Why Your Employee Handbook Is a Legal Risk (Not Just an HR Form)
The humble employee handbook — once considered a formality — is now a frontline legal document. But most businesses in Australia are still treating it like a forgotten PDF, written…
How to Avoid Misclassifying Contractors — And Triggering a Fair Work Audit
Contractors are the secret weapon of many growing businesses — flexible, cost-effective, and low-commitment. Until they’re not. Because if you misclassify a contractor as a true independent when they’re actually…
The Most Overlooked Clause in Your Employment Contracts (That Could Save You Thousands)
You probably think your employment contracts are “fine.” You downloaded a template, tweaked the details, and got your staff to sign. But there’s one clause that many Australian businesses overlook…
What the Fair Work Commission Actually Looks for in an Unfair Dismissal Claim
You followed your gut. You let someone go. And now you’re staring down the barrel of a Fair Work claim. Unfair dismissal is one of the most common and costly…
When Is It Time to Call in an External HR Consultant?
Many business owners hesitate to engage an external HR consultant — often because they assume it’s only necessary when things go very wrong. But in reality, the best time to…
How to Conduct a Workplace Investigation Without Making It Worse
Workplace investigations are like surgery: if done correctly, they restore trust, accountability, and order. If done poorly, they create more harm than the original problem. Whether you’re dealing with misconduct,…
The Difference Between a Policy and a Practice (And Why It Matters at the Fair Work Commission)
When businesses get dragged before the Fair Work Commission, they often say, “But we have a policy for that.” Here’s the problem: the Commission isn’t interested in what’s written —…
Are Your HR Policies Just PDFs Sitting in a Folder?
Most Australian businesses have HR policies — but very few actually use them the way Fair Work expects. Policies often sit in dusty folders (or buried on SharePoint), written in…
Avoiding HR Mistakes That Trigger Fair Work Claims
In recent years, Fair Work-related claims have surged across Australia. From underpayment cases to procedural errors in dismissals, businesses are being caught out—not because they’re acting maliciously, but because they…