What are digital document workflows?

As technology evolves and becomes intrinsically integrated into everyday tasks, the nature of work is changing drastically. It is now imperative that organisations are preparing for this change and taking advantage of the solutions cutting-edge technology can provide.

A great example of how organisations can leverage the digitsation of workflows can be seen by exploring the Human Resource (HR) industry. HR teams are…

It was only a few years ago that if you asked a business leader if they were using the cloud, they would only have a vague idea about what that meant. But today cloud computing has become part of the everyday business landscape.

In Australia, it is estimated that 76 per cent of businesses are utilising cloud computing (StollzNow Research), with 46 per cent of non-cloud users planning to use cloud services in the future. Thanks to this growth, the market for cloud services was…

Dismissals can be a messy and unfortunate affair. Sometimes it is unfair, sometimes it is not. There are many reasons as to why somebody is supposed to be dismissed from their workplace, but whatever the cause, it can all be handled elegantly. That’s why you should consider mediation to get things running smoothly, and having all parties leave the room satisfied.…

Making sure that your staff are fit and healthy, enabling them to perform their duties at an optimal level, forms an essential part of being an employer of choice. But beyond ensuring that your staff are physically capable, it is essential to also look after their mental wellbeing. 

Underestimating the importance of mental health in the workplace is likely to have lasting impacts on your workers,…

Diversity among executive ranks is important and comes up for discussion regularly in our field. Most often it’s in relation to gender but also in the context of sexual orientation, ethnicity, religious orientation, age, disability, and so on.

As someone who literally sits between the job market and the employers, and who has done so for the past 17 years, I’ve had plenty of first hand experience in understanding the agendas of employers and the dynamic of the…

Before we continue with the article, we want to let you know that we have a few spaces left on our HR Workshops this October.  Click the image below to register or enquire for yourself or someone in your team.…

As a candidate looking for a new executive role, it’s incredibly important for you to be able to articulate your key achievements and transferable skills.

Having worked in the recruiting industry for many years and having interviewed and coached thousands of candidates and senior executives through their job search, this is something I’ve seen people do very well. But for whatever reason, I don’t think Australians are natural self-promoters.…

Safety is one of the first casualties of a reckless pursuit for a higher productivity, however, this is not the only thing that causes workplace accidents, mishaps and lapses. Of course, creating an environment that’s 100 per cent injury free is impossible, seeing as how human error is a factor that can never really be eliminated and it takes place in all stages from the workplace preparation to the actual production. Nonetheless, with a safe manner of…

One of the logistical challenges often faced by employers is the management of rosters and employee working hours. There are a number of factors to take into consideration when it comes to this, such as an employee’s availability, changing circumstances and the particular needs of the business.

It can be difficult for employers to balance these interests but a recent decision of the Fair Work Commission (FWC) has shown support for employers who make reasonable…

Employees active on social media (such as Facebook) fail to consider who might be able to see their personal online posts at any given time. The consequences can be significant – particularly in an employment context.

It is becoming increasingly common for employers to review their employees’ social media presence at various stages of the employment relationship, particularly when claims are made against the employer by an employee or former employee.  So, what happens when an…

It is often said that the essence of the employment relationship is the work/wages bargain – where an employer directs an employee to complete certain work in exchange for wages.  However, the reality of the employment relationship is much more complex.

To manage these complexities, most employers attempt to cement the terms of the employment relationship in a single, written document – the employment contract.

Of course, the employment contract reflects the fundamental…

How to build positive and engaged teams in a thriving workplace

In any organisation, we hear about the need to manage a ‘change process’ to navigate staff through a major transition such as a new IT system, staffing restructure or relocation.

Organisational change is no longer restricted to a major event, but rather constant cycles of reflection and reorganisation have become the new way of working, to stay alive in…

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After a business team meeting, one of the two things is usually on people's minds: “What the heck was that?”, or “This was pretty clear and useful.”

Whether it’s one or the other, usually depends on:

• having a valid agenda for a meeting 
• keeping it short and concise
• knowing…

As any HR manager will testify, conducting workplace investigations is one of the most important but vexed aspects of ensuring that an organisation runs smoothly. 

This is particularly the case when the various parties involved in an investigation are putting forward different versions of events - who do you know who to believe? For many years, workplace investigators have employed the Briginshaw…

Under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (FW Act), employees are entitled to take protected industrial action in circumstances where they are bargaining for a new enterprise agreement.

The action can take many forms – from striking and “go slows”, to changes in the clothes that employees wear.

In circumstances where that statement, impact or disruption has the potential to pose a threat to the life, health, safety or welfare of others, the Fair Work…

With the summer sports season approaching, the tragic death of a 19 year old college football player in the USA serves as a reminder to sporting organisations at all levels about the duty of care owed to their players.

In May 2018, the first year college football player with the University of Maryland collapsed during a team training exercise which required players to perform sprint tests. The player suffered a seizure and was later admitted into hospital suffering from heatstroke and…

There has been an increasing trend in recent years for employers to implement pet-friendly workplaces in an effort to boost employee morale and productivity. The basis of the concept is that pets are widely understood to have the effect of improving an individual’s mood and reducing levels of stress and anxiety – sentiments that are invaluable in a workplace (particularly high-intensity work environments).

Pet-friendly workplaces can take various forms such as allowing employees to…

In Part 1 of this blog, we looked at a number of commonly overlooked, but important, consideration for employers in the relocation process.

In this Part 2, we turn to the types of employment issues employers can expect to face during the process.

Relocation redundancy

The possibility of relocation redundancy generally arises if an employee’s contract of employment links their position directly to a location. If the work in that location no…