Archive for 2017
End of Year Work Parties – Golden Rules for Employers
Investigation reports complied by iHR Australia’s investigators show that end of year work parties increase the risk of inappropriate behaviour. End of year functions are an important event to celebrate and…
Read MoreLack of Training Heightening Legal Risk for Australian Organisations
iHR Australia’s analysis of the workplace investigations it conducts indicates that untrained managers remain a high compliance risk factor for organisations. Managers promoted without the skills to lead and manage…
Read MoreStepping Up – Developing Effective Frontline Managers to Drive Results
A 2010 survey conducted by McKinsey in the US revealed that nearly 70% of senior executives are only ‘somewhat satisfied’ or ‘not at all satisfied’ with the performance of their…
Read MoreR U OK? The question you need to be asking your team members
Yesterday Australians asked each other the question “R U OK?” as part of the national initiative to draw awareness to the challenging and complex areas of mental health and suicide.…
Read MoreManaging Mental Ill Health in the Workplace
The following professional, but not legal, advice about mental ill health in the workplace is provided for your consideration: 1. What is mental health and what is mental ill…
Read MoreCommissioner Lucy Brogden asks Organisations to go ‘Beyond Yoga and Fruit Bowls’
Commissioner of the National Mental Health Commission Lucy Brogden addressed Senior HR and Business Executives as keynote speaker and panelist at iHR Australia’s Executive Luncheon in Melbourne on Friday. Held…
Read MoreWorkplace Culture Ultimately Underpins Reducing the Risk of Litigation
Preventing and managing inappropriate workplace behaviour isn’t as simple as writing a policy and having an open door towards employee complaints. A proactive approach by managers and leaders is required…
Read MoreInadequate Disciplinary Policies Risk to all Australian Organisations
The Fair Work Commission has called on employers to introduce a greater range of disciplinary options like fines and unpaid suspensions into agreements to avoid “inappropriately lenient or inappropriately harsh”…
Read MoreThe Life Cycle of Performance Management
Summer is nearly here, and there’s a possibility that during it many people will be teaching someone to swim. This can be undertaken with the help of swimming instructors in…
Read MoreParental Leave
What is parental leave? Parental leave is a general term encompassing maternity, paternity, special maternity, adoption and concurrent parental leave. All parental leave, except for concurrent parental leave, is taken…
Read MoreWhat constitutes sexual harassment?
Sexual harassment occurs when a person makes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours or engages in other unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature in circumstances in which a reasonable…
Read MoreWhat is unlawful harassment?
Under Federal and State legislation, unlawful harassment occurs when someone is made to feel intimidated, insulted or humiliated because of their race, colour, national or ethnic origin; sex; disability; sexual…
Read MoreTips to deal with common problems experienced by a Contact Officer
Problem 1: How can I protect a Complainant’s confidentiality when I have to keep records? Advice: Keep your records very basic and anonymous, so that they don’t identify a complainant or…
Read MoreRole of the Contact Officer
There are three aspects to the Contact Officer role, these are: To assist with setting a standard of acceptable behaviour in the workplace; To assist staff who may have a…
Read MoreConducting a one on one meeting as a Contact Officer
Organise a meeting for the right time and place, and have an open mind Greet positively Allow emotional behaviour to subside Ask if it is OK for you to take…
Read MoreRole of the Workplace Investigator
The role of a Workplace Investigator / Workplace Investigation Ofiicer includes: Maintaing a high level of familiarity with the organisation’s policies & procedures; Applying principles of natural justice to ensure…
Read MoreWorkplace Bullying: The Risk Factors
Organisational change Significant technological change; Restructuring / downsizing; Change in work method/s; Outsourcing; and Change in supervisor / manager Negative leadership styles Autocratic leadership characterised by: Styles that are…
Read MoreEffective Interviewing: Does your hiring manager know the right questions to ask?
Effective Interviewing: Does your hiring manager know the right questions to ask? Interviews can be stressful, not only for the candidates but for your managers as well as they are…
Read MoreProductivity, job satisfaction and mitigating risk are key selling points in pitching a training session to your manager
Training can provide employees with a number of benefits both personally and professionally. Employees can sell the benefits of workplace training to their manager in a number of ways. One…
Read More10 tips for Preventing Bullying in the Workplace
Bullying is repeated behaviour that could reasonably be considered to be humiliating, intimidating, threatening or demeaning. It can be direct or indirect and may be inflicted by one person or…
Read MoreFather and son under face workplace consequences for allegedly offensive tweets
A father and son are experiencing workplace consequences for inappropriate use of social media, prompting discussion about the appropriate use of social media and the line between private opinions and…
Read MoreHow to Keep Your Workplace Harassment-Free
Employers have a corporate and social responsibility to their employees to provide a safe working environment – specifically a workplace that’s free from harassment and discrimination. Workplace harassment is often…
Read MoreHow to Deal with Inappropriate Employee Behaviour
Inappropriate workplace behaviour comes in many forms. It can be defined as any behavior that creates or may create a risk to an employee’s health, safety and well-being. Examples of…
Read MoreHow professional workplace mediation can help you avoid costly court proceedings
Most workplaces will see an occasional dispute or disagreement arise from time to time, as a consequence of a simple misunderstanding, a personality clash, or a difference of opinion. This…
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