Are we in the beginnings of a cyclical upswing in industrial action in Love me tender - option 3Australia? And if so, what does it mean for those involved in competitive tender processes?

Data from the ABS indicates that the last spike in industrial disputes occurred in September 2012, with around 110,000 working days lost. The sense that there may be another spike coming correlates with the enterprise agreement life cycle, as enterprise agreements typically expire after 3 or 4 years. Many businesses are currently engaged in, or planning for, negotiations for the next round of agreements. 
Continue Reading Love me tender – how IR is a key point of difference

So, your star employee has resigned. What happens next can be crucial for your brand.

The way a business responds to the resignation of a star employee is a touchstone of successful HR leadership. Employees, competitors, customers, and other key stakeholders (as well as your falling star) will be all eyes and ears about how you (HR) and senior management react to the news. HR 101 teaches us that recognising an employee’s decision to move on is part and parcel of business reality – but is there merit in leveraging the process further?
Continue Reading Breaking up is hard to do

The Bargaining Coach rarely comments on decisions of courts or tribunals. Plenty of others do that. This is a rare exception.

Many of you will by now be aware of the Aurizon decision where a Full Bench of the Fair Work Commission constituted by Vice President Watson, Deputy President Gostencnik and Commission Spencer terminated 12 enterprise agreements. Fundamentally, this decision recalibrates the approach taken to the termination of expired enterprise agreements.
Continue Reading The Bargaining Coach: FWC provides bargaining reality-check

Upon its inception in the 1990s, enterprise-based bargaining presented Australian employers with more opportunity than risk. Today the opposite seems to be the case. Indeed, a report produced by RMIT University’s Dr Steven Kates in August last year found enterprise agreement renewal to be a major source of concern (read “risk”) for 77% of employers. While the survey giving rise to the report was directed to employers in the  resources industry, there is no reason why a similar response would not come from the likes of  manufacturing, construction, logistics and even public sector employers.
Continue Reading Enterprise Bargaining: Risk and Strategy