Yahoo Finance Boss warned of 'mass exodus' after introducing new work policy: 'Crazy'
Entrepreneur Ben Askins ripped into the new workplace directive and said it could be illegal.
A boss has been slammed for introducing a 'crazy' new work policy to ensure the transition of new staff is seamless. Entrepreneur Ben Askins read out the directive sent by an anonymous worker and ripped it to shreds.
The boss said all staff would now have a new notice period of three months because "that's how long it takes to train" someone. In addition to that, staff who announce they're leaving will have their pay reduced by $6 an hour.
"I think this is the most bats**t crazy email I have ever seen a boss send and I really do mean that and bear in mind all the other stuff I've shared with you over the years, like, this is quite a claim, but I don't know how else to describe it," Askins said.
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The manager said handing in your three months of notice will be "giving consent" to lowering your pay.
"Since you will be leaving, your reduction in pay will be no issue. That's how this works from now on. You can thank your insubordinates for this," the boss wrote to staff.
Also, outgoing staff would be assigned an extra 30 hours of overtime per week until the new hire was fully trained.
Askins was truly blown away by the premise of the workplace change and warned it would not work out well if this was ever taken to court.
Do you have a wild work story? Email stew.perrie@yahooinc.com
"The amount of straight-up laws you're breaking is absolutely crazy," he said. "You can't just update the handbook and expect that to replace a contract that people signed previously. That's not how that works.
"So the idea that he sent this to his team, and I would love to know what he's expecting, like a sort of universal, 'Yes, boss. Of course, thanks so much for this opportunity.
"This is just going to trigger the biggest mass exodus you will ever, ever see."
Others agreed that this directive could prompt a lawsuit.
"I’d just smile and nod all the way to the solicitor’s office when I decide to resign," one said.
"This email is a lawyer’s dream document," wrote another.
Would this be legal in Australia?
Employers in Australia are allowed to deduct your pay under certain circumstances but not in this way.
Fair Work said it's only legal if the employee agrees in writing and it’s mainly for the employee’s benefit like a salary sacrifice arrangement or voluntary contributions into an employee’s super fund.
The other exceptions are if:
it's allowed by a law, court order, or Fair Work Commission order
it’s allowed under the employee’s award
it’s allowed under the employee’s registered agreement and the employee agrees to it.
"An employee can make a one-off written authorisation that gives their employer permission to deduct money from their pay, even where the amount can change from year to year," Fair Work said.
"It can be withdrawn by the employee in writing at any time. An employee's written agreement to a deduction must be genuine. An employee can’t be forced to agree to a deduction."
For notice periods, it depends on how long you've been at the company.
In Australia, you have to give one week if you've been employed for less than a year, two weeks for one to three years, three weeks for three to five years, and four weeks for anything longer than five years.
An employee has to get an extra week of notice if they’re over 45 years old and have worked for the employer for at least two years.
If an employer provides more notice than required in the award, registered agreement or contract, the employee only has to work out the minimum notice period. They can work out the extra notice if they want to.
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