With more staff cuts being announced every day around the country as organisations act to stem costs in the face of economic uncertainty, a leading workplace relations lawyer has warned employers to be careful when letting staff go.

Joydeep Hor, managing principal of law firm People+Culture Strategies, says employer understanding of how to terminate staff employment in a fair yet commercial way is still a 'massively underdeveloped skill' in Australia.

"Whether it's for redundancy reasons, performance, misconduct or just a bad fit, termination of employment and the law surrounding it is a very complex area that many employers just aren't getting right," said Hor, who will be discussing this topic at the upcoming National HR Summit in Sydney this March.

HR Summit director Stephanie Campanale said employment law was a hot issue at the moment with many HR teams and managers brushing up on their knowledge following some high-profile cases and legal decisions.

"Employers are realising the high cost in terms of money and reputation of getting it wrong, so they are taking steps to understand their legal obligations to each and every employee," said Campanale.

Now in its tenth year, the National HR Summit is the leading forum for HR leaders in Australia. To find out more about how to deal with employee performance and to view the full program, visit www.hrsummit.com.au.