It’s Confirmed: Reducing Employee Turnover Starts with a Great PD

by AHR SupportNov 29, 2022Human Resources, View All

Workplace investigations are a vital part of maintaining the integrity and fairness of any organisation. When issues arise, it’s important for businesses to act quickly, ensuring that they address concerns in a transparent and lawful manner. Different types of investigations are needed for different situations, each requiring a tailored approach to ensure fair outcomes for all involved. Below are some of the most common types of workplace investigations and when they should be used.

Misconduct Investigations
Misconduct investigations are necessary when an employee breaches company policies or behaves inappropriately. This might include theft, dishonesty, substance abuse in the workplace, or breaches of confidentiality. Misconduct can also cover actions that damage the company’s reputation or relationships with clients. It’s important to act quickly when dealing with misconduct to maintain workplace standards and protect the business from potential legal liabilities.

Harassment and Bullying Investigations
Investigations into harassment and bullying are crucial when employees report or experience inappropriate behaviour. Whether the issue is sexual harassment, racial harassment, or bullying, businesses have a duty to investigate and take action. These investigations must be handled with care, ensuring that both the complainant and the accused are treated fairly, and that the process remains confidential. Addressing such issues promptly not only protects employee wellbeing but also helps to maintain a respectful workplace culture.

Discrimination Investigations
Discrimination investigations come into play when employees feel they’ve been treated unfairly due to attributes such as race, gender, age, disability, or sexual orientation. These cases can be complex and require careful handling to ensure compliance with anti-discrimination laws in Australia. A thorough investigation is essential to ensure that all claims are properly examined, protecting the organisation from legal action and fostering an inclusive workplace.

Health and Safety Investigations
When a workplace incident or a near-miss occurs, a health and safety investigation is needed. These investigations help to determine whether existing safety measures were followed and if further action is required to prevent future incidents. Compliance with workplace health and safety laws is essential in Australia, and these investigations ensure that businesses fulfil their obligations to protect their employees.

Workplace Culture Investigations
In some cases, broader concerns about workplace culture may require investigation. This can occur when there are ongoing issues affecting morale, such as repeated complaints about management or widespread dissatisfaction among staff. A culture investigation looks at systemic issues within the workplace and seeks to identify patterns that may be harming the work environment. These investigations provide valuable insights for leadership teams to implement lasting positive change.

How AHR Can Assist with Workplace Investigations
Conducting a workplace investigation requires impartiality, expertise, and a thorough understanding of Australian workplace laws. At Assurance HR (AHR), we specialise in handling workplace investigations with a high degree of professionalism and confidentiality. Whether you’re facing allegations of misconduct, bullying, discrimination, or safety breaches, AHR has the expertise to guide your organisation through the investigation process.

Our team works with you to ensure that every step of the investigation is conducted lawfully and fairly. We help gather evidence, interview witnesses, and provide detailed reports on our findings, making sure you have all the information needed to resolve the issue. By choosing AHR, you can focus on your business while we take care of the complexities involved in workplace investigations, ensuring you remain compliant and maintain a positive work environment. Let AHR be your trusted partner in managing workplace investigations with confidence and care.

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Have you hired new employees only to find that they don’t have the skills or experience for the role? That they don’t like the workplace culture or don’t enjoy the role? Are you feeling deflated due to staffing conflicts and turnover? We have the solution and it starts with an exhaustive, yet effective Position Description (PD).

What is a Position Description?

An effective position description informs an employee of key job responsibilities and defines workplace standards, acting as an exemplar of expectations and as an evaluation criteria for performance. It is a crucial document that impacts upon multiple areas of HR, assisting in the development of:

Recruitment materials;
Training programs;
Performance review goals; and
Regular review and adjustment of employee role verse responsibilities, wages, hours and entitlements, to remain compliant with national employment standards.

Adjustment and Review

Each role within your business should have its own unique position description, not only specific to the position but also aligning with the specific employee undertaking the role. Position descriptions NEED to be evolving documents that are regularly adjusted to reflect changes to employee role, objectives, and responsibilities. Becoming careless within this can be a costly repercussion if an unfair work claim is made. For example, an employer may be made to back pay (with interest), if it is determined that an employee has been fulfilling a role beyond set ‘position description’ expectations deemed as above skill level and therefore underpaid.

It is recommended that position descriptions are reviewed:

Within annual performance reviews, ensuring that the expectations of objectives and responsibilities still align with the employee’s workload and future ambitions or career projection;
When objectives of a role are no longer necessary and need to be removed from an employee’s position description, or when these objectives have been transferred to another employee;
When substantial or significant change are made to workplace operations impacting upon employee roles; and
At least every 2 years (even high performing), to maintain workplace culture, and employee satisfaction and retention rates.

Assurance HR Management can correspond with you to draft and finalise well rounded position descriptions for your employees. The time poor employer can complete a brief questionnaire that will allow us to draft an appropriate position description on your behalf. If you would like to receive further information about such services, contact Adrian our HR specialist on 1800 577 515 for a free consultation.