistently increased across Australia. In Victoria, such claims increased by 20% … Continue reading

Essential guidance for employers on COVID-19 measures at the workplace from 1 January 2022 (including recent updated measures announced on 27 December 2021)

By Wilson Ang, Jessica Paulin, Jeremy Lua and Parry Tan on December 29, 2021 Posted in Asia Pacific, Coronavirus, Data privacy and GDPR

Glass office building with sky and other towers in its reflection

As part of Singapore’s move towards living with COVID-19 as an endemic disease, the country has been making efforts to re-open its economy. In order to facilitate the safe re-opening of the economy, the Ministry of Manpower (“MOM”) and the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (“TAFEP”) have collectively issued guidance for employers … Continue reading

New offences and powers under Victorian Occupational Health and Safety laws

By Nicki Milionis on September 19, 2021 Posted in Australia

The Occupational Health and Safety and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2021 (the amendment Act) was passed by the Victorian Parliament on Thursday 16 September 2021, and amends the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic) (the Act). Labour Hire On the first day after the end of a 6 month period, new provisions in relation … Continue reading

Singapore to enshrine workplace anti-discrimination laws

By Wilson Ang, Jeremy Lua, Ian Cheong and Jim Yang Teo on September 17, 2021 Posted in Asia Pacific, Discrimination and harassment, Singapore

On 29 August 2021, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that the Government will enact new laws to formally enshrine the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices (“TAFEP Guidelines”) into statute.1 There are, at present, no specific laws in Singapore which directly regulate workplace discrimination. Employers are, however, expected to abide by the principles … Continue reading

New infringement notices for offences against Victorian Occupational Health and Safety laws

By Nicki Milionis on August 4, 2021 Posted in Australia

WorkSafe inspectors will now be able to issue infringement notices to companies and individuals for certain occupational health and safety offences. The Occupational Health and Safety Amendment (Infringements and Miscellaneous Matters) Regulations 2021 (Vic) which amends the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (Vic) (2017 Regulations) commenced on 31 July 2021 in Victoria. Section 139(1) … Continue reading

High Court clarifies definition of casual employee

By David Cross on August 3, 2021 Posted in Australia

The High Court has upheld the employer’s appeal in the Rossato casual employment test case, and in the process has clarified the definition of casual employment (Workpac Pty Ltd v Rossato [2021] HCA 23). However, the practical significance of this decision has been limited by recent legislative amendments. The High Court held that a casual … Continue reading

Government introduces legislative changes following the Respect@Work report

By Alexandra Shields and John Tullio on July 22, 2021 Posted in Australia, Discrimination and harassment

On 24 June 2021, the Federal Government introduced the Sex Discrimination and Fair Work (Respect at Work) Amendments Bill 2021 (Cth) (Bill) into the Senate. The Bill amends both the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) (SDA) and the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (FWA) in response to the Respect@Work report (the Report) and implements many … Continue reading

AHRC Report: ASX200 companies and sexual harassment

By Alexandra Shields and John Tullio on July 21, 2021 Posted in Australia, Discrimination and harassment

On 17 June 2021, the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) released the “Equality across the board: Investing in workplaces that work for everyone (2021)” report (AHRC Report). The report collates survey and interview data from 118 ASX200 listed companies to portray how these companies are currently combatting the issue of sexual harassment and makes recommendations … Continue reading

SafeWork NSW approves Code of Practice on managing psychosocial hazards

By Katherine Morris, Melissa Carnell and Brittany Tyne on June 10, 2021 Posted in Asia Pacific, Australia, General

SafeWork NSW has approved Australia’s first Work Health and Safety (WHS) Code of Practice on managing psychosocial hazards at work (the Code). The Code took effect on 28 May 2021. The WHS Act provides that an approved code of practice is admissible in Court proceedings as evidence of whether or not a duty or obligation … Continue reading

West Australian Director becomes first person jailed in WA for WHS breaches

By Nicki Milionis and Shannon Walker on June 2, 2021 Posted in Australia

For the first time in the 37 years since the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984 (OSH Act) came into effect, an individual has been sentenced to imprisonment in Western Australia. The successful prosecution may be one of the last prosecutions brought under the OSH Act which is soon to be replaced by the new … Continue reading

Outcomes of Australian WHS Ministers’ meeting to respond to recommendations arising from the Boland independent review

By Nicki Milionis on June 1, 2021 Posted in Australia

The long-awaited meeting of Australian WHS Ministers to discuss the response to the 34 recommendations contained in the Marie Boland independent review of the model Work Health and Safety Laws final report (published in February 2019) (Boland report), took place on 20 May 2021. We have previously discussed the Boland report and its recommendations in … Continue reading

Australian Sexual Harassment Landscape to Change

By Alexandra Shields, Shannon Walker and Electra Dow on May 11, 2021 Posted in Australia

In mid-March 2021, amendments were sought to the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) (SD Act) by independent member Ms Zali Steggall OAM introducing the Sex Discrimination Amendment (Prohibiting All Sexual Harassment) Bill (Bill). If passed, the Bill will address some of the shortcomings in the SD Act which were initially highlighted by the Australian Human … Continue reading

Workplace sexual harassment: New WHS guidance materials

By Nicki Milionis and John Tullio on April 22, 2021 Posted in Asia Pacific, Australia

The focus on sexual harassment in the workplace, particularly as a risk to the psychological health of employees, has continued in 2021. Australian Human Rights Commission report into workplace sexual harassment The Respect@Work: National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces published in March 2020 (Respect@Work Report), found that whilst the Model Work Health and … Continue reading

Changing the law for casual employees

By Helene Lee, Allana Smith and Joshua Richards on April 22, 2021 Posted in Asia Pacific, Australia

What has happened so far? Last month the Fair Work Amendment (Supporting Australia’s Jobs and Economic Recovery) Act 2021, also known as the Omnibus Legislation, came into effect. This reformed the legal definition of a casual employee and introduced a statutory definition of a “casual employee” for the first time in Australia. For a long … Continue reading

Global client-facing guide on the employment status of gig workers

By Helene Lee and William Dawes on January 26, 2021 Posted in Australia

Norton Rose Fulbright Australia’s Employment and Labour team has collaborated with our global counterparts to prepare a guide on the status of gig workers across various jurisdictions. The guide is available here. Employment and labour practitioners in each jurisdiction have set out the current employment status at law of gig workers, before explaining the grey … Continue reading