It’s understandable that as a business owner and employer, certain members of your staff will occasionally take you to the edge of patience. Whether there are problems around lateness, poor output, unsafe practices or terrible attitude – there some staff members who you know will probably just have to go. When faced with a worker […]
Workplace Bullying and the Meaning of “At Work” The full bench of the Fair Work Commission (FWC) recently conducted a detailed analysis of the phrase ‘at work’ relevant to workplace bullying. The findings provide an insight into the possible meanings of this deceptively simple term. And with the advent of social media as a means of […]
How you choose to manage a bullying complaint will have a significant effect upon the outcome. It can certainly be difficult to sort through and resolve the issues. Our 5 steps to effective management of bullying complaints will help you to navigate the path. Gather the Basics. Before creating a plan of action, gather the core […]
Getting It Out There: The Value of Good Debriefing Moments of conflict can and do arise in the workplace. When such problems arise, employers have an opportunity to involve staff in an organised debrief of the situation. Doing so can not only provide people with a chance to air their thoughts and feelings; employers might […]
Drinking on the Job: Expensive Lessons for Employers History shows that a group of co-workers letting their hair down at an office function can sometimes lead to regrettable outcomes. Yet it doesn’t necessarily follow that a worker’s dubious behaviour will amount to serious or gross misconduct. A recent case in the NSW District Court highlights […]
Can I Keep the Identity of the Complainant Confidential? When conducting an investigation into a workplace complaint, a number of variables need to be carefully managed. It is a given that once staff become aware of the investigation, reactions will vary widely. Be prepared for emotional responses to both the alleged incident, and the complaint […]
Want to Audio Record Interviews But Not Sure How? When you are called upon to investigate a workplace issue, the desire to get a clear and accurate picture of the problem is understandably strong. Recording the interviews seems like a good idea – you’ll have a word-for-word transcript and be able to concentrate more on […]
Confronting Misconduct: Insights from the Public Service The recent release of the 2013-14 Australian Public Service (APS) State of the Service report provides some interesting kernels of data around workplace misconduct, including corruption and bullying. In particular, the report paints quite a discomforting picture of misconduct being on the increase – despite everything that the […]
Should You PUKE? Deep Listening in Workplace Interviews To the untrained, the skills needed to carry out effective interviews in a workplace investigation are simple – find a room, ask questions, then get the answers. Yet as any professional workplace investigator knows, the quantity and quality of information that you glean in any investigative interview […]
Considering Cognitive Interviewing or Conversation Management? In carrying out workplace investigations, even the most seasoned investigators can grapple with selecting the right questioning techniques to use in particular circumstances. Choices can depend upon such variables as the nature of the alleged workplace problem, the character and cognitive make-up of each witness, and the amount of […]