How will your company respond when a workplace allegation lands on your desk? With the recent increase in media coverage regarding sexual harassment and the new “Positive Duty” laws in Australia, employees are more empowered than ever to report workplace abuse. While some companies hesitate to investigate unless forced by legal threats, smart organizations recognize … Read more
A workplace investigation interview is a high-stakes situation. For one employee, it feels like an interrogation. For another, it feels like a trap. Whether you are the investigator or the witness, this is not a casual chat. The consequences of getting it wrong are dire. If you are conducting a Melbourne workplace investigation, you must … Read more
A safe and productive workplace is essential for any organization. If an employee’s conduct contradicts your values, company policies, or the law, you must act immediately. Investigating the matter quickly limits potential risks and prevents further complications. Investigations are a vital tool for managing disruptive behavior. Whether the concern involves performance, misconduct, or competence, an … Read more
Workplace bullying is not a new problem. However, we now understand that it targets an employee’s identity, not just their work tasks. This makes it incredibly damaging. In the modern workplace, bullying takes many forms. It affects employees from all walks of life. This article explores what bullying looks like. It also explains how to … Read more
When a problem is reported in the workplace, Human Resources (HR) must step in. It is your job to figure out exactly what happened. To do this, you must conduct a methodical inquiry. Unless you are a sole trader, HR usually handles this process from start to finish. However, for complex or high-risk cases, many … Read more
When you receive a formal complaint, it is natural to feel blindsided. You might ask: “How could they think we are doing something wrong?” However, ignoring a complaint is dangerous. As a leader, you must determine if there is validity to what the person has told you. To do this effectively, you often need to … Read more
In today’s business world, reputation is everything. It takes years to build trust, but only one incident of unchecked misconduct to destroy it. Working effectively is challenging enough without the added stress of internal conflict. Yet, in any workplace, issues will arise. An employee might allege fraud, harassment, or safety breaches. If an employee makes … Read more
Gaslighting is a form of emotional manipulation where someone tries to make you question your own reality. While it is often discussed in the context of abusive relationships, it is dangerously common in the workplace. Gaslighting is subtle. Unlike overt bullying, it creeps up on you. A colleague or manager manipulates the truth to make … Read more
As Australian companies embrace the flexibility of remote work, the office landscape has changed permanently. For many, working from home offers a welcome reduction in commute times and petrol costs. However, this shift has introduced a new, often invisible challenge: remote workplace harassment (or cyber-bullying). Without the physical visibility of an office, toxic behaviour can … Read more
When individuals think of workplace bullying, images of high school often come to mind. You picture a group of “mean girls” or boys out to bring another employee down. While these cliques do exist in the corporate world, the reality is often more subtle and insidious. Understanding the difference between bullying, discrimination, and harassment is … Read more