In a recent landmark case, the FWC ruled in favour of an employer’s right to refuse a remote work request. What are the implications of this ruling for the future of hybrid and remote work? The Fair Work Commission (FWC) recently dealt with a dispute over an employer’s denial of a remote work request. This case marks the first high-profile pushback against new legislation around flexible work that came into effect earlier this year. In its ruling, the FWC found that the employer in this case had responded reasonably to the employee’s request and had legitimate business grounds to refuse it. It ..read more

With 2024 just around the corner, business leaders are gearing up for yet another year of profound change. Here are five key workforce trends that could shape the new year, and advice for HR on how to prepare. As the countdown to the new year commences, business and HR leaders are bracing themselves for new waves of transformation.  Recent research from Randstad, a recruitment and HR services company, has shed light on five trends that could shape the workforce in 2024. HRM spoke with David Owens, Managing Director of HR Partners by Randstad, to unpack the trends that leaders expect to in ..read more

A comprehensive and effective wellbeing strategy is no longer a nice-to-have. Here’s how employers can elevate their mental health strategy to help their people thrive in the new world of work. The spotlight on workplace mental health is intensifying – and for good reason. Workers are the lifeblood of any organisation. As businesses increasingly acknowledge the link between employee mental health and overall productivity, the imperative to cultivate supportive environments is more critical than ever.  But, in facing the labyrinth of mental health, it’s difficult to know where to start. Yo ..read more

Rules around employers’ legal requirements regarding the collection and storage of employee information could be set to change in the near future, with proposed reform ahead for the employee record exemption. Here’s what HR needs to know. The Australian Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) currently includes an exemption for handling the records of current or former employees, commonly referred to as the ‘employee record exemption’.  This means that private sector employers don’t have to comply with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) when dealing with employee records. This allows employers to co ..read more

By leveraging AI to design a streamlined, ‘hyper-personalised’ candidate interface, the talent acquisition team at KPMG has cut down time to hire by 20 per cent – and reduced employee turnover in the process. As Australian businesses emerged from the throes of COVID-19 in late 2021, Australia’s unemployment rate sat at its lowest level since the 1970s.  Job ads had hit a 23-year high, while overseas migration was at its lowest since immediately after World War II.  For talent acquisition professionals, this economic environment spelled trouble. A dearth of qualified candidates flippe ..read more

Executed appropriately, an office Christmas party is an excellent chance to foster connections and mark the year’s accomplishments. Nevertheless, it’s crucial to be mindful of certain legal liabilities associated with these events.It’s that time of year. The ​‘Sil­ly Sea­son’. And that means that for many organ­i­sa­tions, the offi­cial employ­er Christ­mas par­ty is imminent. The start­ing point for office Christ­mas par­ties is that they are an exten­sion of the work­place – employ­ers need to care­ful­ly bal­ance hold­ing and facil­i­tat­ing a fun event with main­tain­ing a safe, respect­fu ..read more

The Federal Court has ordered a Sydney jeweller to pay a record sum in damages after finding its owner had sexually harassed one of his employees. Here’s what HR needs to know. An employee of a Sydney-based jeweller has been granted a record-breaking $268,000 in damages after the Federal Court found her employer subjected her to sexual harassment and victimisation.  The previous record for damages in a federal sexual harassment case was set in 2019 when a law firm was ordered to pay $170,000 to an employee who had been harassed by a colleague. “[This case] is a really useful, contemporary ..read more

Most organisations are calling for employees to return to the physical workspace for at least three days per week, new research from the Australian HR Institute into flexible and hybrid work has found. This year, mandated office days have increased by 11 percentage points (48 per cent) compared to 2022. However, employers remain open to continuing to have a remote option, with AHRI’s data, based on surveys with 450+ employers, finding that 24 per cent believe remote/home-based working will increase over the next two years. “This suggests that hybrid work is still an evolving practice,” says AH ..read more

Faced with severe talent shortages in its sector, this early education and childcare organisation augmented its learning and development program to build a pipeline of capable, driven and purposeful talent. As one of Australia’s largest and fastest-growing early education and childcare providers, Affinity Education has a built-in mindset of continuous learning and development. “We’re lucky in this sector that a lot of people are in it for the right reasons,” says Linda Carroll, Affinity Education Group’s Chief People Officer. “They’re doing it because they want to have an impact on young child ..read more

From championing active listening to changing the way leaders define conflict. Experts share top tips for HR professionals to facilitate inclusive leadership in their organisations. The word ‘inclusivity’ is often bandied about in conversations about management. However, it’s one thing to aim for inclusive leadership, but another thing to actually achieve it.  Often with the best of intentions, organisations miss the mark when it comes to developing and promoting inclusive leaders, which can impact the employee experience and significantly hamper an organisation’s end goal.  At a vir ..read more