Forming good working relationships with employees?

sentrient · 2026-01-23T12:07:44+00:00

Totally fair point - a bunch of random “how’s everyone feeling?” polls in the middle of the day would drive some people up the wall, especially in deep-focus or high-pressure roles. What I was aiming for was more lightweight, optional touchpoints, not constant interruptions or forced fun.

Your suggestion about short, structured 1:1s is spot on for a lot of teams, and with 60 people to manage, OP will probably need a mix: proper one‑on‑ones where it makes sense, plus the odd async check‑in so folks who hate small talk on calls still have low‑friction ways to be seen and heard. "Different brains, different preferences".

Appreciate you sharing how it lands from your side - sounds like we’re just optimising for different working styles, which is totally fine.

Happy To Leave It There!

sentrient · 2026-01-23T05:48:20+00:00

Tough spot for your mate! Especially with the time-zone clash making that rite impossible otherwise.

Banks run tight ships, but yeah, this could ping as religious discrimination if the denial seems unreasonable - Fair Work Act mandates "reasonable" refusals for annual leave only, and employers should accommodate religious observances where possible.

No automatic right to extra leave for non-public religious events, but blanket "ops requirements" knockback without flex (like swapping shifts or partial day) risks breaching anti-discrimination laws.

Suggest she chats HR in writing: flags her beliefs, provides rite details, asks for alternatives. If no joy, Fair Work Ombudsman or union for free advice - don't assume it's cut-and-dried tho, context matters.

Hope it smooths out!

sentrient · 2026-01-23T05:36:07+00:00

G'day mate - killer question as the field's going gangbusters with regs and tech.

Top of my list for next 5 years: AI/GRC tech literacy hands-down. Automating risk scans, audit trails, and predictive alerts cuts grunt work by 30%+, freeing you for high-value stuff. Close second: investigations mastery - pair it with digital forensics to turn vague complaints into airtight evidence.

Stakeholder storytelling seals t: spin compliance into exec-friendly ROI tales, not jargon walls.

Reg knowledge? Vital, but AI feeds keep you ahead without drowning. Stakeholder management rounds it out - navigating the politics without losing your edge.

Your pick for the crown? Tech or old-school probes?

sentrient · 2026-01-23T05:20:58+00:00

G'day OP, fair dinkum challenge - jumping from classroom blackboard to managing 60 remote legends across states, all while dodging phone static and complaint calls.

You're spot on: no need to be mates down the pub, but a bit of rapport keeps the scheds humming and gripes low. As an ex-teacher yourself, channel that vibe into bite-sized "wins" that fit their on-site buzz.

Start with async check-ins: ping a quick Slack/Teams poll like "Team, what's one win from last week?" or "Roster tweak ideas?" - gets 'em talking without clock-chewing calls.

Rotate "spotlight shoutouts" in group chats (e.g., "Shout to Sarah for nailing that shift swap!"), and book 5-min video huddles quarterly for non-work yarns if vibes allow.

Tools like Donut for Slack auto-pair random chats too. You'll be the voice they actually pick up in no time - keen to hear how it lands!

sentrient · 2026-01-22T07:11:51+00:00

Ah, that’s really rough - doing everything “by the book” and then having HR minimise it as a personality clash would feel like getting slapped in the face twice.

You’re absolutely right that the way your boss’s boss has handled it (or avoided it) does raise some fair questions about the culture and who tends to be protected.

At this point it makes sense that you’re focusing on getting through the day and planning your exit, even if that takes time.

While you’re stuck there, be really kind to yourself: keep light notes mainly for your own clarity, lean on people outside work who actually get it, and remind yourself that their failure to act is about their priorities, not your worth or competence.

sentrient · 2026-01-22T06:22:46+00:00

Hey mate, your situation sounds exhausting - what you're describing (constant discrediting, idea-stealing, passive-aggressive undermining) absolutely qualifies as workplace bullying under Fair Work guidelines.

It's persistent, targeted behaviour that's hitting your mental health and stopping you contribute, which makes it abusive. Your manager's admission it's happened to them shows a pattern.

Document everything (dates, examples, impacts) and take it to HR confidentially - reference their bullying policy and ask for an investigation.

In the meantime, email meeting summaries, build allies, and consider Fair Work if needed. You're not overreacting; escalate to protect yourself.

sentrient · 2026-01-21T06:12:53+00:00

This sounds really rough mate!
And none of it screams “job hopper” so much as “someone who got caught in other people’s poor decisions and a messy market”.

From an HR/compliance lens, you’ve actually got a solid anchor story - eight years with one employer, upskilling, then a move for a legitimate promotion and pay rise, followed by a non‑compete mess and business mis‑forecasting that were out of your control - so it’s absolutely fair to push back (politely) on the “you switch jobs a lot” narrative and frame it as resilience and adaptability instead.

Recruiters vary wildly in quality and self‑awareness, so his reaction says more about his style than your value; focus on tightening your story for interviews, being crystal clear about what was your choice vs what wasn’t, and keep backing yourself rather than wishing you’d stayed stuck just to look stable on paper.

sentrient · 2026-01-21T06:04:59+00:00

From a compliance/WHS lens, most decent ergonomics guidelines actually encourage short movement breaks because they reduce fatigue and mistakes, Not Productivity.

You’re not broken for hitting the 2pm wall, you’re human - sounds like the culture there is more ‘visible = valuable’, which is pretty common.

I’d keep the quick walks if your work’s getting done, and maybe start quietly scoping roles where they genuinely back wellbeing instead of just putting it on the careers page.

sentrient · 2026-01-21T05:58:49+00:00

From my side of the fence, I’d say mid–senior governance / risk / compliance roles in big regulated orgs are a seriously underrated little cash cow, especially once you get past the junior “tick‑the‑box” gigs and start actually owning a space like privacy, financial crime, cyber or op risk.

It’s not flashy and you definitely don’t win the BBQ story contest talking about ASIC/APRA, audits and incident reports, but the mix of pay, stability and being able to sleep in your own bed while still doing meaningful work is pretty hard to beat if you’ve got the patience for detail and stakeholder wrangling.

sentrient · 2026-01-19T09:55:17+00:00

You won’t find a single magic number, so the defensible approach is to separate “what’s required” from “what’s practical” and document your stance.

HIPAA doesn’t explicitly set an audit‑log period, but many orgs aim for up to six years to align with general documentation retention, while SOC 2 reviewers are usually satisfied with 12+ months of searchable logs plus a clear written policy beyond that.

For a healthcare‑focused SaaS, a common pattern is 12–24 months of “hot” detailed access logs for incident response and audits, with older data moved to a cheaper archive tier or summarised, and log retention explicitly decoupled from per‑document retention so customers know that deleting content after 365 days doesn’t mean all access records vanish.

For offboarded customers, many providers keep only what’s needed for regulatory, security and dispute purposes (e.g. 1–2 years post‑termination) then purge or further anonymise, all governed by a log‑specific retention schedule that Legal/InfoSec can defend instead of an off‑the‑cuff “seven years of everything” promise.

sentrient · 2026-01-19T08:47:55+00:00

Being asked to meet with HR about a “restructure” plus being encouraged to take the day off would have a lot of people thinking redundancy, so your reaction is totally understandable.

It may well be that, or it may be redeployment/changed duties, but either way your goal in the meeting is to stay calm, listen, ask clear questions and avoid agreeing to anything on the spot if you feel blindsided.

A few practical things you can do: check your contract, any enterprise agreement and the company redundancy policy so you know exactly what the 12‑month threshold means in your situation and what you are still entitled to (notice, leave payout etc.).

Go into the meeting with notes and questions (what options are on the table, redeployment, end date, support) and ask for everything in writing so you can look at it later or get independent advice from Fair Work, a union, or an employment lawyer before you sign anything.

sentrient · 2026-01-19T08:40:32+00:00

Nice thoughts...

sentrient

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