Broadspring Consulting

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May 1 Weekly Wrap Up

First Year Quarter Of Fair Work Cases

This article from AHRI HRM online showcases three key cases – and a few other informative links – about lessons and insights to be gained from cases at Fair Work and the fair Work Ombudsman.
http://www.hrmonline.com.au/section/featured/3-fair-work-stories-heres-need-know/
The cases are varied and the summary canvasses 457 visa changes, staff underpayments as well as “worker exploitation”

While no readers of this blog would intentionally exploit workers (I’m sure of that) there are a few lessons and insights to be gained

1. When a major player in an industry has been under scrutiny, the entire industry needs to be alert.
Mention is made of one franchise organisation being reviewed and quickly made mention of several others.
Stay tuned to what is happening to other employers in your industry and if any have cases before Fair Work then you ought to be aware that you too may be up for a review.

2. It’s not just the repayments that you need to be aware of. If an employer underpays staff the penalties that are applied to the company and individually to Directors are significant. This is why it is vital to get good advice on correct pay rates, and to continually monitor the accuracy of what you are paying staff.

3. The fair Work office and Ombudsman are well resourced. The variety of cases being dealt with is growing. Employers need to be continually monitoring legislative changes and case outcomes. You need good HR support in your business.

Millenials In The HR Conversation Again

An article from Aberdeen Essentials http://www.aberdeenessentials.com/hcm-essentials/are-millennials-mandatory/ discusses the question of whether you have to hire millennial staff to survive.

The answer is yes.

Interestingly other articles on the same day discuss age discrimination in recruitment starting for candidates as young as 45.

It’s interesting how much focus is placed upon the age and (stereotyped0 typical behaviours of different age groups.

From a HR perspective let’s say that this needs to cease.
From an employer perspective you need to be focused on:
– culture fit
– skill mix
– capability

The article includes some stats on Best in Class HR and company performers and their trends in hiring millenials.

The three key points for me are:
1. Group think and “hiring like” have been known for years to be risky processes.
If your hiring and promotion decisions are being made on the same factors as they were 5 or 10 years ago then you are creating unnecessary risk in your company.

2. Hiring should be about skill, growth and reflecting who your clients are

3. People have different ways of engaging, regardless of their age, and if we are to truly achieve diversity and an absence of bias then ending the labelling of generations is a good start

Bullying Is In The News Again

There is no need to include links as the news in general media and HR streams has been full of what is happening at the AOC.

Other cases and the issuing of “orders” from Fair Work have been in the HR field.

Whatever the case of the context bullying is an undesirable workplace behaviour.

The questions being asked right now are insightful:
– what is bullying?
– what role does publishing/speaking out have?
– what can an employer do if there is doubt about the validity of the claim?
– will Fair Work orders make things better or worse
– how much had been going on prior to it becoming known/reported?
– what is the long term impact?
– can the workplace be restored to it’s previous state?
– should the workplace return to it’s previous state or is real change needed?

Clearly prevention of bullying is an important activity for me (my clients will all attest to this)
Sadly there seem to be some situations where the act of lodging a bullying allegation is in itself an act of bullying.

It’s too complex to go into in a blog, however I am happy to have a confidential conversation with you if you would like guidance on your situation.

My 3 tips on bullying
1. Take all allegations seriously
2. Maintain confidentiality
3. Investigate impartially and thoroughly
Be prepared to act early to prevent bullying
Be prepared to call and get advice