Most HR practitioners know how to apply a technical lens to complex workplace matters, but a broader focus on human elements can surface risks and opportunities they wouldn't otherwise address, an advisor says.
Losing a job held for nearly 30 years was likely to have an "extremely significant effect" on an employee, but she was "given every opportunity to avoid that outcome", according to the Fair Work Commission.
If HR leaders want more effective and psychologically safe performance processes, getting rid of the word "review" is a good place to start, an advisor says.
Performance conversations that weren't as "overt" as they could have been contributed to an employee's confusion regarding the reasons for her dismissal, but her employer's decision wasn't unlawful, the Fair Work Commission has ruled.
Implementing a support plan, holding frequent meetings and providing performance feedback from multiple people were all reasonable actions, a commission has ruled in a dispute over liability for an employee's psychological injury.
"Micro coaching moments" are among the ways progressive HR functions are combatting managers' fear of giving performance feedback, according to an experienced consultant.
"Anomalies" in an employer's management of performance and conduct issues meant the process lacked clarity and resulted in a dismissal that was valid, but harsh, the Fair Work Commission has found.
A performance improvement plan gave an employee "ample" opportunity to demonstrate better workplace communication, but she "missed it by a mile", a commission has ruled in upholding her dismissal.
It's natural for managers to have "some confusion and fear" about delivering performance feedback, and employers have more work to do in reframing workplace views about psychological safety, a specialist advisor says.
A disclosure of mental health issues shouldn't necessarily stop a manager from holding an underperforming employee to account, but the approach they take might need to change, a conflict specialist says.
