Yahoo Finance Netflix accused of making experienced employee 'redundant while on maternity leave'
Vanessa Hughes has won multiple awards for her work with the streaming service.
Netflix is being taken to the Federal Court after an employee reportedly accused the streaming service of 'making her redundant while she was on maternity leave'. Vanessa Hughes lodged a breach of general protections dispute back in March and the case will go before the court this week.
The film and series marketing manager for Australia and New Zealand was let go from her role, however, she remains employed with Netflix, according to The Australian. Hughes has been at the company for close to three years.
The exact circumstances of why Hughes' role was made redundant in the first place are unclear and also why it was done while she was on maternity leave. Yahoo Finance has reached out to Hughes' legal team, Maurice Blackburn, as well as Netflix, but both have declined to comment.
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Several years before her current role, Hughes worked at Netflix as Global Creative Marketing for International Originals in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
In between those two stints, she also worked at Canva and Tourism Australia.
She rejoined Netflix in 2021 and has since won multiple awards for her campaign work.
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Her activation for Squid Game, which saw a life-sized doll similar to the one in the TV series installed at Sydney Harbour, won two Webby Awards, while her Australia and New Zealand campaign for the global launch of the fourth season of Stranger Things earned her multiple gongs.
In the two years and 10 months she had been in the role, Hughes had launched more than 20 campaigns.
Netflix prides itself on having a "work-life philosophy" that allows parents to take time off to enjoy their newborn.
"We recognize that one of the most special events in an individual's life is the birth or adoption of a child," the streaming service said on its website.
"Our parental leave policy is: 'take care of your baby and yourself'."
It added that staff typically take between four to eight months off work when they welcome a child into the world.
The streaming service also tries to look after employees prior to having a baby through its "global family forming benefit". This supports staff during their fertility, surrogacy, or adoption journey.
Can you be made redundant while on maternity leave?
The Fair Work Commission said being made redundant while on maternity leave is legal.
However, an employer has to jump through several hoops to ensure everything is above board.
If your workplace decides to make you redundant while you're on parental leave then they have to:
Given you the correct notice
Pay out any entitlements owed to you, including redundancy pay
If an employer has a "significant" change in the workplace, then they are still required to talk to an employee on unpaid parental leave.
A change that warrants a conversation is if it affects the staff member's pay, location, or status of their job.
"Employers must take all reasonable steps to provide information to the employee about the change and an opportunity to discuss the effect on their role," Fair Work said.
"This has to occur as the decision is made, not when the employee comes back to work from parental leave."
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