HR Postcard from London

 Our latest HR postcard is from Andrew Fletcher, Head of Human Resources, UK at WorleyParsons.  

Clear and effective communication structures are crucial to the smooth running of a workplace. Last-minute meetings and unexpected emergencies (especially safety emergencies) mean that messages and information often need to be relayed to employees almost instantly.

Thankfully, there are numerous ways in which employers are now able to communicate urgent messages to their employees where doing so in person is not practical, including by email, phone call, text message – or even through…

One of the biggest challenges for Australian employers is navigating the often complex and confusing landscape of the modern awards.

In this blog, we provide some basic information about modern awards to help employers find their way.

What is a modern award?

A modern award is a document made by the Fair Work Commission (FWC) that sets the minimum terms and conditions of employment for employers and employees in a particular…

Last year in The INNS and outs of adverse action: FWO prosecutes hotel owner for underpaying employees because of race. we reported on the Fair Work Ombudsman’s (FWO’s) successful prosecution of a hotel operator and its owner who took adverse action against two employees because of their Chinese race and Malaysian extraction.

Yenida Pty Ltd operated…

Tech that’s finally good for us!

There’s no little irony that it has taken a technological gizmo to provoke business leaders to get off their corporate bums and engage in that lowest tech of activities – the humble walk. It all started with the Fitbit - a watch-like device that…

A recent research study has found that bosses are the members of staff most likely to take days off due to stress.

The poll of 2,000 British workers found they had more days off for stress than doctors or teachers.

These three groups, along with factory workers and IT bosses, make up the top five occupations that see staff taking the most time off for stress.

The study, by Step One Recovery, found 90…

When an employee complaint alleging workplace discrimination or harassment is lodged, it is usually seen as a negative moment in the life of the organisation.

However, it is possible for an employer to view this as a positive phenomenon, rather than a sign of complete failure. This is because well-handled complaints can illuminate hidden corporate weaknesses, as well as any lurking issues affecting…

During the restructuring process, there are five R’s of change you need to manage effectively to maintain productivity, performance, and profitability in your organisation – resistance, redundancy, redeployment, re-engagement and retention. Here’s how to set your organisation up for success through change.

1. Resistance

No word can spread fear through an organisation like “change”. Resistance can be as inevitable as change itself, however, there are ways that…

On the weekend I attend the funeral of a 90yo. There was only 1 person in attendance with a known connection to the man. I did not know him. He had no known relatives. Why I was there is a complex story, but suffice to say they were 20 people present giving Mr Tibor P an appropriate and dignified exit from this world.

 

I was struck by many thoughts during the service. Just some of these were - What was Tibor’s story? How did he live so long…

Last month, all eyes were on tennis champion Serena Williams as she returned to her first Grand Slam tennis tournament following the recent birth of her daughter.

At the time she left the tennis tour, Williams was the first placed seed, however by the time of her return to participate in the French Open, Williams’ ranking had plummeted to number 453 in the world.

Under the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) special ranking rule, players who have been out of the…

Employee, worker, talent, resource, temp, contractor – there is an abundance of terms used to describe the people that perform work in a workplace. There are often technical reasons for these differences but to an outsider, those differences rarely matter - if a person works at that place, they must be an employee.

This misconception can create some challenges for employers who either share their workplace or business space with employees of an entirely different employer or who send…

In May 2018, a sports and pop culture website named ‘The Ringer’ published a report about the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers that sparked controversy worldwide.

The report claimed that Mr Bryan Colangelo has been secretly operating five Twitter accounts under various pseudonyms for the last two years whilst employed by the 76ers’ in the prestigious role of President of Basketball Operations.

The Ringer stated that the Twitter accounts had been used, amongst other things, to disclose…

By Professor Chris Walsh, Academic Director, Victoria University Online

and Dr Colin Drake MBA Program Director, Victoria University

There is no doubt that graduates of a Master of Business Administration (MBA) can leverage their degree to earn financial rewards. The benefits flow because MBA graduates have gained knowledge and skills that represent an increase in human or intellectual capital. This results in more productive…

People talk about team meetings like they’re a dirty word, and it’s true that without the right preparation they can often feel like a waste of time and energy. Minds wander, focus is lost and before you know it your meeting has missed its mark.

According to software developer Atlassian, the average employee attends 62 meetings a month and yet 31 of those hours is considered a waste of time. This results in massive direct and indirect costs for organisations. So, why is it that when…

Hospitals - very few people like them, yet many of us will be a resident at one time or another. Even though hospitals can be sources of great joy, places where babies are born, miracles happen and lives are saved, they also represent sickness, injury, death, and some pretty ordinary food! 

The people who work in them - the doctors, surgeons, nurses, aides, assistants, administrators and catering…

Andrew Jordan, Chief Technology Officer and Eric Tyree, Chief Data Scientist at Carlson Wagonlit Travel

It’s easy to be obsessed with data. After all, data is the power source that’s driving the success of global tech giants like Google and Amazon. But what many fail to realise is that you don’t have to be a tech company to harness the power of data. Today, data is being used to drive efficiencies across all aspects of business, including business travel.…

Where a disciplinary process involves discussions about dismissal, employers should not unreasonably refuse a request from the employee to have a support person present. We have discussed the role of the support person in previous posts. A support person can include a friend, family member, an impartial colleague or a union representative.

The presence of a support person or a representative affords the employee a degree of procedural fairness whereby they can turn to a trusted…

The Fair Work Commission (FWC) recently considered an unfair dismissal application lodged by an employee who was summarily dismissed in a Facebook Messenger chat.

In Morris v Alphaeus Hair Salon [2018] FWC 2642, Commissioner Riordan was provided with a Facebook Messenger chat transcript in which a salon owner accused an employee of participating in a conspiracy against him before advising her: “Good luck in your new job if you can find…

The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has applied a “common sense” approach to a recent unfair dismissal claim that involved intimidating and threatening behaviour by a supervisor towards a subordinate employee via text message and on social media.

In Natoli v Anglican Community Services t/a Anglicare [2018] FWC 2180, a Servery Supervisor at a residential aged care facility was summarily dismissed after it was determined that she had sent inappropriate text messages…