Blog

Opal’s Drug Policy Changes Blocked: The Importance of Employee-Focused Consultation and Communication

HBA Consulting regularly advises clients on workplace change, from minor policy updates to whole-of-business redesign. A critical aspect of this advice is the communication and consultation strategy. As a business owner or leader, you can...

Importance of being able resolve conflict at work

The ability to identify, assess and ideally resolve conflicts is critically important for all businesses. What is the reason for this? Simply put, conflict between people is common in any situation, such as office jobs or fieldwork. While we choose our friends and acquaintances, we generally don’t choose who we work with.................

7 Tips on How to Manage and Resolve Conflict in the Workplace

A workplace can at times feel like a breeding ground for conflict. It's probably inevitable to have disputes and conflicts between co-workers and teams at times. Though conflict and dispute could have negative effects, they're not always bad. Conflict can produce positive outcomes when handled correctly and create a path to positive change and resolution of problems................

APS BARGAINING TRENDS

According to the statistics provided by the APS Commission, updated on 20 April 2021, under the government's 2018 and 2020 workplace relations policies, 79 APS and non-APS agencies received the APS Commissioners approval to make a determination to provide pay increases to employees in place of bargaining for a new enterprise agreement.

In contrast, 58 APS and non-APS agencies entered bargaining, with five agencies currently in bargaining...............

‘Social’ Media Platforms, A Not So ‘Social’ Way for Employers to Communicate - FWC Issues Warning.

With ‘working from anywhere’ still a major part of many businesses operations, even as some of the COVID related restrictions loosen, a recent case in the Fair Work Commission (FWC) provides a timely reminder to employers and employees about how and with what they communicate about work related matters.....

Working from anywhere – workplace perks or foundational needs (or a bit of both)?

As the workplace adjusts how it looks and feels post the initial disruption from COVID 19, employers and employees have begun to look for ways to take advantage of opportunities that have presented themselves. The discussion about ‘what is possible’ has broadened out considerably since this time .....

Important High Court Decision for all Employers

On Thursday 13 August, the High Court delivered its decision in relation to how employers should accrue all employees personal leave. The decision reverses the decision of the Full Federal Court in Mondelez v AMWU [2019] FCAFC 138, and several earlier decisions of the Fair Work Commission and the Federal Court.....

Do you employ Casuals? If so, you might want to read on!

Yesterday, the Full Federal Court reaffirmed that casual employees working regular and systematic hours with “predictable periods of working time” are likely to be considered permanent employees, regardless of what their contract says and regardless of the payment of a casual loading. The .....

Key Considerations for A Tailored Business Resumption Plan for your Organisation

For our clients in the Australian Public Service, the recent advice from the APS Commissioner in relation to the easing of restrictions and the return of employees to the workplace places a clear onus on Agency Heads and their leadership teams to develop.....

Easing of the COVID-19 restrictions may see us back in the workplace sooner, but what will that look like?

Changes in the COVID-19 restrictions may see us back working in the office sooner rather than later, but will that be returning to the old business as usual, or will there be a new normal?

We must change how we interact with each other to overcome the....

Managing a team remotely – how to be an inspiring leader in these challenging times.

Working from home has traditionally been to used as a way to increase flexibility, boost morale and engagement and normally applied to individual team members, however when it is mandated that whole teams work remotely, how do you successfully manage your team and continue to inspire them remotely....

Worried about employees working remotely and still being productive? Here’s some helpful hints to help them work from home successfully.

For most of us, working from home has been a one-off luxury, working around sick kids or tradesmen appointments, but how do you do it successfully day-to-day with ....

Employee Recognition – Why is it necessary??

What do we mean by employee recognition, and why does it matter? Why is additional recognition for employees necessary when they’re already being paid well for turning up....

Do you have a Working Remotely Policy in place? Organisations should consider implementing one to protect your employees from Coronavirus.

The coronavirus has been labelled a “pandemic” by the World Health Organisation and governments across the world, so it’s no wonder it is the main topic of conversation....

An Overview of Australian Public Service Commissioner's Directions for APS Performance Management

The Australian Public Service Commissioner's Directions were updated in late July 2019. The amendments ‘seek to achieve optimal performance management...

A Reminder About The Importance of Procedural Fairness And Natural Justice When Conducting A Workplace Investigation.

A recent matter dealt with by the FWC in June sends a clear reminder of the need to be fair, transparent and consistent with policy and procedures when undertaking....

Taking things personally? Four ways to separate the personal vs. professional in business leadership

Perhaps a particular employee triggers you? You notice a sense of reactivity lingering in your body, and find it hard to let go? Or a project isn´t going to plan and you notice your mood rollercoaster with it......

NEW: Family and Domestic Violence Leave

Following a decision by the Fair Work Commission in July this year, all employees (including casual employees) covered by modern awards will have access to unpaid leave to deal with family and domestic violence....

Enterprise Agreement Approval – Are You Sure You Have Got It Right?

Since the commencement of the Fair Work Act 2009, the approach to assessing and approving enterprise agreements by the Fair Work Commission has evolved as the implementation of the legislation has been tried and tested through various legal challenges...

What are the typical scenarios where HBA consulting work clients on HR policy development assignments?

HBA Consulting is brought into work with clients on HR policy development and review assignments for a range of reasons, including...

HBA Consulting Solutions: A Fast Track to your Business Success

HBA Consulting has offices located in Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. We specialise in the provision of practical human resource management and industrial relations advice and assistance to a wide range of private and....

HR Business Partnering – Making it Work

What are the makings of a successful HR Business Partner model? The idea of the HR Business Partner has been around for over 20 years and was first described in Dave Ulrich’s book “Human Resource Champions” published in 1997.....

WHAT’S THE SAME, WHAT’S CHANGED AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN? THE NEW APS BARGAINING POLICY DISSECTED

The Federal Government Workplace Bargaining Policy 2018 was released on 6 February 2018 with an immediate start date.On our initial review, it appears relatively comparable to the previous bargaining policy....

The Recruitment Process Revisited: The Basics And The Essentials You Need To Know

Recruitment processes! We’ve all been involved in one. Whether it’s as an applicant, a delegate or a panel member, we have all had to experience this process at least once in our adult life. Involvement in a recruitment process....

Issue 3 - HBA News Series

HBA Consulting takes a systematic approach to HR planning, structural, functional and performance reviews and continuous improvement opportunities. Our approach is underpinned by a proven and holistic HR Practice Area model, that is built around 9 elements....

Performance Management – Why Not?

The 2016 State of the Service report from the APS cites performance management as an ongoing issue for the APS. Performance management has continued to be an issue in the APS report for almost as long as the APS has been producing...

The Evolution of HBA Consulting – 20 years of Human Resource...

HBA Consulting is entering its twentieth year of operations as a trusted provider of specialist Human Resource Management consulting advice and assistance. During this time, the company has evolved its services to now include...

3 Potential Pitfalls in HR Consulting

HR Consulting can be a tough role for those new to it – especially in the early engagements with clients. Trying to balance the 'wants' of the client with the often very different ‘needs’ that they have can be hard to manage. A successful HR consultant is able to find a way through these types of tensions...

From common guidelines to vital functions, here’s all you...

Any organisation, no matter the industry, size or nature, is vulnerable to lawsuits, workplace grievances, employment claims and many other legal challenges that have the potential to impact on the operations of the organisation and its reputation.

Essential Steps to Resolving Workplace Conflicts

When individuals, who often come from diverse backgrounds and work experiences, are placed into to a work environment, sometimes conflicts and disputes can result in the workplace through a variety of reasons.

Continuous Improvement – The Role of Organizational Reviews

In order to achieve organizational goals, organizations structure their business activities and allocate their human resources at a point in time. Often, this fundamental link between structure and strategy is not revisited in a holistic way for a long time.

3 Key Areas of Focus for all Human Resource Departments

With businesses rapidly transforming ways in which they operate, the challenges and solutions needing to be identified and addressed by human resource managers and executives continue to keep coming at quite a pace.

Employment Frameworks: How to Deal with Workplace...

Employees are a crucial asset to any organization and the employer. At times, despite the very best efforts of the organisation, some employees can become disappointed or upset about the actions of others at work.

Human Resource Management: 3 Effective Ways to...

Today’s work environment means that companies and organisations must continually be looking to improve the way that they do their business and provide their services...

3 Times When Only Hiring an HR Consultant Will...

Its usual for businesses in the ‘start-up’ phase to begin by looking after everything themselves as during the early days costs need to be tightly managed, staff numbers are often small and the scale of operations is usually limited.

Workplace Investigations: 3 Common Mistakes to Avoid...

Are you running a business? Do you rely on your people to work with each other well and meet the behavioural and ethical expectations that you’ve established? While almost all of a work team meet these expectations almost all of the time...

Steps towards Better Corporate Governance

Ever wondered how some organisations score above average return on their invested capital and assets or have a reputation that places them ahead of others in relation to how employees or clients see them? Well, a key ingredient of the recipe for improved strategic leadership and management to deliver these types...

Improving Employee Relations through Human Resource...

The success or failure of your organisation depends largely on the relationship shared among the employees. If your employees do not share cordial professional relationship, constant fights and conflict of opinion would arise, leading to low output and poor performance. This is the reason why involving the human resource management...

Discussion piece - What to Think About...

Often, when starting a new job, the new employee can feel like they shouldn’t ask questions or seek out information from their new employer as it might seem like they are being a ‘bit pushy’ or that they might seem to be giving an impression that they are cautious about whether the new employer is treating them fairly and correctly.

ROLE OF HR CONSULTING IN A DYNAMIC WORLD...

In today's dynamic business world, Human Resources (HR) plays a pivotal role in shaping the success and sustainability of organisations. The landscape of business has undergone significant transformations, driven by technological advancements, globalisation, and changing workforce expectations...

Workplace Investigations – A reminder to ensure that investigations...

A case before the Fair Work Commission serves as a timely and important reminder that simply getting a workplace investigation underway doesn’t mean that the employers work is done, and the investigation can take as much time as it takes to complete...

Unions are seeking to change arrangements for the loading percentage and leave available to casuals...

The ACTU is advocating for a boost to casuals' loading, the leave entitlements for casuals and roster stability, plus the scrapping of individual flexibility agreements, in a submission to the FWC's job security Modern Awards review....