While your employer has a certain set of responsibilities towards you in the work place, it is important to keep in mind that as an employee you also have a number of responsibilities towards your employer.
SHOW UP TO WORK
Start work at the time you agreed to in your employment contract. This means you must show up and be willing to work the days and times that you agreed to. You can only be away from work for legal reasons such as being on bereavement leave or where you have already made an agreement with your employer that you will be taking time off. You should always try to give your employer as much advance notice whenever you need to take time off work.
ACT IN GOOD FAITH
While it is important for your employer to act in good faith towards you, you also have a responsibility to act in good faith towards them. This means that:
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You perform the job you are paid to do by your employer when at work
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You do not do anything at or outside of your work that may cause a bad reputation for your employer
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You do steal from your employer this includes clients if you are training and looking to start your own similar business
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You respect the confidentiality of your employer and do share any of their proprietary or trade secrets
FOLLOW ALL
REASONABLE INSTRUCTIONS
As an employee you must follow and adhere to all reasonable requests from your employer which are also lawful. This means that anything you have agreed to in your employment contract, must lawfully be carried out. If you are unsure if you should carry out a task yourself these three questions:
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Is it lawful
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Is it within the scope of my employment contract (have I agreed to do this as part of my duties)
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Is it safe for me to do this (unless this particular danger is a part of the duties you were employed for)
BEHAVE IN A
REASONABLE MANNER
You must always behave in a reasonable manner when you are at work. There are also times when you are expected to behave outside of the workplace, such as when you are representing your employer at an event or a work gathering in a public space. It’s important that you read your new organisations guidelines and policies on what type of behaviour is acceptable and what is not. Acceptable behaviour can also apply to dress code, language used in and out of the workplace and the types of things that you write about your employer on social media platforms.
TAKE CARE AT WORK
When you are at work you must ensure that you perform your duties with care. This means that you should perform your duties to the best of your abilities and in a way that minimises danger to you and your colleagues.
DO YOUR BEST
Your employer has hired you because of a specific set of skills or abilities that you possess. You will need to perform your duties to the best of those abilities every time you show up to work. This includes taking care of any equipment, belonging to your employer, that you need to use to carry out your duties. Your employer should ensure that you are fully trained in how to use any piece of equipment in a way that keeps you and your colleagues safe.
