Uber Australia Case Study

The role of a Human Resource department is ever changing in today’s volatile business environment. Over the years HR have become strong strategic partners within an organization by providing functions such as recruitment,

The United States Supreme Court, as well as federal district and state courts, defines employee rights and an employer’s liability for employment law violations. Treatment on the job, including hiring, firing, and promotions, must be based on qualifications and merit and not on race, gender, age, sexual preference or how one responds to sexual advances. Yet despite these laws and policies, many employees continue to suffer from workplace harassment and employment discrimination.

I, Marion Forbes the recently appointed senior human resources manager at Hallington Utilities Services (HUS), am facing with a dilemma; work out HR strategies with the Organizations mission and handle employee’s issues and concerns. HUS has made changes due external and internal factors encountered in the market as well as the new regulations happening within the sector. All are very complicated and my main issues are privatizing, downsizing, unionization, motivation, training and compensation. With the information collected, I need to figure out

Uber and Volkswagen are both very important and revolutionary companies that have shaped the world in their own individual ways. Although they are successful, they both have interesting start up stories and have run into the law on multiple occasions. Law has had a powerful impact on the how both companies have created their business model and made expansions to better each company. In the novels Wild Ride by Adam Lashinsky and Faster, Higher, Farther by Jack Ewing the authors go through the company’s stories and also the legal challenges that they had to face along the way and that they are still facing to this day. It is clear that the law gets in the way of these companies plans, and has gotten major employees of these companies in a lot of trouble for the illegalities that they committed. Many major companies get sued by employees and customers because they try to make money off of them. In many of the cases we can examine if it is worth it for the company to fight all of these cases individually or to group the similar ones together and make necessary changes to the company to satisfy the employees and customers. Even with some of these issues going on and many counter-arguments, both Uber and Volkswagen have handled their situations with the law very well to keep the companies moving forward.

Multi-national companies have started to focus on their HR departments and initiated benefit plans and employee schemes for their workers. These schemes are ‘supposed’ to reflect the amount of care and responsibility that firms have for their workers but the reality is that these schemes are simple mechanisms to

The implementation of the Fair Work Act 2009 which came into force on January 1st 2010, was to create a national workplace relations system for the purpose of setting wages and conditions of employment. This legislation is overlooked by the Fair Work Commission and ombudsman, whose role is to maintain a safety net of minimum wages and conditions and ensure compliance with the Fair Work Act. The creation of the Fair Work Act (2009) is to regulate business cooperation’s for the purpose of providing safety nets for minimum wages and entitlements, flexible working arrangements and ensure fairness at the workplace. Under the Fair Work Act 2009, ten National Employment Standards

Once you have read the case, answer the questions that follow the case text. I have reprinted the questions below to assist you in your answers.

The legal system plays a vital part in balancing the rights and responsibilities of employers and employees. The extents to which these rights and responsibilities are adequately balanced by the law are lacking in certain areas and as a result non-legal avenues of maintaining this equilibrium are pursued. The legal system attempts to provide sufficient guidance for workplace related issues in the reform brought about by the 2009 Fair Work Act (Cth) and the regulations it has implemented. However, whilst issues such as discrimination, safety, leave and Termination of employment highlight the significant deficiencies of the legal system, they also serve as evidence of the substantial effort of the law in providing justice for employees and employers. The legal system makes is vital to ensuring a safe and just environment in the workplace however further

Department of Employment, Education and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) (2012), Towards More Productive and Equitable Workplaces: An Evaluation of the Fair Work Legislation

1. Martin, M., Whiting, F. & Jackson, T. (2010) Human Resource Practice. 5th Edition. London: CIPD.

In the article Uber drivers are employees, not contractors, Canadian lawsuit argues, Kristine Owram sheds light on this proposed Ontario class action lawsuit. This lawsuit was launched by Samfiru Tumarkin LLP against Uber technologies Inc. They are seeking $200 million in damages on behalf of all drivers working for Uber since 2012. The plaintiff argues that the drivers have been misclassified as contractors, and are therefore entitled to minimum wage, overtime pay, and vacation pay. They believe that “duties performed by the class members and the supervision and control imposed on the class members by Uber creates an employment relationship with Uber” (Owram, 2017). The defence (Uber) argues that the flexibility that corresponds with the

I appreciated your comments regarding the use of Uber as a form of transportation for the elderly to get to their appointment. One barrier to seniors is that the cost of taking this form of transportation can get expensive. There are alternative forms of transportation for the elderly in Baltimore County. There is mobility service through the MVA for those who are disabled or unable to ride a traditional bus. They offer curb to curb service. There is County Ride, which provides specialized transportation services to Baltimore County residents 60 years of age or older, persons with disabilities ages 18 to 59, and rural residents of all ages (Baltimore County Government, 2016). Destinations include medical appointments, shopping and other general

M. Marchington & A. Wilkinson, 2008, Human Resource Management at Work 4th Edition, London, CIPD

One of the most dominant factor is the fact that human resources are the most valuable assets of an organization. Another important principle, expressed by Ashly Pinnington in her book ‘Human Resource Management Ethics and Employment’, is that “a succesful business is more likely to be achieved if the personal polices and

I have proceeded to discuss whether in my opinion the laws in each country favour the employee, employer or government as well as discussing what the impacts are of the laws on organizational ability to employ Human Resource Management principles in the