“Some employees appear to have a misguided view that they can choose not to come to work if their employer is accessing the JobKeeper scheme. If the employee is not stood down or on approved or authorised leave, the employee must comply with any lawful and reasonable direction given by their employer. This includes any reasonable and safe direction to carry out work,” Innes Willox, Chief Executive of the national employer association Ai Group, said today.
“In addition, employees are only entitled to take personal/carer’s leave if they are sick or if they are caring for a member of their immediate family or household who is sick or injured, or due to an unexpected emergency. The employer can insist that an employee provide evidence if the employer is not convinced that a claim for personal/carer’s leave is genuine.
“Given the necessary speed with which the JobKeeper scheme has been implemented, it is not surprising that employers and employees may not fully understand their rights and obligations at this early stage. However, the notion that an employee can simply choose not to come to work and still get paid is not correct, and not in anyone’s interests,” Mr Willox said.
