Q: If an employee engages in dishonest behaviour that could damage the reputation of our company and then continues to lie about this, would this count as serious misconduct for dishonesty? Is there any law that states what classifies as dishonesty in dismissal for serious misconduct?

A: A definition of ‘serious misconduct’ is included in regulation 1.07 of the Fair Work Regulations 2009. This definition includes conduct that causes serious and imminent risk to the reputation of an employer’s business, as well as wilful or deliberate behaviour by an employee that is inconsistent with the continuation of the employment contract.

Whether certain conduct will constitute serious misconduct will depend on the circumstances, but essentially you need to be satisfied that the employee’s conduct would make it unreasonable to keep them employed in the role.

If you determine that an employee is guilty of serious misconduct, conduct a meeting to put the reasons for the summary dismissal to them, and ensure that you give them an opportunity to respond to those allegations before terminating their employment.

Please note: The answer is correct at the time of publishing. Be aware that laws may change over time. Refer to Misconduct for current advice.