HR Leader Podcast Network

Recent allegations of workplace bullying in parliamentary offices are a stark reminder that, in high-pressure professional environments, “bullying cannot be normalised or excused, and the wellbeing of staff must remain a priority”, says one senior human rights and discrimination lawyer. In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Elevate Consulting Partners founder Prabha Nandagopal, who was the senior legal adviser to the Respect@Work inquiry, about the extent to which new positive duties to stamp out workplace misconduct such as bullying and sexual harassment have been adopted by Australian workplaces, the lack of education that businesses may have about those duties, and how new workplace norms such as scattered workforces and communication via new technologies have seen a proliferation in misconduct via new mediums. Nandagopal also reflects on the fact that a lack of reporting doesn’t mean that misconduct isn’t occurring, the questions that businesses must ask of themselves in ensuring their frameworks are up to scratch, the need for top-down approaches from leadership, the thematic issues with power in the workplace, having good response plans, and why businesses cannot be complacent about their positive duties.

In this special episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Safeguard Global country manager for ANZ, Jonathan Perumal, about how best HR teams can manage their international workforces and stay on top of pertinent operational matters. Perumal reflects on the “huge amount of risk” inherent in companies not effectively managing the hiring of workers inside and outside of Australia at a time when international recruitment is becoming more commonplace post-pandemic, the various challenges being experienced regarding compliance and payroll, and the practical ways that HR can be staying on top of these. He also delves into what he sees as the evolving role of the HR function, the fundamental importance of cultural alignment for prospective candidates as opposed to skill sets, the questions that HR teams must be asking in order to source the best cross-border workforce, what works and doesn’t work when staying on top of so many urgent priorities, and having the right frameworks in place. To learn more about Safeguard Global, click here.

The type of leader one has been in 2024 may not necessarily be suitable for 2025 market conditions. Here, we unpack how leaders and HR teams can adapt to a changing environment to better support their workplaces. In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with DifferenThinking founder and chief executive Dr Zivit Inbar about the market conditions dictating a need to re-evaluate how one approaches leadership, the extent to which leaders are cognisant of the need to evolve their strategies, and anticipated trends that support the need for changing leadership approaches. Inbar also delves into the practical steps that leaders can and must take to ensure their approaches to leadership are fit for purpose in the new year, the questions they must ask of themselves and their workplaces, the role of HR professionals in supporting the growth of leaders, and the importance for HR to take responsibility for these matters.

HR professionals, Dr Tiffany Slater says, are more cognisant of the fact that traditional human resources duties have evolved and that box-ticking no longer applies. Service to the team and the broader business, she notes, is the surest way to mitigate issues. In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Missouri-based Dr Tiffany Slater, the founder and chief executive of HR TailorMade, to discuss the headline mistakes that HR professionals make that can cost the business, why misstepping on accommodation requests can be so problematic, the consequences of being stubborn or inconsiderate of staff needs, and HR’s role in overcoming these matters. Slater also delves into the disconnect between an employee’s job title and their remuneration and benefits and the issues this causes, the practical steps that can be taken in response, how HR teams can better strike the right balance, their role in ensuring the business avoids costly mistakes and ensures compliance, whether such challenges are overwhelming for HR teams at present, and her advice to such professionals to make sure they are equipped to handle such challenges.

A few months ago, Joseph Catanzariti AM turned 65 and thus had to retire from his position as vice president of the Fair Work Commission (FWC). His search for work in the months since, he says, has been more fraught than anticipated. Here, he reflects on the biases against professionals who are willing and able to undertake full-time work, the wellness impacts of such ageism, and how he has looked to adapt following his tenure at the nation’s workplace tribunal. In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Joseph Catanzariti AM about his career in law spanning over four decades, the statutorily imposed retirements for judges around the country, why it has been so important to him to give back, the sense of purpose he finds as a lawyer, his reflections on being a judge, and the sense of making a difference in society. Catanzariti also discusses how he felt about his imposed retirement from FWC, his realisation that employers were not seeking a full-time 65-year-old professional, the biases dictating hiring decisions and societal impressions, how he has pivoted and responded vocationally, what professional member bodies can do to address the concerns of older practitioners, the wellness issues inherent with undervaluing those practitioners, and how both employers and individuals can navigate such issues.

In this special episode of The HR Leader Podcast, produced in partnership with Cornerstone and Pinpoint HRM, we dive deep into the pressing concerns surrounding workforce readiness. Join us as we explore practical strategies that businesses can adopt to remain agile and adaptable in today’s rapidly changing environment. Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Paul Broughton, Cornerstone’s APJ Group Vice President and Managing Director, and Katie Mangraviti, Cornerstone Practice Head at Pinpoint HRM. They discuss recent research on the workforce readiness gap, how the rapid pace of change over the last few years has impacted organisations and the critical questions businesses must ask to move forward effectively. The importance of gaining visibility over key areas of concern, leveraging technology to enhance operations, and optimising one’s tech stack. The extent to which businesses are ready or not for looming changes and trends (and the consequences of a lack of readiness), implementing the right practical and transformational steps and the role of HR in better supporting your business to succeed in the future. To learn more about the workforce readiness gap, click here. To learn more about Pinpoint HRM, click here.

New research suggests that Australians value autonomy and agency and have an egalitarian ethos in the workplace. With that in mind, how do we feel about new workplace arrangements, support for wellness, and other initiatives? In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Unispace senior principal for strategy Emma Davenport about the recently released From Restrictions to Resilience report and what it found about Australians’ workplace sentiments relative to those overseas, the headline lessons and takeaways for Australian workplaces from that report, and how recent return-to-office mandates correlate (if at all) with how our employees feel about their physical location for work. Davenport also delves into the preference that Australians have for four-day working weeks and why, what the report’s findings say about Australian workers from a holistic perspective, how employers and team leaders can and should interpret Australians’ sentiments about the workplace, what HR teams and professionals can do in response, and why those professionals should see these sentiments as opportunities to redefine the worker experience.

Research shows that, in recent years, there has been a huge uptick in the number of women professionals leaving their roles in the face of myriad employer shortcomings, both to address idiosyncratic needs and in light of certain unconscious biases. Employers must address such concerns better if they are to retain top female talent. In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with freelance general counsel Anna Lozynski about how and why she’s always valued flexible working arrangements for herself, observations of broader take-up of such arrangements by other female professionals, what the Great Break-up is and why it is significant for working women, and the ways in which businesses may be failing their female employees. Lozynski also delves into the sociocultural and vocational structures that make it difficult for women (and men) to break free of traditional expectations and norms, what female professionals are choosing to do if they leave their employers and why, the influence of family planning, the practical steps that employers must take moving forward to better address staff needs, and why employees need to know their worth.

In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, a sleep wellness manager unpacks the pros and cons that working from home (WFH) can have on our sleeping routines and the role that employers have when it comes to ensuring that their employees are getting adequate sleep. First-time host Kace O’Neill speaks with Rachel Beard, a sleep wellness manager at AH Beard Sleep Wellness Centre, about her work and insight into how Australian workers can ensure they get the adequate sleep they need. Beard shares her knowledge of how the WFH landscape has changed the way we interact with our sleeping patterns and the potential pitfalls that can arise when workers fail to set routines and boundaries while working from home. Beard also delves into the role that employers, organisational leaders, and HR teams can best ensure their workers get enough sleep before showing up to the workplace. Beard stresses the importance of sleep and how it can oftentimes be disregarded when we speak about mental health and wellbeing topics – proclaiming that a lack of sleep can be a catalyst for negative mental health conditions. Finally, Beard offers some effective advice and strategies that can assist workers out there who may be struggling to get a good night’s sleep.

Here, the head of people and culture at a Sydney-based law firm unpacks the headline hurdles facing human resources departments in professional services businesses, and how HR can and should manage those issues. Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Swaab head of people and culture Angela Sharpe about her work at the mid-sized Sydney-based firm, what motivates her about working in the HR space, navigating talent shortages and increased competition for top candidates, the need to think more creatively about identifying ideal talent, the ever-present mental health challenges in such firms, and the role of HR teams in improving workplace wellness. Sharpe also delves into the myriad legislative changes that HR teams have to grapple with, including the recently-introduced Right to Disconnect, the corresponding duties that HR teams must undertake, the emergence of new technologies and how HR teams can best adapt, and striking a balance between streamlining processes and ensuring the human touch doesn’t get lost. She also reflects on whether it has ever been more difficult to be in HR in a professional services environment.