I want to talk a little bit about Marvin Pipkin and what he can show us about challenging assumptions. When the United States Army Scientist returned to civilian life and joined General Electric in the 1920’s - he was set the “impossible” task of creating a lightbulb that was frosted on the inside. But Marvin, not understanding this was a joke for new recruits, set about as if it were possible, and in 1925, the new internally frosted light bulb was completed.

Creating and using…

A workplace investigation can be a traumatic and emotional event for everyone involved. 

Let's take a look at how an organisation can move forward after a workplace investigation, regardless of whether the complaint has been upheld or if any disciplinary action has been taken. 

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN AN INVESTIGATION IS CONCLUDED? 

After the investigative…

Nowadays, thanks to the development of virtually all aspects of business, starting your own company is easier than ever. It is not difficult to understand, then, why small businesses represent a considerable force on today’s market. In fact, according to statistics, small businesses already accounted for one-third of US exports in 2015, and as much as 88% of…

There is no doubt that swearing in the workplace is unacceptable – the Fair Work Commission (FWC) has repeatedly held that swearing in an abusive manner that is directed towards others is a valid reason for dismissal. 

Often employees seek to justify their use of coarse language by claiming that there is a culture of swearing in their particular workplace. Earlier this year, in Pridham and Rose v Viterra Operations Pty Ltd T/A Viterra [2019] FWC 1018,…

Any sphere in which humans interact with each other is likely to involve certain levels of conflict. This is certainly the case in the workplace, where employees are required to spend significant amounts of time with people they may not otherwise choose to be involved with. 

Although workplace conflict is unavoidable, it does need to be dealt with to ensure that staff remain engaged and productive. We take a look at…

There is a big challenge with outplacement services, and that is that for many organisations, it is quite often seen as a grudge purchase. And we’re not being unkind here.

With the wellbeing, performance and success of a transitioning employee no longer a direct impact on you or your bottom line, it can be easy not to show the level of care, support and proactivity that exiting employees need from you as…

Workplace bullying can be extremely serious and should not be tolerated by employers.

Across Australia, employers are required to provide employees with a safe and healthy work environment, and genuine workplace bullying can put the health and safety of employees at risk. The anti-bullying jurisdiction of the Fair Work Commission (FWC) created by the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (FW Act) is directed towards remedying real cases of workplace…

By Hugo Robinson

You open your packet of chips and the salty aroma hits your nose. Saliva starts to build for that first delicious bite. You reach into the packet, and reach.. and reach...

Finally, after wading through half a bag of air, your hand strikes gold in the form of crispy, potato goodness. But every time this happens you feel ripped off, right?

With that in mind..Why are you still hiring permanent staff with expertise in their field to spend half their time on…

Do you wake up feeling good and look forward to the day ahead? If the answer is no, then you are not alone.

New figures from the National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing report 45 per cent of Australians have experienced a mental health problem in their life-time, while 20.1 per cent experienced a mental disorder last year, an increase of 2.6 per cent from the previous year.

As a psychologist this doesn’t surprise me, in fact, I would go so far as to say it is…

By Tony Wu

About four years ago, I decided I was over working in the corporate field, and wanted to do more with my career. Keen to utilise my studies and pursue a career in marketing, I started applying for hundreds of roles, and attending interview after interview, only to be told my CV wasn’t what they were looking for. So I decided I had to change tack. Maybe there was a way I could combine my passion for design and creativity with my knack for business, and start…

No employer operates in a silo – all employers operate in complex systems of interrelated stakeholders including employees, customers, other businesses, and regulators who enforce the laws that apply to the employer and their business.



The actions of employers, therefore, have consequences for those stakeholders. Even decisions that on the surface appear only to concern two parties – the employer and the employee – can have ripple effects on the others.



For example, the…

In the perfect world, every employee works in a positive and healthy work environment every day. Unfortunately, nowadays many individuals struggle with hostile work environments. Those are situations where a person feels constantly uncomfortable at their place of…

Workplace bullying can sometimes be difficult to identify. After all, people from many different walks of life are thrown together in a working environment, and this will often result in personality clashes and natural disagreements. Not everybody in the office will be friends with each other. 

So how can you tell when something has strayed into the area of workplace bullying? And how do you know when to deal with it…

The rapid rise of concepts such as the gig economy has seen a significant shift in our understanding of the differences between independent contractors and employees. The distinction between the two is now more complex and can be difficult to discern, but regulatory bodies have made it clear that they will not tolerate the intentional mischaracterisation of employment relationships as a means of depriving genuine employees of their entitlements.



There have been numerous cases in…

In the coming years, more people than ever before will need to take on caring responsibilities.

Advances in medical technology mean that people with disability are living longer, while Australians are retiring later and choosing to age at home. If employees are not…

Well-thought-out questions are the key to finding well-qualified job candidates. The right interview questions will help uncover insights about applicants that can’t be gleaned from a resume, including professionalism, confidence, problem-solving skills, and more!

The Best Job Interview Questions

While behavioural interview questions,…

Relocating your office is, of course, no easy feat. First, you will be down for some time, so you could be risking losing some money. Second, you might lose clients and employees if you’re moving far away from your original location. You will also need to handle some other things, like new marketing efforts, updating your website and social media, and in general, invest a lot of time and effort to have everything go according to plan. So, with that in mind, we suggest you work hard on…

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) is responsible for ensuring compliance with workplace laws. It does this by investigating and taking enforcement action against suspected breaches of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (FW Act).



Under the FW Act, one of the enforcement powers of the FWO is to issue a compliance notice requiring the employer to address contraventions of the FW Act. Failing to comply with this compliance notice has serious consequences…