Mediations
To post or not to post?
[gravityform id=”36″ title=”false” description=”false” ajax=”true”] iHR Australia’s Workplace Investigations increasingly suggest that irresponsible use of social media is a high risk factor for Australian organisations. iHR Australia’s Managing Director Stephen Bell, believes that…
Read MoreWorkplace Bullying Investigations Highlight Need For Trilogy of Training for Managers
From experience conducting hundreds of workplace investigations iHR Australia’s Director Workplace Relations John Boardman contends that parties to a workplace investigation are often suffering mental ill health or are mentally fragile prior…
Read MoreNine points your next Workplace Bullying Training for Managers must cover
Not so long ago a Learning & Development Manager approached me regarding the creation of a 5 to 10 minute anti-discrimination, harassment and bullying eLearning module for her managers. ‘They…
Read MoreThe Chat All Managers Need To Have – But Can They Do It?
In iHR Australia’s summary investigations report, on average between 30-40% of substantiated cases of inappropriate and unlawful workplace behaviour, management avoidance was a contributing factor. This isn’t surprising according to…
Read MoreWorkplace Discrimination, Harassment and Bullying Training – Eight Reasons eLearning is a Viable Option
More than ever organisations and learners alike are looking to supplement or replace face-to-face training with eLearning. Compliance training focusing on workplace, discrimination and harassment is a topic often put…
Read MoreOne person’s word against another: Claim of sexual harassment & counter-claim of defamation
The inclusion of sexual harassment in Australian federal and state legislation provides women and men with a process for redressing harm experienced in the public sphere, particularly the workplace. Nonetheless,…
Read MoreSexual Harassment: Organisational Risk Factors
Is your organisation at risk of creating a culture of sexual harassment? Image Source: Human Rights Commission In this article we will briefly explore five organisational risk factors that may lead…
Read More6 Actions for Reducing the Potential for Bullying & Harassment Claims in Your Organisation
By Stephen Bell – Founder/Managing Director
I really admire the research done by Monash University’s Professor Helen De Cieri in regard to workplace safety and well-being, including bullying. Of particular interest to me is her emphasis on the need for organisations to focus on leading indicators, not lagging indicators, in order to assess the performance of their work cultures and potential risks of workplace incidents. It is insightful work and reinforces my long-term view that leadership capability and the health of workplace culture are critical factors to develop and monitor as part of a risk management strategy. This is why twelve years ago iHR Australia renamed its Workplace Discrimination, Harassment and Bullying for Managers’ training program to ‘Custodians of Culture’.
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 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 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 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 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 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…
Read MoreDownloading adult content at work: a cut and dried example of misconduct?
A recent ruling by the Fair Work Commission that involved an employee downloading pornography at the office, has illustrated how important it is to develop a clear workplace code of…
Read MoreSacking of union “big fish” signifies blow against culture of workplace bullying and intimidation: How to ensure your workplace culture does not become toxic.
The Fair Work Commission has upheld a major stevedore’s sacking of a self-proclaimed “big fish” unionist and equipment controller for bullying two colleagues who stepped outside a worker-maintained “system of…
Read MoreThe New Year’s Key Workplace Challenges
What HR and management professionals must consider going into 2017 The world is not all that predictable right now. Politically speaking there is an elephant in the room, which…
Read MoreHow “conflict competency” skills help to resolve workplace conflicts more effectively
A recent article in HR Monthly online discussed how to stop workplace conflicts before there was an “irretrievable breakdown” in the relationship between the parties involved. The article calls for…
Read MoreWhy incidents of workplace harassment or discrimination require the attention of expert investigators
All employers have an ethical and legal responsibility to ensure that their workplaces are safe and comfortable environments for every employee. If incidents of harassment or bullying occur in your…
Read MoreDomestic violence victim’s sacking over work absences found to be unfair: lack of HR expertise cited
The FWC has found a lack of HR expertise could have been a factor after a law firm unfairly dismissed a domestic violence victim for repeated unexplained absences. The firm…
Read MoreGiven the boot: shoe store manager found to be unfairly sacked because of procedural flaws
A shoe store manager who committed a retail “mortal sin” when he took cash from a customer and failed to account for it until a week later was unfairly sacked…
Read MoreFormer employee awarded $1 million in workplace bullying case illustrates big risk for Australian businesses
A former employee of a government agency has been awarded more than $1 million, after the bullying she was subjected to – which stemmed from one single incident – left…
Read MoreCan a breakdown in working relationships be salvaged? How mediation can be an effective first line of defence
In an ideal world, we would all easily cultivate and successfully maintain good professional relationships in the workplace, be it with co-workers, superiors or subordinates. Organizations would undoubtedly be highly…
Read MoreHow to handle workplace discrimination issues before they land you in court – or in ‘trial by media’
When a workplace issue or complaint is raised, a thorough and impartial investigation is the ideal course of action to ensure the matter is dealt with effectively before it reaches…
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