Longer negotiations, harder lines, and a new arbitration pathway offering relief from prolonged industrial deadlock – but not without cost. Once a rarely used mechanism, intractable bargaining workplace determinations are now arising more frequently where enterprise bargaining stalls and agreement proves elusive, bringing protected industrial action to a halt while transferring control over the remaining contested issues to the Fair Work Commission.

In this special episode of The Legal Brief, produced in partnership with Kingston Reid, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Kingston Reid partner Lucy Shanahan about how intractable bargaining workplace determinations are reshaping enterprise bargaining strategy, and what organisations need to be thinking about to manage their exposure, right from the beginning.

In an industrial relations landscape that is becoming more complex and contested, organisations that recognise the implications of these shifts and proactively manage bargaining risk before positions become entrenched will be better positioned to retain control over outcomes. Those that do not may find that the endgame is decided for them.

To learn more about Kingston Reid, click here.

With nearly one in two workplace leaders experiencing severe stress week to week, there is an urgent need to build leaders' sense of self and have them embrace self-care, so they are better placed to identify and support workers who are struggling themselves.

In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with R U OK? founding director and author Graeme Cowan about what his career has taught him about leadership and wellness, the urgent need to improve leaders' health in the workplace, the prevalence of severe workplace stress, how difficult it is to be a manager right now, what leaders must be asking of themselves moving forward, what it means to care in the workplace, the three arms of care, and how HR teams can better support leaders' holistic wellbeing.

Ensuring the workforce is engaged does not simply bolster team culture; it also strengthens the collective focus on the business's objectives. Here, we unpack how to strike the right balance.

In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Ensign Laboratories head of human resources Grant Wyatt about his journey in the HR space, concerns around workforce engagement, whether engagement is harder to come by than ever before, what constitutes a strong workplace culture, navigating generational differences, what works and doesn't work in bolstering culture and a focus on objectives, meaningfully prioritising optimal culture in a time of voluminous change.

At a time when demands for productivity are greater than at any point in recent memory, human leadership is more important than ever.

In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Human Leadership Lab founder and chief executive May Samali about the evolving nature of leadership, leaders' cognisance of the need for human-centred approaches, whether workers retain the same reverence for leaders as in years gone by, the headline challenges facing leaders right now, the need to be more holistic in managing staff, balancing short-term issues against taking a longer-term approach to the business, and what HR's role is in all of this.

More claims. More complexity. Higher stakes. How AI and rising civil penalties are reshaping workplace litigation and what employers need to do to keep pace.

In this special episode of The Legal Brief, produced in partnership with national law firm Kingston Reid, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Kingston Reid partner James Parkinson about two emerging trends currently reshaping the conduct of workplace litigation in Australia.

Artificial intelligence is increasingly being deployed in legal proceedings, and this trend shows no sign of abating. The rise of the "AI advocate" is driving a surge in rights-aware self-represented litigants, with generative AI capable of producing legally framed claims. While this presents a perceived expansion of access to justice, it also places significant pressure on courts, tribunals, and employers who are required to navigate AI-generated materials in order to respond to claims. The presenters explore how Australian jurisdictions are responding, through evolving guidance notes and procedural guardrails, and why a recalibration towards more traditional, oral advocacy may be on the horizon.

Against this backdrop, our presenters also explore the growing prominence of collective employee claims. With significantly higher civil penalties and intensified regulatory scrutiny, the economics of enforcement have shifted. Resolution is no longer confined to employee remediation, and may increasingly involve consideration of payments to prosecuting parties, including unions.

For employers, the implications of these developments are clear: compliance must be proactive, remediation swift, and litigation strategies rigorously stress-tested.

In a system being rapidly reshaped in the wake of new technology, organisations that recognise these shifts and act early to address issues will be best placed to navigate a more complex and costly disputes landscape, whereas employers who fail to adapt risk being outpaced: procedurally, financially, and strategically.

To learn more about Kingston Reid, click here.

Work is a social determinant of health – given how much time we spend in the workplace, it is one of the most consistent and powerful influences on our holistic wellbeing. To this end, how we view responsibility for our health and work can and should be reconsidered.

In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with organisational psychologist, researcher, and leadership adviser Dr Kat Page about her passion for supporting individual workers on the ground, how and why consideration of work goes beyond discussions of mental health and psychological safety, and why the volume of work undertaken means it must be considered a public health issue.

Page also delves into the fact that we have less separation from work than ever before, the blurred lines between home and work that impact one's ability to disconnect, how old the idea of work being a public health issue and its resonance with key decision-makers, what the role of the HR function looks like when work is considered a public health issue, rethinking what HR looks like, and how it can bring the business along for the ride.

With more generations in the workforce than ever before and against the backdrop of myriad technological and sociocultural changes, hiring the right staff is more difficult than ever.

In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Blue Connections IT chief people and operations officer Cassandra Eastham about having pivoted her career from biochemistry to using people skills, the people challenges facing HR practitioners, adapting one's approach to working with staff, and striking the right balance between generations.

Eastham also delves into the importance of having an open mind, onboarding tech while not ignoring the human aspect of work, ensuring staff feel comfortable, what best practice looks like in attracting and retaining talent right now, employing newer and more creative strategies, maintaining a competitive edge, what's worked and not worked in her experience, and looming opportunities to reinforce the importance of the HR function.

In the age of AI, "it can be very hard to ascertain the person behind the CV". Here, one CEO outlines her four-step process to recruitment to help leaders and HR pivot in a shifting landscape.

In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Virtual Headquarters chief executive Emma Davison about her background as a physio, what she learnt from that vocation in becoming a C-suite executive, the recruitment challenges facing businesses right now, why it's harder to recruit now than ever before, and the lessons she's learnt over the years when hiring.

Davison also delves into her four-step process for hiring new staff, why such a comprehensive approach is so beneficial, the differences she's noticed since starting the new system, the inherent challenges to be overcome, and what motivates her moving forward about recruitment into the future.