May 27 2019 Surviving workplace bullying: 5 steps to success

I’m a former victim of extreme workplace bullying. For more than three years, I worked in the global resources industry in Australia, running health and well-being programs and striving to create safe, healthy and productive work environments for a mostly-male workforce. To anyone looking in from the outside, it would have seemed I was powering Read More…

May 22 2019 How do verbal promises become legally binding?

Dynamic Business revisits a highly interesting topic on how verbal promises become legally binding, what that looks like and when it becomes “official.” In 2013, Lachlan McKnight gave us his expertise on the matter, helping small business owners understand where that line is.  Lachlan is the CEO of LegalVision. He co-founded LegalVision in 2012 with Read More…

April 1 2019 Expert Robert Bryden shares his legal tips for franchisees

Australia is thriving with over 1,300 franchise businesses in a range of industries, earning over $181 billion dollars in revenue and continually growing. [1] In recent times, however, more franchisees have found themselves in a dispute against their franchisor. These problems generally arise for one of two reasons – either the franchisee has not been advised Read More…

April 6 2018 Protecting your SME when an employee leaves

Small businesses and startups face as much risk in employment as larger enterprises but they are often less well-equipped to address these issues. When working in a small business, people tend to form strong personal relationships and employers plan to retain staff. Sometimes, however, businesses need to dismiss staff for a number of reasons. While Read More…

March 28 2018 5 ways you can avoid accidents in the workplace

When people hear the term “workplace accident”, they often think of people in high-risk jobs working with heavy machinery, with dangerous substances, or working at height. But the reality is that even someone who spends most of their day answering the phone, typing letters or driving a van can be at risk of workplace injury. Read More…

February 27 2018 Five tips to ensure your interns don’t sue you

Internships can be a mixed bag. Done poorly and you have an intern twiddling their thumbs or doing work that really should be done by an employee. Done well however, you’ll engage some bright young people with your organisation, gain some diverse perspectives, get some value add work done and build the management skills of Read More…

February 16 2018 The search for the Holy Grail: Four Challenges You Will Face When Trying to Sell Your Business

The ‘Holy Grail’, for many business owners, is to launch a business, grow it, sell it at a profit and retire early. Even for entrepreneurs who are committed to their business for life, the mere knowledge that they could sell if they chose provides a security blanket. However, selling a business can be a complex Read More…

November 29 2017 Companies that offer to freeze their employees’ eggs risk opening ‘Pandora’s Box’, says lawyer

In the United States, it is becoming vogue for companies to pay for female employees to freeze their eggs, with the likes of Apple, Facebook and Google introducing the policy. It’s being sold as a means for women to further their careers, free of pressure to have children at a particular point in time. However, Read More…

November 13 2017 The five key things to consider ahead of purchasing insurance for your business

As a business owner, dealing with insurance can easily slide down the priority list.  Not many people look forward to answering bunches of questions or filling out pages of paperwork, and nobody in their right mind gets excited about paying insurance premiums. But what if you had a really bad day at work? What if Read More…

November 7 2017 Businesses saddle up for Melbourne Cup

It’s the race that stops the nation but Melbourne Cup is also the race the halts workplaces – and not just in Victoria where the event is marked with a public holiday. While Melbourne Cup festivities are a great way to generate goodwill amongst employees, SMEs must take steps to discharge their duty of care Read More…

October 27 2017 An employer is hit with an unfair dismissal claim every 3 and a half minutes in Australia

An analysis of the Fair Work Commission 2016-17* report reveals an employer was hit with an unfair dismissal claim every three and a half minutes last financial year, according to Employsure. The workplace relations specialist also found that employers lost 60% of the 14,135 unfair dismissal applications brought against them in 2016-17.  Commenting on the finding, Ed Read More…

October 25 2017 One in two small businesses not prepared for workplace bullies, Employsure research shows

Half of Australia’s small businesses not only lack an action plan to address workplace bullying, they don’t understand the legal requirements, according research undertaken by workplace relations specialist Employsure.  Conducted by Galaxy Research on behalf of Employsure, the Workplace Safety Index also found that amongst businesses with between two and four employees, only 40% know Read More…

October 19 2017 The Weinstein scandal: Is your business equipped to deal with sexual harassment?

For organisations, big or small, accusations of sexual harassment are alarming. With the current press surrounding the allegations of sexual harassment made against Harvey Weinstein, businesses world-wide should reflect on their own internal policies and how they would deal with allegations of this nature. In Australia, we have an abundance of laws protecting employees from Read More…

October 18 2017 7-Eleven franchisee accused of sacking worker who refused to hand over leave entitlements

A 7-Eleven Franchisee in Brisbane is facing court for allegedly dismissing a worker by removing him from the roster after he refused his employer’s request to repay an amount he had been paid. Balaji Australia Pty Ltd and current director and shareholder Madhav Ponnada will also face the Federal Circuit Court on allegations that false Read More…

September 20 2017 United or divided: when the views of your company aren’t shared by your employees

You may have been told once before that it is not polite to discuss religion or politics at the dinner table, but what about at work? The political landscape is somewhat of a mine field with vast political opinions on all matters of social issues and policy, and most likely your opinion won’t necessarily match Read More…