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Workplace stress has become widely recognised as a major workplace health and safety risk factor. It can have a negative ripple effect throughout an organisation, potentially causing harm to employees, hindering business operations and fuelling a toxic workplace culture. Leaders and managers play a central role in mitigating the risks of workplace stress and promoting a mentally healthy workplace. Under various legislation, employers are also legally responsible for ensuring that the working environment does not cause psychological or physical injury or worsen an existing condition. Employers can be held personally liable for failing to provide a safe workplace. Prevention and early intervention are crucial. Cultural reviews and professional training and development programs can inform, educate and support leadership to identify and address work-related psychosocial hazards, such as: work-related stress unreasonable job demands and low role clarity poor management and inadequate support poor workplace communication and relationships poor organisational change management workplace bullying and harassment violence, trauma or abuse If you or someone you know is in need of immediate assistance, click here for 24/7 crisis services within Australia. With the right support, leaders and managers can cultivate a positive, healthy workplace culture that promotes mental wellbeing and brings out the best in people’s morale and productivity. Research also shows that a mentally healthy workplace can, on average, result in a positive return on investment. WorkPlacePLUS provides a range of support services to help you mitigate the risks of workplace stress and promote a mentally healthy workplace. These include cultural reviews, training and development programs, organisational change, workplace investigations, employee assistance programs and more. For more information, please contact us today.

What’s your procedure when you receive a complaint or negative feedback from a staff member? Serious workplace issues such as claims of bullying, harassment or misconduct should always take urgent priority for a manager, from the moment you become aware of the alleged issue. Not only are you legally obliged to respond, your employees expect you to put their safety first and take their feedback seriously. WorkPlacePLUS consultant Carmen Hurwitz had this to say about how organisations should respond to a formal complaint: “When your employee comes forward, bravely, and makes a formal complaint, and you are able to clearly establish allegations and rules that have been broken, to then fail to properly investigate the matter only silences your most valuable asset - your people. “Taking action by formally investigating ensures that inappropriate behaviours are promptly and properly managed. This demonstrates that continuous improvement is at the forefront of the work you do, and that inappropriate conduct will not be tolerated. Most importantly, this builds trust with your staff, who know that when they bravely speak up, you listen and act decisively.” Courageous communication should be practiced and encouraged at all levels of your organisation. Having difficult conversations in an open, transparent manner allows workplace relationships to be strengthened and workplace issues to be resolved. It is important for organisations to have a fair and robust process for managing complaints, which should include being respectful, taking matters seriously and practicing procedural fairness. When taking action and responding to serious complaints, an important reminder that workplace investigations must adhere to natural justice principles, confidentiality, rules of evidence, compliance, and health and safety regulations. These standards help to ensure a fair and equitable process for all and allow an organisation to respond with the appropriate action. WorkPlacePLUS provides independent workplace investigations of the highest standard. We can support you to meet your employer obligations under various legislation such as Fair Work Act and Work, Health & Safety, while you continue to focus on your business. Our experienced HR consultants are trained private investigators. For more information, please contact us today.

Close workplace friendships have their benefits and their risks. In an interview on ABC Radio National, Lisa Leong and Anna Pannuzzo chatted about the value of having a best friend at work. Listen to the discussion on This Working Life, ABC RN > Workplace friendships can be great for our mental health and keeping our spirits up. We spend a lot of time at work so it’s important to be able to feel relaxed with your colleagues and have a laugh or vent sometimes. Camaraderie and respect at work is important, particularly when co-workers are looking out for each other and sharing ideas. This can promote cohesive teamwork and provide workers with an overall sense of wellbeing and support. However, there are potential risks to having a best friend at work: Perceived favouritism / perceived bias / conflict of interest Leniency of rules and policies in favour of putting the friendship first Distractions and time-wasting Exclusion of other team members (conscious or subconscious) A “bestie” friendship between a supervisor and subordinate would make it particularly difficult to avoid the perception of preferential treatment. If co-workers believe that a promotion or reward has been given on the basis of favouritism, this has a damaging impact on workplace culture and may also lead to discrimination claims. To avoid other team members feeling excluded, it is important to have courageous conversations with your co-workers. Open and transparent communication is an excellent way to strengthen team relations and create an inclusive team culture. Listen to the discussion on This Working Life, ABC RN > For more information, training and support, please contact us today. TO ACCESS MORE INTERVIEWS & PODCASTS, VISIT OUR MEDIA PAGE >

The Four Corners television episode “Health Hazard” exposed catastrophic failures in Australia’s health care system, particularly in regional and rural hospitals where patients have died or been permanently disabled due to medical mistakes. The TV report by Louise Milligan, which aired 9th September 2019 on the ABC, revealed under-resourced regional hospitals with staff run off their feet and grave concerns for clinical governance and patient safety. “I spoke to the general manager, I said that I was concerned about the culture in the department, that staff weren't listening, and I felt that if we didn't try and change this culture, there could be a catastrophic event.” - Max McLean (Former Nursing Manager, Broken Hill Base Hospital) The alarming statistics and heartbreaking stories revealed in this program leave many of us wanting to know what is being done to fix the problem. “The one thing we can do, if we can't have more people and more resources, is to try and look at how we do it and put in place exacting protocols and check lists and drill people in these, and support each other, and say speak up when you see something that isn't what it should be." - Dr Gabriel Khouri (General Practitioner Anesthetist, former Director of Critical Care, Bega Hospital) Attending to the workplace culture should be a regular part of every organisation’s risk management plan. Regional hospitals in Australia can start by undertaking a workplace cultural review, which is a proactive process designed to understand the values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours shared by the staff. This information can be the catalyst for change. ​ When structural or cultural change is needed in a high-pressure workplace such as a hospital or an emergency department, this can be very challenging for leadership and all members of staff. Doing nothing can have severe consequences and is not an option. WorkPlacePLUS has a team of HR consultants who are experienced at facilitating cultural reviews, strategic planning and organisational change in hospitals and healthcare settings. For more information, please contact us today. #WHS #WorkplaceCulture #ComplaintsGrievances #changemanagement #HealthandDisabilitysector

“Most of us spend more than a third of our lives at work. This is why the World Health Organization recognises the workplace as an important place to support and promote health and wellbeing.” – Women’s Health Week website Unsurprisingly, women make up almost half of the Australian workforce. When it comes to supporting the health and wellbeing of female staff, there are a number of areas that employers should consider: Physical Activity Too much sitting can increase the risk of weight gain, high blood pressure and chronic illnesses such as type 2 diabetes. Employers can encourage their employees to move more at work. This Better Health web page includes tips for staying active in the workplace. Mental Health According to SafeWorkAustralia, work-related mental health conditions have become a major concern in Australian workplaces. Under Workplace Health & Safety legislation, employers have a duty to prevent mental injury and provide a mentally healthy workplace. Read 5 management tips to promote a mentally healthy workplace > Health Checks Women’s health checks can save lives by assisting in the prevention and early detection of health issues such as breast cancer, cervical cancer and bone health. Employers can arrange onsite health checks for their employees or include them in their workplace health and wellbeing program. Click here to download a printable poster on health checks for women. Read 10 tips for supporting men’s health in the workplace > New Parents New mothers are returning to work sooner – according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 23% of Australian mothers with a 3-5 month old baby are in paid employment. Employees who are new parents are likely to be facing exhaustion and other physical or psychological difficulties. Managers may need to assist these staff members with navigating their workplace support options, such as parental leave, employee assistance and flexible working arrangements. Menopause Menopause can be a significant life transition for women. Employers may need offer work adjustments or greater flexibility to women who are dealing with menopausal symptoms which may be causing difficulties for them at work, such as hot flushes, sleep issues, fatigue or anxiety. Learn about the Menopause Information Pack for Organisations. Family & Domestic Violence According to the Australian Human Rights Commission, domestic and family violence is the leading contributor to death, illness and disability in women aged 15 to 44 years. Workplaces are uniquely positioned to provide support, from workplace trainings and domestic violence policies, to financial assistance, flexible working arrangements and referrals to specialised support services. Read Family & Domestic Violence may be affecting your employees > Confidential support regarding domestic and family violence is available at 1800respect.org.au. Making It Work Some women navigate a range of different struggles alongside their work responsibilities, such as IVF treatment or chronic illness. It is helpful for employers to develop their understanding of these issues. Read more on this Jean Hailes Women's Health Week page. It's important to check in on the wellbeing of your employees and offer a range of support. Regular 1:1 communication, planned group discussions, wellness and movement sessions, cultural climate surveys and a holistic, integrated employee assistance program are examples of proactive tools and strategies you can implement in your workplace. Read Tools for workplace wellness > WorkPlacePLUS provides a range of HR services that can help you promote a healthy workplace culture. For more information, please contact us today. #WHS #WorkplaceCulture #Employers #DomesticFamilyViolence

A Melbourne dentist has been penalised $5,355 and ordered to back-pay a former employee $32,889 plus interest, following legal action by the Fair Work Ombudsman. Last year, Fairwork issued a Compliance Notice to the dental practice, but the notice was ignored. “Fair Work Inspectors are increasingly using Compliance Notices to address underpayments and we will not tolerate them being ignored,” said Fair Work Ombudsman Sandra Parker. “The clear message to employers is that if you don’t comply with the terms of a Compliance Notice, we won’t hesitate from taking you to court to enforce them and seek additional penalties.” Earlier this year, Fairwork secured $335,664 in penalties for underpaying workers at 7-Eleven outlet and restaurant. Now, Fairwork is currently investigating Subway following claims by employees of systemic underpayment across the entire franchise network. Then there’s the high-profile under-payments scandal by restaurateur George Calombaris, so far resulting in back-payments totalling $7.3 million to 515 current or former employees, with new claims still being investigated. Employers who underpay their staff are breaking the law and taking a huge risk. As a manager or business operator, it is crucial that you are aware of your obligations – the potential penalties for such infringements have never been higher. Changes made by the Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Vulnerable Workers) Act 2017 mean companies involved in serious contraventions now face penalties of up to $630,000 per contravention. The maximum penalties for individuals are now $126,000 per contravention. The Act also doubled the maximum penalty for failing to keep employee records or issue pay slips to $63,000 for a company and $12,600 for an individual, and tripled the maximum penalty for knowingly making or keeping false or misleading employee records to $12,600 for an individual. A reverse onus of proof can also now apply, meaning that employers who don’t meet record-keeping or pay slip obligations and can’t give a reasonable excuse will need to disprove allegations of underpayments made in a court. Does your business comply with workplace legislation? All employers need to ensure that they are complying with all relevant workplace legislation to avoid the potential risks. WorkPlacePLUS has a specialised HR team that can support employers to meet their workplace obligations. Please contact us today to find out about our independent HR Audits & Reviews.

Is it time to review your workplace culture? Last week Anna Pannuzzo was interviewed on ABC Radio National about toxic work cultures - what they look like, how they impact on people and what can be done to address the causes and consequences of workplace toxicity. Listen to the podcast here > The five key signs of a dysfunctional workplace are: 1. Poor leadership and lack of support 2. Poor communication 3. Poor attitude and fixed mindset 4. Lack of teamwork 5. Staff conflict When a workplace culture is so dysfunctional that it is having a negative impact on staff’s health and wellbeing, it could be classified as a toxic workplace. A toxic workplace can manifest in countless undesirable ways, such as a high turnover of senior management, absenteeism, a gossip culture, low productivity, workplace claims and bad vibes amongst staff. Why bother fixing your toxic workplace? Positive work cultures promote happy, loyal and productive staff. Employers also have legal obligations under Workplace Health & Safety (WH&S) and the Fairwork Act to ensure they are maintaining safe, healthy and fair working conditions. For more information, training and support, please contact us today. TO ACCESS MORE INTERVIEWS & PODCASTS, VISIT OUR MEDIA PAGE >

Many organisations recognise and promote their good performers into team leader roles, creating an opportunity to strengthen the organisational culture and loyalty when the right candidate is selected. From our experience, however, very few organisations provide their prospective team leaders with the practical tools and leadership skills to succeed in their new position. This ultimately becomes a costly oversight. If staff performance and risk management are key to your organisation achieving its goals and budgets then training and development should not be an afterthought. Trimming the training and development expense when budgets are under pressure can have a detrimental impact on productivity and mental health in the workplace, with an increase in employee turnover. Increased productivity, reduced employee turnover and promoting a mentally healthy workplace are just some of the many good reasons to provide your staff with proper training. Even the most experienced managers need to keep up with current workplace legislation. Letting this slide exposes your organisation to risk. Reminder: staff should be doing a refresher training relevant to their role every two years In addition, issues associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and the changing landscape of working life continue to present new challenges to managers and supervisors. For example: Communicating to staff about changes in the workplace Managing requests for new, flexible or hybrid working arrangements or roles Managing teams remotely and monitoring engagement Addressing staff concerns e.g. returning to the workplace, vaccine passports Addressing complaints or grievances Supporting employee wellbeing Now more than ever, it is crucial to provide your leadership team with good support structures and tools for success. The team at WorkPlacePLUS has extensive experience in facilitating workplace training programs to leaders and teams in Australian workplaces. Our range of practical training programs address areas such as bullying and harassment, performance management, workforce planning, legal compliance, communication strategies and empowering your staff to excel. Directors, managers, supervisors, team leaders and staff all benefit from our specialised interactive trainings, as participants are equipped with the required tools, knowledge and confidence to succeed in their roles. Examples of training and development programs offered by WorkPlacePLUS: Communication Mastery Respect & Responsibility (Bullying, Harassment & Discrimination) Family & Domestic Violence Contact Officer Training Unconscious Bias in the Workplace Psychological Safety & Mentally Healthy Workplaces SCHADS: Know Your Award Outplacement Program: Smooth Career Transitions For more information, please contact us today.

In the "Lisa's Little Tips" segment of This Working Life on ABC RN, Lisa Leong asked Anna Pannuzzo why we need rockstars in the office. In short, we do not need ego-inflated demigods in the office. We do need strong candidates with great attitudes who fit the culture of the organisation. But how do we retain high-performing employees?... Listen to the podcast here, which contains practical tips on hiring, onboarding, managing performance and retaining top talent. Hiring for attitude is one of the keys to successful recruitment and retention of top talent. Skills can always be developed, whereas a bad attitude towards tasks, clients, the employer or other staff can cause conflict and a toxic workplace. Another key when it comes to talent retention is awesome leadership and culture. There is a saying that “people don’t leave bad jobs, they leave bad bosses.” There are variations on this, such as “they leave bad managers” or “they leave toxic workplace cultures.” The sentiment is the same. Very rarely do top performers stay in a job just for the money. High-performing employees tend to be loyal to great leaders and awesome workplace cultures. They want their views heard and respected, their achievements acknowledged, and their leaders to be emotionally intelligent with strong communication skills. For more information, training and support, please contact us today. TO ACCESS MORE INTERVIEWS & PODCASTS, VISIT OUR MEDIA PAGE >

There are many different ways to approach human resources management. Depending on the size of your organisation, you may have a HR team, or one HR generalist employed in your organisation. The issues commence when the manager receives a complaint or negative feedback from a staff member. As soon as this occurs, there is a range of thought processes, lines of questioning, evidence and facts that need to be collected. Most HR professionals are either are not formerly trained in conducting workplace investigations or do not have adequate time to allocate towards this urgent matter. 5 reasons to engage an independent workplace investigator: 1. Lack of sufficient internal resources. Can you afford to redirect your HR staff resources away from their day-to-day operations? Do they know how to conduct a workplace investigation? A poorly-planned and implemented investigation will expose your organisation to a number of additional risks and costs. 2. Objectivity. Internal workplace investigations can be prone to accusations of lack of transparency or perceived conflict of interest. An independent workplace investigator can provide an unbiased perspective and reduce the potential for these claims. 3. Efficiency. Resolving a complaint requires prompt action. An independent workplace investigator will be solely focused on the investigation and support the management of the process within the appropriate time frames. 4. Serious allegations. If there is a complaint against a member of staff, or a serious allegation that may require organisational culture and operating frameworks to be considered, an independent investigator has the capacity to bring a fresh perspective to the situation and offer change management support. 5. Third party legal requirements. Certain complaints and grievances have the potential to lead to litigation or involve third party intervention, e.g. allegations of discrimination and potential workers’ compensation claims such as bullying or harassment. Third parties such as insurers and unions may require an organisation to hire an independent workplace investigator. Workplace investigations must adhere to natural justice principles, confidentiality, rules of evidence, compliance, and health and safety regulations. These standards help to ensure a fair and equitable process for all and allow an organisation to respond with the appropriate action. WorkPlacePLUS provides professional workplace investigation services of the highest standard. We are able to support you meet your organisation's obligations under various legislation such as Fair Work Act and Work, Health & Safety, while you continue to focus on your business. Our HR consultants are trained private investigators. For more information, please contact us today.

Healthcare & Aged Care Alert: Victorian Voluntary Assisted Dying Legislation The new Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2017 (VAD) goes into effect from 19 June 2019. Victorians at the end of life who are suffering and who meet strict eligibility criteria will legally be able to request access to voluntary assisted dying (VAD). There has been discussion in Australia around assisted dying for a number of years. Now, with the passing of the new legislation, Victorian healthcare organisations, healthcare practitioners and aged care service providers need to have a clear position on this topic. Boards and management also need to consider the following: Providing information to your employees on VAD, the changes to the law, practitioner referrals and supporting patients. Considering the views of your employees. Having policies and procedures around requests for VAD. Governance and leadership arrangements in response to VAD requests. Aged care service providers in particular need to review their policies and procedures in order to address potential issues, such as: What if an employee conscientiously objects to VAD? Will new clients be screened based on their views or intentions around VAD? Is this legal? What are the privacy considerations for clients’ views and intentions around VAD? What are the safety policies and procedures around transportation and storage of VAD medication? WorkPlacePLUS can support you in updating your policies and procedures and educating your managers and teams. In addition, our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides your staff with emotional and psychological support. For more information, please contact us today.

According to the Victorian Government’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), every year, one in six healthcare workers report they’ve been bullied, and one in ten healthcare workers has been sexually harassed. This troubling issue is becoming more prevalent in media reports. Here are three recent examples: Workplace bullying among Canberra health staff 'worst' nurses have seen, report reveals Australian nurses are sexually harassed by our patients. It's not part of our job Latrobe Regional Hospital facing Health Department investigation into claims of bullying, intimidation The DHHS and WorkSafe Victoria are now campaigning to stop inappropriate behaviour in the workplace. Know Better, Be Better is a bullying and harassment awareness campaign aimed at all healthcare workers and leaders in Victorian public health services. The campaign spells out the seriousness of the issue: “Workplace bullying and harassment can cause physical and mental health issues including high blood pressure, skin and gastrointestinal problems, headaches, depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts... The healthcare sector suffers from this toxic culture.” The Know Better, Be Better web page includes a wealth of resources and information for employers, managers and staff, covering topics such as: Understanding bullying and harassment Actions and reporting behaviour Support and guidance Legal, management and workplace considerations Campaign resources Case studies Ultimately, leadership is accountable for the workplace culture. While the campaign Know Better, Be Better emphasises the “importance of working together to eliminate inappropriate behaviours”, the awareness, conversation and commitment to change should start at the top. “It’s important that managers ensure the right policies and procedures are in place to prevent, identify and act on inappropriate behaviour and that they encourage teams to report all bullying or harassment when it happens… If you’re a bystander, speak up. If you’re a victim, call it out and report it. If you’re a leader, step in.” Employers also have a legal obligation to control inappropriate behaviour in the workplace under various employment legislation. For healthcare organisations dealing with issues such as bullying and harassment, WorkPlacePLUS offers a number of support services. These include but are not limited to independent workplace investigations, mediation, employee assistance and training programs. For more information, please contact us today.