Leadership to Frontline: Which Compliance Training Topics Should Your Business Prioritise Today?

Workplace training isn’t just beneficial—it’s essential for employees at every level. Executives, people leaders (or frontline managers) and employees alike require tailored skills and compliance training to ensure they are equipped to face the increasingly complex workplace laws, regulations and compliance obligations.

While training needs vary across industries, certain fundamental topics transcend these differences. Leadership development, conflict resolution strategies, performance management, and a solid grasp of relevant legal frameworks prove universally valuable regardless of sector.

In this article, we explore the critical training topics businesses should prioritise and implement across all levels to foster a risk-free, compliant workplace environment. We break down information based on what people leaders, executive teams, and wider employees can benefit from and contribute to an excelling workplace culture.

Significant Workplace Risks Start with Frontline Managers—Targeted Training Can Change That

The biggest compliance and conduct risks often sit with frontline managers who have never been trained to manage and lead a team. These managers typically bring a wealth of technical expertise but often lack qualities and strategies to confidently step into a leadership role. When managers aren’t equipped to handle a difficult situation, address performance issues, or understand current legislation like positive duty requirements, Respect@Work provisions, and psychosocial obligations, workplace challenges inevitably emerge.

Throughout the years of facilitating training across Australian businesses, we consistently hear feedback that many frontline managers are not sufficiently equipped to manage their teams. This gap in capability directly contributes to a decline in teams’ performance, increased mental health challenges, increased work cover claims, and elevated compliance risks for the business.

Therefore, targeted training for frontline managers can have a big impact on the team’s culture, and overall compliance and risk management.

Workplace training topics that are beneficial for people leaders

In consultation with our Prinicpal IR Consultant and Training Lead, we’ve compiled a list of effective training programs that can develop confident, capable people leaders for your business:

• Managing team performance – Facilitating confident and fair discussions.

Providing feedback on performance is key to building a culture of accountability in the workplace. Managers must drive strong performance and engagement by setting expectations and regularly monitoring the progress of their team. This is typically achieved through coaching and the art of feedback. Training in this area can help bridge this skill gap and ensure people leaders are able to conduct difficult conversations with confidence and clarity.

Similarly, undergoing performance management training ensures potential performance issues are handled in a legal, procedurally fair, and professional manner. This also minimises the risk of issues escalating and leading to unfair dismissal or adverse action claims.

• Understanding mental health and psychosocial risks obligation – Support both your team and you.

Managers need to undergo relevant training to manage the mental health of their workforce. This provides a framework that helps identify common indicators of mental ill health, identify risk factors that can worsen mental ill health, and the legal obligation around reasonable adjustments.

Recent legislation also requires managers to identify and address workplace psychosocial hazards. Training helps managers recognise harmful stressors like excessive workloads or poor communication, implement preventative measures, and create an environment where employees can thrive mentally and emotionally.

Traditional health and safety training is another area that should not be overlooked. While mental health has rightly gained momentum, maintaining a physically safe, hazard-free environment remains just as important.

For example, in industries with warehouse or on-site staff, common risks such as tripping hazards, chemical exposure, or poorly set-up workstations can have serious consequences.

• Conflict resolution practices – Address workplace tensions before they turn into costly disputes.

Workplace conflicts are inevitable but how they’re managed determines their impact on the business. Effective conflict resolution training equips managers with practical strategies to identify tension points early, facilitate constructive conversations between parties, and reach sustainable resolutions.

• Foundational compliance training – Understanding workplace legislation forms the backbone of effective management. 

Compliance training ensures managers grasp their legal responsibilities regarding discrimination, harassment, safety obligations, wage compliance, and fair work practices. This knowledge helps managers make informed decisions daily, implement appropriate policies, and create a culture where compliance becomes second nature rather than an afterthought. 

These core training areas not only enhance a manager’s decision-making ability and define workplace standards, but they also play a crucial role in minimising the financial and reputational risks associated with legal missteps.

For Executives: Why Training at This Level Helps Set the Tone for Compliance

Executive teams and board members through their behaviours, knowledge, and strategic vision communicate the compliance requirements across the business.

Participating in targeted training equips executives with the legal literacy and behavioural insight needed to lead with accountability. It starts with understanding evolving legislation (eg., positive duty framework, psychosocial risks obligation etc), allowing them to guide the review and refinement of workplace policies. This training sharpens the ability to oversee the development of clear, practical procedures—ensuring managers and teams know exactly what’s expected.

Just as importantly, it builds the confidence to consistently engage with frontline managers, helping to uphold professional standards and intervene early when inappropriate behaviours emerge.

Every Role Counts: Embedding Compliance Through Employee Training

Compliance isn’t just a leadership responsibility—it’s something every employee needs to understand. Whether it’s anti-discrimination, workplace bullying, health and safety, or how to cope with mental health, employees need to know the boundaries of acceptable conduct and what to do when something doesn’t feel right.

Well-designed training helps your employees feel confident in identifying issues early, speaking up safely, and understanding the processes in place to protect them. It’s also a critical foundation for creating respectful, inclusive, and psychologically safe workplaces—where accountability starts with each employee in the business.

Where to Next?

It’s time to move beyond tick-the-box compliance. To truly embed behavioural change and reduce the possibility of claims, exposure to the regulator, or exposure to vicarious liability claims, there needs to be accountability at every level of your organisation. Training must be targeted, practical, and built around real workplace challenges.

Organising tailored training for leadership and management helps prevent minor issues from snowballing into major legal crises for the business.

Let’s help your managers lead with clarity and confidence.

Fill out our enquiry form to connect with our Training Lead and discuss in-house delivery options tailored to your organisation’s needs.