Garry Brack is the head of the Australian Federation of Employers and Industries (AFEI), formerly known as Employers First which summarises the industrial philosophy of the organisation. In the past he has stated that OHS laws are not necessary but this week he has upset the parents of Brodie Panlock by emphasising a failed love affair … Continue reading “Australian employer group doesn’t “get” workplace bullying”
South Australia still has not passed the Work Health and Safety legislation that would bring it into line with most of the other States of Australia. A major obstacle to the Bill’s progress in the South Australian Parliament is the “dithering” of Independent MP John Darley. On 28 June 2012, Darley spoke to the WHS … Continue reading “John Darley’s delay on Work Health and Safety laws is unproductive”
There are two newspaper reports in Australia on 21 June 2012 about the Victorian Police Force that illustrate a fractious safety culture and a major organisational and ideological impediment to reducing workplace bullying. The Australian article ” OPI concedes failure against force’s culture” (only available to subscribers) states that: ‘The Office of Police Integrity has … Continue reading “Workplace bullying in the police force illustrates the challenges of change management”
Many organisations are beginning to assess their performance in occupational health and safety (OHS), mostly through spreadsheet graphics and lead and lag indicators. These “databases” provide comparisons of activity with the hope of showing positive progress on safety. FindTheBest.com has been building comparison websites for some time and has applied their mystical Web2.0 algorithms to … Continue reading “FindTheBest seriously misjudges on its data services for workplace deaths and injuries”
Articles and reports about decent work, dignity at work and mental health issues are increasingly appearing on my desktop. Perhaps this indicates a convergence of perspectives to a better understanding of the human imperative in the modern workplace. It may be a realisation of where and how work fits the human condition. On May 1 … Continue reading “Workplace safety and the human condition”
Australia’s Employment and Workplace Relations Minister, Bill Shorten had a very busy day on 26 April 2012 with the recent actions over the management of the Health Services Union. Tha evening he spoke eloquently and passionately at the Annual Safe Work Australia Awards. Not only did he speak but he also spent several hours speaking with … Continue reading “Bill Shorten speaks at the Safe Work Australia Awards”
Yossi Berger writes: We’re all familiar with the notions of focus and attention, and selective attention. We’ve all experienced how difficult it can be to attend to target information when background noise is distracting. The issue can be referred to as the signal-to-noise ratio. I often find its effects in discussions with managers and workers … Continue reading “Just workplace hardship”
