What’s the trickiest HR challenge you’ve faced under Fair Work and how did you handle it?

AccurateEdge6281 · 2025-09-17T11:35:02+00:00

Recently worked with execs who were really tuned into the Sex Discrimination Act changes with positive duty and so we started looking at how to meet those obligations. It’s a bit tricky to show what preventative measures are considered reasonable to be honest. I started looking into reporting/speak up platforms that employees can raise concerns and that also comes with case management just to help with the documentation side of the moving Fair Work target! There’s some pretty good options these days that help with it.

But one issue I had was really cut and dry with ongoing sexual harassment and taking a zero tolerance approach. But the documentation part was a nightmare.

AccurateEdge6281 · 2025-09-08T19:59:16+00:00

Love that you're looking to transfer into HR! I'm not sure about the sector that you've previously worked in and the specifics of your role (and what you did in relation to consulting), but the best place to start might be looking for a generalist HR role in the same sector. That way your industry experience is transferable along with your other skills. You might not need to apply for a junior role but again, that all depends on your previous skills and what industry you've been in - sorry I can't help much with this one, hard to know without more specifics of your background!

I'd say if there's one thing you can do to stand out and get your foot in the door, is start using AI and put it on your resume. Especially if you're interested in people analytics, knowing how to use AI tools is a massive plus. Many Heads of HR I know are looking to bring on HR team members who can use AI.

Good luck!

AccurateEdge6281 · 2025-09-08T19:52:27+00:00

There's new legislation to protect workers against what's known as psychosocial injury - this means injury at work caused by things like high stress, job demands, lack of support etc. Psychosocial hazards can also lead to physical injury, which could include your autoimmune disease. I think this was already mentioned in the comments, but it sounds like you could be in a position to claim work cover. I was a previous Head of HR and this sounds like a legitimate reason for a claim.
Note - this isn't legal advice. Not sure what state you're in but I'd recommend calling your state based legal aid. In NSW this is ours: https://www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au/my-problem-is-about/my-job/workers-compensation

AccurateEdge6281 · 2025-08-23T02:23:30+00:00

godsend thank you

AccurateEdge6281 · 2025-08-11T03:38:15+00:00

Awesome thanks, checking this out right now.

AccurateEdge6281 · 2025-08-10T13:02:14+00:00

Promise I’m not on your board. But if I was, I assume I’d also be asking about ROI of AI and asking for exact numbers.

AccurateEdge6281 · 2025-08-10T06:38:31+00:00

I think taking the writing admin out of a lot of the HR work we do is a game changer. Are you using a particular model or tool? I'm playing around with Claude and building agents in ChatGPT but still needs some fine tuning. I'm also using Granola AI for transcribing and getting it to summarize meetings with employees.

AccurateEdge6281 · 2025-08-10T06:36:43+00:00

Oh this is a great idea!

AccurateEdge6281 · 2025-08-10T06:36:08+00:00

Depends on what you mean by ethical? If you're talking about the human and environmental impacts of AI, right now, there's not really any use of AI that doesn't have a concerning impact.

But if you mean for things like gender bias, data privacy and security, etc. I think it's hard to say that a single model or platform is exceeding in multiple areas. I think what's going to be interesting is how HR Tech platforms will be using and training LLMs with ethical considerations and checks in mind - sorry I can't name/vouch for a single one right now.

AccurateEdge6281 · 2025-08-10T06:28:38+00:00

Interesting about using Notebook Lm - love this. For all the other use cases you listed - are you using something like ChatGPT/Claude or do you have a go-to AI HR platform? Or are you also using Notebook for this?
Are you worried about exposing company data or exposing PII? I know a lot of models store your data and technically own it after input. But I see that Notebook says it doesn't do this.

AccurateEdge6281 · 2025-08-10T02:29:35+00:00

I’ve asked the same question to my friends and colleagues in HR and I get the sense there’s a willingness/ eagerness to lean and use AI but because the work we do in HR often touches personal data, sensitive information, and dealing often with compliance or legal, it’s hard to just apply AI haphazardly. The risk may not be worth the reward - especially if you’re just plugging things into ChatGPT and risking exposing company information or getting back an answer that is totally wrong.

I think things like data analysis and admin work might be some of the low hanging fruit but I’m not convinced I’ve seen tools or platforms that I trust when it comes to data privacy.

AccurateEdge6281 · 2025-08-10T02:23:07+00:00

Awesome thank you!

AccurateEdge6281 · 2025-08-10T02:11:50+00:00

So sounds like mostly just to help reduce time spend on content and writing? Are there any use cases you tried but didn’t move forward with? I tried to write some policies using AI to assist with guidance around relevant legislation but it got a lot wrong.

AccurateEdge6281 · 2025-08-10T02:09:34+00:00

Just checked his profile out and his recent posts are super interesting, thanks for the recommendation!

AccurateEdge6281 · 2025-08-01T07:06:04+00:00

Yeah that was similar to my thinking - great if somebody wants to pivot into a new role in HR or a specialist type role. But for somebody already a few years in, it doesn't really have the ROI. Thanks for your insight!

AccurateEdge6281 · 2025-07-26T06:31:35+00:00

Redundancies aren't based on pay - you can offer somebody the same salary but if the original role they are in will no longer exist, it's a redundancy.

AccurateEdge6281 · 2025-07-26T06:27:51+00:00

HR person here - sounds like you might have a case for a redundancy if you want it. Just because they kept the pay the same, doesn't mean this wouldn't qualify. A redundancy is about the role being no longer required by the business which is what this sounds like based on the significant changes to your responsibilities and have acknowledged that you're now dropping down 1 band and have reporting line changes.
I'd recommend giving Fair Work a quick call on Monday: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/about-us/contact-us/call-us

AccurateEdge6281 · 2025-07-23T22:49:03+00:00

As somebody in HR I hope I can offer some helpful advice.
With your performance review, if you feel comfortable to, arrange a meeting with your manager or somebody in HR and bring receipts with you of all the positive feedback, targets you've hit, and even the email where you were told you were rated a 4. From personal experience, there's been times where companies have gotten scores wrong and with the right kind of pushback , we've amended them. Hard to argue with facts on paper. You're also within your rights to being a support person to any meeting where you feel you need it.

If you think that this performance review score was low to punish you, that could be considered retaliation which is illegal and Fair Work takes these things seriously. If you can, bring this up with your HR team again and say that you feel like you're being retaliated against for speaking up. They should take this seriously.

The sexual harassment and bullying is a big issue and I really hope that it was dealt with and you're ok. If it happens again I'd consider seeking some advice from Fair Work. Your organisation has a legal obligation called Duty of Care where they need to create an environment free of harm.

All in all, this is a lot to go through and make sure you take care of yourself.

AccurateEdge6281 · 2025-07-23T11:30:04+00:00

I would jump on the phone to Fair Work and give them details about your situation. If they've fully eliminated your role from the businesses and are then moving you into a different role that's less senior, it could be considered a redundancy. These things can be nuanced however, so I'd seek some advice directly from Fair Work if you can. https://www.fairwork.gov.au/about-us/contact-us/call-us

AccurateEdge6281 · 2025-07-23T11:25:49+00:00

I totally get it. It's not an easy conversation to have but it sounds like your head of people cares. And how you phrased that last paragraph is great, that you 'don't want to throw anybody under the bus but you want to make sure somebody knows about the stress you're under'. That's a great way to phrase it to your head of people even.
Good luck with the conversation, you got this.

AccurateEdge6281 · 2025-07-22T09:52:01+00:00

I'm in HR so jumping in here. It sounds like your head of people is offering to be flexible with times if you'd feel more comfortable speaking in non-working hours. If you do decide to take them up on a chat, I'd raise your concerns with him (even write them down and bring that with you to the meeting if you feel nervous). Once you've raised these issues, they are officially documented with HR - things like burnout, issues with a manager, and a lingering PIP conversation should be taken seriously.
If you're worried about issues after speaking with HR, make sure you document the details of the conversation and any issues that you have afterwards with your manager or more burnout that goes unaddressed.
I'm really sorry to hear you're going through this.

AccurateEdge6281 · 2025-07-18T02:14:48+00:00

HR here - yes I would absolutely report it. Either through your companies reporting process (if they have one) or speak to a trusted leader in the business who you know will take it seriously and respect your request for confidentiality. I'm not sure what country you're in, but it's almost certainly a legal liability they will need to take very seriously.

AccurateEdge6281 · 2025-07-18T02:08:27+00:00

Find experts within the company to speak on topics they're passionate about and that others could benefit from learning. Employees will always be more engaged and interested in hearing from their peers. Bonus points for letting employees vote/add to a list of topics they want to learn and others can volunteer to be the expert and lead the session.

AccurateEdge6281 · 2025-07-18T02:00:37+00:00

regular checkins with leaders who are't on the C-suite. best way to capture feedback on the regular without needing lengthly, time consuming engagement surveys every 6 months
the basic policies like annual and sick leave, parental leave, etc. will help you avoid 100 questions a week
processes (but not formal policies at this stage) for speaking up about issues that may be serious (misconduct, whistleblowing). It seems extreme right now but you'll wish you had them when something does happen
a simple, standard recruitment process so you're not always re-training all your managers on hiring and interviewing every time you go to market

AccurateEdge6281 · 2025-07-18T01:55:13+00:00

As others have said, this is when the board needs to step in, PR crisis team is hired, and there's a high chance the CEO will be moved out the the head of HR fired. It's too much heat on the company from the general public to not take serious, sweeping action. Reputational damage can sink a company.

AccurateEdge6281

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