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News, analysis, online events and on-demand webcasts covering human resources.en-auCopyright HR Dailyhourly11970-01-01T00:00+00:00HR Daily
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News, analysis, online events and on-demand webcasts covering human resources.Job crafting: a gamechanger for performance and productivity
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11840
There are clear links between job crafting and increased engagement, so employers should "absolutely" be fostering conditions for it to happen, an HR advisor says.<!--MORE-->
The pandemic gave many employees the opportunity to engage in job crafting for the first time, not because their employers intended it, but because hybrid and flexible working practices gave people new control over how and when they worked, says Gartner HR practice vice president Aaron McEwan.
Licence to shape not only the tasks an employee performs, but when, how, and where they perform them, is "hugely liberating" and can drive an "incredible" increase in productivity, performance, and engagement, he says.
But despite the fact "all of the pieces are in play" for a far more intentional, widespread approach to job crafting, a lot of organisations are in the process of removing the conditions that gave rise to it...HR Daily2024-03-22T10:27:00+10:00Leaders are "weaponising" rather than inspiring accountability
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11836
A lack of accountability in organisations is a major contributing factor to underperformance, however the approach many use to 'hold people to account' doesn't inspire them to perform at their best. <!--MORE-->
In her new book, The Leaders Ecosystem, psychologist Dr Paige Williams highlights that the epidemic of underperformance in organisations today is driven by issues with accountability.
"Without accountability, nothing sticks: not your latest transformational change initiative, not your best talent, nothing. Without accountability, poor-quality work, decisions and leadership go unchallenged, and 'ethical slip' starts to happen... we waste time, effort and energy in a fog of confusion and dysfunction," she says...HR Daily2024-03-21T12:01:00+10:00Upcoming webinar: Performance management in the new world of work
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11841
The challenges employers face in managing underperformance continue to intensify, in light of flexible work arrangements, psychosocial obligations, and more. Minimise your legal risks and maximise your outcomes by attending this HR Daily Premium webinar.HR Daily2024-03-14T10:05:00+10:00PIP was warranted, after manager showed "commendable patience"
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11813
A worker has failed to block a performance improvement plan designed to address her "pattern of disregard" for supervisors, with a commission finding the action "fair and reasonable".<!--MORE-->
The Queensland Corrective Services custodial correctional officer was told in February last year that she'd be placed on a PIP in May.
The general manager said he'd substantiated three of six allegations against her, regarding her derogatory statements about supervisors; swearing and name calling; and vexatious claims about other employees' allegedly corrupt behaviour, in breach of the employer's code of conduct...HR Daily2024-03-12T15:56:00+10:00FWC draws distinction between 'incompatible' personalities and bullying
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11808
The friction caused by differing management styles and incompatible personalities in the workplace doesn't constitute bullying, the Fair Work Commission has ruled in stop-bullying proceedings. <!--MORE-->
In August last year, a technical support advisor for Apple sought stop-bullying orders, claiming he was being "unfairly targeted" at work and that he felt like he was "being watched".
He also alleged his manager:
* failed to follow policies and procedures regarding performance feedback and coaching;
* misused his position to unjustly build a case of misconduct against him; and
* repeatedly and deliberately failed to give him "business critical information" during a performance monitoring process...HR Daily2024-03-11T15:25:00+10:00Protective connections help grads navigate unprecedented stress
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11810
Graduates are entering the workforce with numerous stressors their predecessors didn't face, which makes a "protective" connection with their manager particularly valuable, an organisational psychologist says.<!--MORE-->HR Daily2024-03-11T13:21:00+10:00These performance hacks are so quick and easy, they're usually ignored
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11787
Performance and wellbeing hacks that achieve "almost immediate" benefits are often ignored because they sound too familiar and easy, a wellbeing coach says.<!--MORE-->
Research from Microsoft Labs has found performance will increase, and stress will decrease, when employees take regular 10-minute breaks, wellbeing coach and educator Timo Topp tells HR Daily.
The problem is that because they have so much to do, many workers *can't* take a 10-minute break every two hours...HR Daily2024-02-29T12:54:00+10:00Four-day-week trials achieve surprising success, but don't rush in
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11729
As an increasing number of organisations trial and adopt four-day working weeks, there are clear signs employers should take a staged approach, and that failing to tailor their offering is "a pathway to disaster". <!--MORE-->
James McIlvena, the managing director of LHH Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, says a new LHH report on four-day work weeks, which includes its own research along with findings from a pilot that involved 26 Australian companies, shows trials are achieving a surprising level of success.
Among the employees who participated in the 26-company pilot – which was run by 4 Day Week Global and used the model of 100% pay, 80% time, 100% productivity to reduce working hours from 40 to 32 – 96% wanted to continue working a four-day week at its conclusion...HR Daily2024-02-06T14:10:00+10:00Case study: Building an "owner's mindset" to improve performance
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11707
Fostering an "ownership mindset" in its workforce has helped a top employer maintain consistently high engagement levels, and in turn discretionary effort, according to its people leader.<!--MORE-->
Since beginning as a PowerPoint presentation in 2016, Judo Bank, now with a $9 billion loan book, has used a few innovative operational models to drive employee satisfaction and performance, chief people and culture officer Jessica Lantieri tells HR Daily...HR Daily2024-01-29T11:37:00+10:00Physical health "intrinsically linked" to employee engagement and productivity
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11709
The most progressive HR leaders are proactively encouraging employees to implement simple physical health habits, and as a result are creating more productive workers, a leading organisational psychologist says<!--MORE-->
HR leaders aim to create the most engaged, passionate and productive people, however it's impossible to do this without considering physical health, Dr Amantha Imber tells HR Daily.
In discussing her new book, The Health Habit, Imber highlights why it's important for HR leaders to look at wellbeing and engagement "holistically"...HR Daily2024-01-25T12:40:00+10:00Employee "resolutely resistant" to PIP wins psych injury claim
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11704
An employee who was absent for two years due to a work-related psychological injury was unreasonably sacked for not completing a performance improvement program, a commission has ruled. <!--MORE-->
NSW Personal Injury Commission Member Paul Sweeney acknowledged the Department of Education had held concerns about the teacher's performance for many years, but he said it was "highly improbable" it could have fairly assessed him while he was suffering from a compensable psychological injury.
"While I accept that the [employee] was undoubtedly unfit to teach, the course adopted by the [employer] ignored his proven psychological injury..."HR Daily2024-01-24T14:31:00+10:00Optimal performance requires time to "fully switch off"
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11693
Completely switching off over the holidays is not laziness; rather it's critical to high performance, and organisations need systems in place to ensure it happens, says a leadership expert. <!--MORE-->
"Elite athletes and anyone who has done anything great will tell you best practice is that you need recovery for high performance," according to Margot Faraci, a coach with more than 20 years' leadership experience in some of Australia's largest corporations.
"There is no way you can perform at your optimal level, sustainably, unless you have recovery periods," she tells HR Daily...HR Daily2023-12-18T13:18:00+10:00Expect "gradual, steady" shift towards four-day work week
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11690
Workplace researchers are predicting a gradual, steady increase in employers adopting the four-day work week over the next few years, outlining some common implementation obstacles in a new report. <!--MORE-->
There is growing evidence to support the viability and effectiveness of four-day work weeks and other reduced work-time models, says leading workplace academic Josh Bersin, in a paper released by his research company.
"While the critical mass of adoption to date has by and large been among small- and medium-size enterprises, we expect to see a sizable number of strategically significant, mid-market firms make this switch across various industries within one-to-two years..."HR Daily2023-12-15T13:53:00+10:00Simplification process transforms annual "panic" project
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11689
Since applying simplification principles to a time-intensive annual process, the "panic" it once provoked has eased, and employees report feeling "lighter", an HR leader says. <!--MORE-->
Simplifying and streamlining work practices to unlock potential and drive growth has taken considerable effort, General Mills ANZ HR director Shontel Turner tells HR Daily, but it's already proving worthwhile.
Earlier this year when Turner [spoke about the three-year plan](11237), her team was still capturing data that would help it decide which "big ticket items" to focus on first. The three selected are: budgeting, leadership behaviours, and meetings.
"Every year, without fail, as we start looking at the next financial year and our brand budgets and also plans, you would see the panic on people's faces," Turner says. This year, however, they "stripped it apart"...HR Daily2023-12-15T13:06:00+10:00"High level of support" during probation failed to lift poor performance
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11674
A probationary employee who attended only one-third of her scheduled work days, and was late on most of those occasions, has failed to prove her dismissal was actually motivated by her bullying complaint. <!--MORE-->
Federal Circuit Court Judge Karl Blake found Services Australia had been concerned about her conduct and performance for a long time, and gave her a "high level of support" prior to sacking her in November 2021.
In adverse action proceedings, however, the employee claimed she was dismissed because she complained about her team leader and because she took personal leave.
She also alleged the employer took adverse action against her because of her race, when the team leader told her she "spoke like an aboriginal person", and because of a physical disability, when she was reprimanded for taking too long to go to the toilet...HR Daily2023-12-08T13:33:00+10:00Supporting the subjects of complaints shows next-level care
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11669
As awareness of psychosocial risks continues to grow, more employers are considering how they can better support the subjects of workplace investigations and performance management, a conflict specialist says. <!--MORE-->
For many employees, an investigation or performance management process will be a "once-in-a-lifetime event", and it's easy for HR professionals to forget how "foreign" it might be, says Lindall West, the managing director of conflict support platform Ombpoint.
Traditionally, organisations have been more likely to focus on mechanisms to support the complainant than the subject of the complaint, even though the complaint often comes "out of the blue" for them, and can leave them feeling just as aggrieved...HR Daily2023-12-06T12:34:00+10:00Sacked employee given "multiple" opportunities to lift performance
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11665
An employee who held a "fundamentally different view" of his performance to that of his employer has lost his unfair dismissal claim, with the Fair Work Commission finding he was given "multiple opportunities" to improve.<!--MORE-->
Deputy President Lyndall Dean found the employer had raised its performance concerns multiple times, and that it would have been "relatively straightforward" for the employee to immediately address at least some of the issues...HR Daily2023-12-05T14:29:00+10:00Functional presenteeism both a benefit and risk of remote work
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11651
Remote work can facilitate "functional" presenteeism, because it's easier to work while ill when at home, but it could favour dysfunctional presenteeism too, researchers warn. <!--MORE-->
In a newly published study, researchers Henrike Schmitz, Jana Bauer, and Mathilde Niehaus, from the University of Cologne in Germany, examine presenteeism as an "adaptive behaviour" in the context of remote work.
"In a health-oriented work environment, presenteeism can have positive effects," they say...HR Daily2023-11-29T14:17:00+10:00Swift dismissal over "personal website browsing" was procedurally flawed
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11640
An employer's "abrupt" dismissal of a poor performing employee, after finding he "wasted" seven hours browsing non-work-related websites, was procedurally deficient, the Fair Work Commission has ruled. <!--MORE-->
In May this year, Chrysiliou IP's director raised concerns about the patent and trademark attorney's lack of response to a client, and the employee responded by excusing himself from the matter, noting he could "smell a bad debtor rat on this", and saying the client had provided him with information that was "far too vague".
Following a meeting about the issue a few days later, the employer stood down the employee, claiming he had been "aggressive and abusive" towards the director.
The employee denied the allegations, however the employer gave him a warning letter, stating his "debtor rat" comment was "absolutely unjustified", that it was his responsibility to seek further information from clients if necessary, and that his conduct had damaged its reputation...HR Daily2023-11-24T14:50:00+10:00'Silence' about performance process foils employer's psych claim defence
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11639
An employer has failed to prove that it did not bully or intimidate an employee into signing a performance management plan, with a commission upholding his psychological injury claim.<!--MORE-->
The Department of Communities and Justice support worker alleged the employer had mistreated him up until he was "medically retired" from his role in April 2016.
He subsequently claimed compensation for a permanent impairment due to a psychological injury.
In the NSW Personal Injury Commission, the employee said he had attended a meeting in September 2014 and was "bullied, pressured and intimidated" by the employer into signing a performance management plan even though he did not agree with it; his job security would have been affected had he refused...HR Daily2023-11-23T15:22:00+10:00"Habit stacking" key to high-performance leadership
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11628
High-performing leaders tend to share five behaviours, which can be cultivated through "habit stacking" to unlock new levels of success, leadership authors say. <!--MORE-->
To achieve success, leaders must get clear on what their goals are and what habits will produce the desired result, according to high-performance life coach Shannah Kennedy and former retail-giant CEO Colleen Callander in their new book, Elevate: unlock your extraordinary potential.
They say over the course of their careers, they've observed leaders adopt five transformative habits that contribute to success and growth...HR Daily2023-11-17T11:53:00+10:00Two factors make or break virtual team performance
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11585
It's crucial to emulate a face-to-face teamwork experience when designing virtual workflows, academics say. <!--MORE-->
In a new journal article, researchers from Deakin University and the University of Western Australia examined the factors that cause some virtual teams to underperform.
"We wanted to better understand what helps and hinders virtual teams to work more effectively," says Deakin Business School researcher Dr Florian Klonek.
"Virtual teams, which include people who work from varied locations, are a bit different in how they work because a lot of their processes and communication require the use of digital tools," he notes...HR Daily2023-10-30T14:58:00+10:00Performance feedback is failing employees
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11581
A lot of performance reviews fail to drive any improvements, and the reasons lie on both sides of the conversation, a coach says. <!--MORE-->
More than a third of employees who receive feedback in a performance review have no intention of acting on it, says Seek career coach Leah Lambart, based on the organisation's research.
There's a variety of reasons why this is the case, she tells HR Daily.
Seek found that half of employees who have performance reviews think they're just a 'tick the box' exercise, and they don't action the feedback "because no one follows up"...HR Daily2023-10-27T14:14:00+10:00One question can help a stressed employee to be less reactive
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11576
It's easy to respond to stress unthinkingly, but the simple act of encouraging employees to consider what they need can help them to be less reactive in the moment, a performance expert says. <!--MORE-->
"So much of this is about creating the space to be able to ask yourself, 'what do I need?'" Columbia Business School professor Modupe Akinola tells HR Daily.
However, Akinola says, "we are not good at diagnosing our own issues. We're great at figuring out what someone else needs to do better or needs help with, but [we're] not as good with doing it ourselves".
Therefore one of the keys to alleviating an individual's stress, and preventing them from passing it on to others, is enhancing their self-awareness. They need to understand what triggers it, and what helps them to deal with it...HR Daily2023-10-25T12:23:00+10:00Employees "once bitten, twice shy" on working with underperforming colleagues
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11569
"Coworker quality" has recently become a much more important driver for employees making decisions about leaving and joining organisations, new research shows. <!--MORE-->
According to Gartner's Global Talent Monitor, the "quality" of prospective coworkers is a driver for one in five jobseekers' decisions, and it's a reason one in four employees left a job in the first half of this year, director of Gartner's HR advisory, Robin Boomer, tells HR Daily.
"Coworker quality" is less about camaraderie and friendship than it is about how much a colleague can be trusted and depended on to do their job effectively, he explains.
And the findings suggest the problem of remote workers who aren't perceived as pulling their weight can have far-reaching consequences...HR Daily2023-10-23T15:02:00+10:00Webcast: The science of psychosocial safety
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11568
Despite enormous attention being paid to managing emergent psychosocial risks, many employers' strategies are now stalling or even backfiring. Watch this webcast to understand how to boost wellness and performance, build cognitive fitness, and beat burnout. <!--MORE-->
Topics covered include:
* why so many wellbeing initiatives are doomed to fail;
* the links between safety, connection, and cognitive fitness;
* different types of stress;
* why employers can't "make" leaders deliver psychosocial safety;
* science-based protocols to boost psychosocial safety and deliver performance;
* the basic assumptions about human biology employers must embrace; and more.HR Daily2023-10-20T14:28:00+10:00"Healthy disagreements" lead to stronger team performance
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11565
Many teams are simmering in "artificial harmony" because their leaders don't know how to address "healthy disagreements", a workplace expert says. <!--MORE-->
Thriving workplace cultures embrace conflict, and they acknowledge "good tensions", workplace expert Amy Gallo has told the recent World Business Forum.
In most workplaces, though, "[conflict] feels like a threat," Gallo tells HR Daily. "It feels like a threat to our resources, to our identity, to a sense of harmony – perhaps even to our career."
When people feel under threat, they go into a stress response of "fight, flight or freeze", [otherwise known as an "amygdala hijack"](11119), she says...HR Daily2023-10-19T12:03:00+10:00Self-practice removes fear of giving and receiving feedback
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11558
Managers are often so awkward and emotional in their feedback delivery that it lands like an attack on employees' character, but practising self-feedback might help them change, an executive coach says. <!--MORE-->
"Often as managers, we let things build up. We're not really good at giving feedback and catching people doing things right... We avoid giving feedback until we've had enough and so often our emotion gets caught up in that," says Vare founder Jade Green.
But when managers are emotional, what tends to happen is "we're verbal vomiting", Green tells HR Daily. "We're saying what we want to say to get it off of our chest and because we want something done, and it can sometimes be direct or sometimes a bit blunt..."HR Daily2023-10-17T11:38:00+10:00Four-day week lessons from an early adopter
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11548
An employer that was among the first to trial a four-day working week has shared some key lessons and tips from its journey. <!--MORE-->
When recruitment company Beaumont People launched a four-day week pilot very early in 2020, it was one of the first recruitment companies to do so.
It paused the trial briefly when the pandemic hit, then relaunched it and has continued working this way since.
According to managing director Nina Mapson Bone, [the company](11342)'s success so far results from taking a highly structured approach; the agency spent six months "brainstorming everything that could go wrong" then trying to engineer solutions in advance...HR Daily2023-10-11T12:12:00+10:00PwC's "collegial culture" underpinned confidentiality breaches: review
https://www.hrdaily.com.au/news/11529
An independent review into PwC Australia's practices has revealed an overly "collegial culture" and a disproportionate focus on revenue, leading to "shadow sides" of its culture, where aberrant behaviours went unchecked.<!--MORE-->
The [review of governance, culture and accountability](https://www.pwc.com.au/about-us/commitments-to-change/independent-review-of-governance-culture-and-accountability-at-pwc-australia.pdf), conducted by Dr **Ziggy Switkowski** AO, was commissioned by the PwC board following this year's revelation by the Tax Practitioners Board that the firm had failed to manage conflicts of interest and leaked confidential tax information to its corporate clients.
According to Switkowski, the board's partnership model, where all members are "equal", has resulted in a "collegial culture" where there is a high degree of "blind" and sometimes "misplaced" trust in each other and the CEO, and a lack of willingness to challenge or question behaviours...HR Daily2023-10-03T14:30:00+10:00