When dealing with allegations of staff misconduct, employers must be able to clearly delineate between fact-finding and disciplinary investigations. 

This includes communicating the difference to staff involved in the process.

FACT-FINDING VS FORMAL INVESTIGATION

A 'fact-finding' process is often a necessary preliminary step in determining whether a…

Motivating employees and making them feel good and comfortable in their workplace is the most important job of every employer. One of the ways to keep your employees motivated and productive is by having a good office design. 

Yes, you read that right. The design of an office contributes a lot to the motivation and good vibes. So, in order to keep your people happy, productive and motivated think about redesigning…

NB Lawyers – lawyers for employers recently acted for the Fraser Coast Regional Council (the Council) and successfully obtained a costs order following an unsuccessful application for reinstatement filed by a former employee.…

Investigating Complaints Part 3 – Conducting a Risk Assessment

This part 3 of a series is a step by step guide to help you investigate employee complaints.  The guides can also be used to investigate complaints from stakeholders including clients and customers.

This process is by no means the only process, it is however the process I use and have been using successfully for a number of years.

The next stage in the investigation process is to conduct a Risk…

The rules around when staff can be terminated while they are on leave can be a source of consternation for management and human resources professionals. 

The consequences of getting it wrong are demonstrated in the recent Fair Work Commission decision of Tuan Nguyen v Adelaide Fencing and Steel Supplies Pty Ltd [2020] FWC 79 (30 January…

This part 2 of a series is a step by step guide to help you investigate employee complaints.  The guides can also be used to investigate complaints from stakeholders including clients and customers.

This process is by no means the only process, it is however the process I use and have been using successfully for a number of years.

Once you have completed your analysis of the complaint the next stage of the investigation is to develop your Investigation Plan.

The…

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A good manager will not purposely force the employees to work more than they are able to. Instead, they will motivate them to fulfill their full…

As the stress and conflict absorbers of an organisation, a HR professional’s day can be filled with high-pressure situations, hard conversations, tight deadlines and negative energy. It is no wonder your HR team are susceptible to burnout.

But as one of the most crucial teams in your organisation, you can’t afford for them to skip a beat. So how can you manage HR stress, particularly during high change periods like restructure and redundancy? Here are some tips to help.…

It is not unusual when investigating allegations such as sexual harassment, bullying or theft for the person accused of the misconduct to make a counter allegation.

This in turn can generate further counter allegations, making it difficult for investigators to keep track of a growing litany of wrongdoings!

Steering through the sea of…

In the first part of this blog series the setting for the discomfort felt by both the manager (speaker) and the staff member (listener) was explored. Often the discomfort felt by the manager is momentarily acknowledged then put aside as though it shouldn’t happen and it is weak or poor management to feel this…

Today's market is quite competitive and requires that companies are always one step ahead of the newest trends. This is achieved with novel approaches, innovation, and upgraded performance – all of which require that employees are in line with current practices. And, the crucial…

We’ve all been there. That office meeting that drags on and on and on, when you have a thousand other things you really need to be doing in your day. It’s frustrating. It’s inefficient. And, frankly, it’s also very last decade.

If you haven’t yet come across the concept of ‘huddling’, read on! Because…

You could be forgiven for thinking the workforce of the future has very little to do with us, the people who – at least for now – work.

Constant talk and fears of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) paint a picture of a dystopian future where jobs are scarce and completely at risk once machines’ intelligence can catch up and perform the role in a similar or better fashion.

A recent poll from Unions NSW revealed more than 80 per cent of respondents feared robots would…

It's the perfect time to audit those workplace relationships!

If you value your workplace relationships, like anything else you value, you will from time to time stop and reflect on what’s working and what needs improvement.

It’s the start of the year and as you slide back into your work, this is the perfect time to consider your workplace relationships.…

We are all familiar with the more obvious signs of workplace discrimination; but with targeted racism and xenophobia spreading faster than the Coronavirus, it is vital to be aware of the more nuanced and subtle acts of discrimination at work. 

Queensland has seen MP Duncan Pegg slam a phoney health department …