When 'risk' is brought up in an HR context, it usually involves workplace hazards or people practices that could lead to injury or lawsuits. But HR professionals should start viewing 'people risk' more broadly, according to Aon Hewitt's managing director of people risk, Robyn Perkins.
Certain leadership styles can increase workplace psychosocial risks, so employers must take this into account in leadership selection and performance management processes, argues a psychologist.
Ongoing pressure on businesses to do more with less is contributing to a rising number of employees coming to work while affected by physical or psychological ill health, warns a psychologist.
Emotional issues arising outside of work can have a massive impact on mental health in the workplace, so employers should create an environment where workers feel comfortable seeking help for them, according to counselling and training specialist Anastasia Massouras.
A shift away from the "sick note" and towards the "fit note" will be a win for both employers and employees, says the head of Melbourne healthcare business UHG, but employers need to negotiate to have greater involvement in the employee-doctor relationship.
The Fair Work Commission has delivered an important decision on the rights of employers faced with uninformative medical certificates covering sick leave.
More than half of the population will experience a mental illness at some stage in their lives, and most will choose to conceal it, so employers need to beware of performance-managing workers who are unwell, says Swinburne University of Technology's Doctor Mirella Romanella.
A health initiative that won over workers with the slogan, "How to lose weight and drink beer", and brought management on board with stats that created "a sense of urgency", has helped a blue-collar workforce to reduce its absenteeism, presenteeism, and injury rates.
Confusion about how long an organisation should retain a sick or injured employee who's unable to work could be stopping many employers from lawfully terminating absent staff, according to lawyers from Hicksons' workplace relations group.
HR professionals should "spread the net far and wide" in building a case for absence management, identifying where risks lie and what their costs are before putting forward a plan, according to HR expert and author, Graham Smith.
The laws around engaging casual and contract workers have changed drastically this year. Understand how this affects your organisation by attending this HR Daily webinar.
It's always important to review and update employment contracts, but this is especially so following the raft of legislative changes over the past year. Watch this HR Daily Premium webcast to learn key areas to look out for.
