A recent Fair Work Australia order - requiring a contractor to reinstate a worker at a principal's site - demonstrates the significant operational issues employers could face if ordered to return a dismissed worker to their former role, says Harmers Workplace Lawyers partner Lesley Maclou.
An "engaged" employee can still be "a real flight risk", says SHL director Stephanie Christopher - especially in a situation where a leader, "who they may have personal respect for and loyalty towards", leaves the company.
Almost nine in ten employers in Australia and New Zealand have established flexible work practices, but many admit their employees are unaware of the benefits - and less than half are using them to attract new candidates, a Rubicor survey has found.
When the budget for running staff surveys is tight, employers need to focus on where they can get reliable answers fastest, says Retention Partners director Lisa Halloran.
It's not that HR people want to lie. It's just that we've created our own prison: the urban myths that have developed over the last 20 years as the HR function has matured...
A recent court finding that an "informal" discussion constituted disciplinary action is a "classic" example of how failing to communicate the purpose - and possible consequences - of management action can put employers at risk, says Thomson Playford Cutlers partner Jacquie Seemann.
The number of employers cited in the Federal Government's 2010 employer of choice for women list has dropped to 95, down from 111 last year and 99 in 2008.
HR professionals who make it to the top table will remain secondary to operational and finance heads unless they can show they're "not on another planet", says MACAW Consulting Group managing director, Tony Sernack.
All employers should consider putting in place a workplace s-xual harassment prevention plan, even though such plans are only expressly prescribed in one jurisdiction, according to a risk management expert.
Recent events have shone a spotlight on whistleblowing, placing employers firmly on notice that their response to a protected disclosure could be subject to intense scrutiny. Watch this webcast to understand the role HR plays in this challenging space.
