'The hardest thing for me after my mum died was going back to work," says Barbara (not her real name).

Your Business editor Caitlin Sykes talks with Massey University Professor Lorraine Warren about hiring staff.

Traditional, boring job titles are being ditched for quirky names such as head of moving things, chief of exciting opportunities or prince of marketing.

When thousands of university students graduate each year with shiny new degrees, competition for the best graduate jobs and internships can be fierce.

The chief executive of the KiwiYo company says he is deeply sorry that a Whangarei teenager quit her job after she was told not to greet customers with a traditional "kia ora".

A man was unfairly sacked from his father's company after a row about gossiping, the Employment Relations Authority says.

Auckland University's student union was justified in sacking its general manager for financial mismanagement involving a loan to cover $1.4m in debt, a court has ruled.

Pyne Gould Corporation has been forced to disclose documents to the company's former financial controller, who is fighting it over a bonus worth $140,000.

A chef who walked off the job after a heated morning in which she allegedly threw a pan and reduced a staff member to tears has failed in her bid to claim more pay.

Nearly 12,000 unionised health workers have voted in favour of taking industrial action, after they were offered an "insulting" pay increase, the Public Service Association says.

ERA decisions in the past two years show workers frequently receive compensation after being unjustifiably fired for swearing at, or threatening, their bosses.

If you're in the office today, chances are somebody has annoyed you. In no particular order, here are seven of the most irritating habits of co-workers.

With so many people choosing to head off overseas for work it is good to check out how easy it is to bring any superannuation savings back with you when you return.

A woman who adopted a child has won the right to paid parental leave, after being told by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment that she wasn't eligible.

A former chef at an Auckland cafe has been awarded more than $50,000 in unpaid wages and compensation for unjustified dismissal.

A permanent ban against a former shareholder of a budget sunglasses distributor from working in a similar New Zealand business is void, according to a High Court judge.

A doctor who advised a woman to "self pleasure" as part of her treatment for an eating disorder will be reviewed by the Medical Council.

A joinery worker who repeatedly refused to wear safety equipment and yelled obscenities at his boss was justifiably sacked, the Employment Relations Authority has ruled.

A former employee of Flight Centre who dishonestly accessed a computer system to fund a "lavish lifestyle" has been sentenced to five months' home detention.

A business which failed to pay its employees the minimum wage and chose to pay workers in beer on Saturdays has been ordered to pay a former employee more than $12,000.

A "hot-tempered" KiwiRail worker accused of slashing another staff member's car tyres was rightly fired, it has been ruled.

A construction worker who claims to have failed a workplace drug test due to eating cupcakes he did not realise were laced with cannabis has failed to have his job reinstated.

Tight budgets and heavy workloads are being blamed the "record levels" of personal grievances being laid by police employees.

A Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment report this month says amendments to the Employment Relations Act and the Holidays Act that the Govt made in 2011 have achieved some of their policy objectives in the short term.