HR Leader Podcast Network

Today (19 November) is International Men's Day. Here, we unpack the myriad challenges faced by men across the board and what employers need to do to better cater to those specific needs. In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with former banker and self-described "manbassador" Tim Hewson, who is now the founder of mental health charity Mongrels Men and Betterment Consulting, about his career to date, experiences with daily panic attacks and broader struggles with mental health issues, what motivates him about his current work, and the specific challenges being faced by men regarding mental health across Australia. Hewson also delves into the professional and workplace challenges that exacerbate the struggles faced by men nationwide, the impact of evolving social and cultural expectations and norms, his observations from speaking with men on the ground, what's working and not working from an employer standpoint in addressing such issues, the role of HR in improving the situation, the work he is doing to combat men's health struggles, and his advice for men to take the steps they need to help themselves and those around them.

In the face of worker uncertainty about not just how to embed and utilise new and emerging technologies, but also why such changes are necessary, it is incumbent upon businesses to create comfort for employees to learn and thrive. In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Qualtrics global chief people officer Julia Anas about the work she undertakes, the increasing need to focus on the "people experience" in the current climate, why it's so necessary to address employee's trust gap with AI, why workers are uncertain or fearful, and whether such feelings should be viewed in isolation or in a broader context. Anas also delves into the challenges being presented for HR professionals in the wake of this trust gap, the approaches needed to address these challenges, the overwhelming scope of the task before HR, whether workers are even willing to offer trust on this front, and what excites her about overcoming such challenges and the work more broadly of the HR function in the future.

Businesses that can bring their workforce on the journey of change and can recognise what the constants are versus points in time are the ones that will remain resilient. HR has a huge role to play in navigating such processes and in shaping leadership approaches. In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with NetApp executive vice president, chief administrative officer and corporate secretary Beth O'Callahan about how she manages both the human resources and legal functions, her background as a lawyer, the market's cognisance of the need to evolve leadership approaches, what constitutes good leadership in the current climate, and how her approach has evolved in recent years. O'Callahan also delves into whether shifts in leadership approaches are led by managers or workers, getting comfortable with AI, leading a workforce's adoption of AI while learning it as an HR professional, the need to unlearn certain processes and traits, shaping workforce readiness, lessons she's learnt about building the right kind of culture, and what excites her about the changing nature of leadership in business, and how HR can best support that change.

In the inaugural episode of The Legal Brief, produced in partnership with national workplace law firm Kingston Reid, host Jerome Dorasaimy speaks with Kingston Reid Partner Christa Lenard to unpack this recent landmark decision from the Federal Court, which has reshaped a practice many employers across Australia have relied upon for decades – using contractual remuneration set-off clauses to balance out overpayments in one pay period against shortfalls in another. Lenard also delves into the regulatory complexities and scrutiny post-judgment, what employers need to be on top of and the extent to which employers are looking to respond to the judgment's findings.. Whether you're responsible for payroll, compliance, or broader workforce strategy, this episode delivers essential insights for HR professionals on how remuneration set-off clauses have been narrowed in the wake of this major decision, as well as practical steps organisations must take to ensure their remuneration, record-keeping, and payroll practices remain compliant, and the role of HR moving forward. To learn more about Kingston Reid, click here.

If HR professionals are to meaningfully enable and drive innovation and strategic growth, they cannot sit around and wait for the opportunity. HR must demonstrate that it offers more than just processes and performance improvement plans and that it can drive commercial outcomes. In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with bolttech group chief people officer Scott Austin about having worked in HR across jurisdictions and in different sectors, why he finds the work so interesting, the headline challenges HR teams are facing amid voluminous market change, setting HR up to leverage its strengths, shifting how HR is perceived, and why HR professionals cannot wait for permission to drive needed business changes. Austin also delves into how he has been proactive, rather than reactive, about driving innovation and growth, why the onus is on HR to take the initiative, the nuances of fintech and insurtech that he's had to adapt to, overcoming roadblocks to HR's driving of change, being data-driven, why HR is transferable across any sector, and his predictions for the market moving forward.

In the age of AI, concerns remain that artificial intelligence is coming at the cost of genuine human interaction. Against this backdrop, it is incumbent upon HR teams and professionals to ensure that AI is both an enabler of business success and helps prevent the acceleration of disconnection or disenchantment in the workplace. In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership ethicist and program director Dr Matt Beard to discuss the myriad ethical dilemmas and considerations in the workplace in the current climate, whether AI is accelerating concerns that human relationships are being sidelined in the post-pandemic world, whether businesses are cognisant of such concerns, and what he sees as the biggest challenges for ethics and culture in the workplace right now. Beard also delves into the extent to which "scut work" needs to be done versus pivoting one's service offering for clients, how HR can view its responsibilities to ensure that workplace culture is at an optimal level and human relationships aren't suffering, how technology can be an enabler of workplace connection, and how optimistic he is that HR teams can drive forward their workplaces in the right ways.

Financial stress continues to put downward pressure on workplace productivity. As a result – and in the face of broader market challenges – ensuring financial wellbeing must be a key priority for the HR function at this critical juncture. In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with MoneyGPS co-founder and chief executive George Haramis and Howden head of employee benefits Chris Sinclair and their respective businesses and partnership, the urgency of addressing financial wellbeing in the current climate, the issues employees are facing on the ground, and how workers across generations are facing unique financial challenges. Haramis and Sinclair also delve into the need for employers to take a holistic approach to financial wellbeing, what HR teams need to be asking, the solutions that can and should be implemented to drive measurable impacts, practical strategies their businesses are implementing and offer to clients, and what they're both looking forward to when it comes to improving financial wellbeing for the market.

According to this chief people officer, it is "such an exciting time" to be in HR, given the opportunities to collaborate and consult, and be authentic and approachable, when driving business reform that is fit for purpose in the current climate. In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Hoyts Group chief people officer Jodi Paton about her background in sports psychology, having witnessed the highs and lows over the last decade for staff, whether it's even been more difficult to oversee the HR function, the need for new approaches to driving business reform, and reframing her own perceptions about successful implementation of reform. Paton also delves into the need for proactivity in driving reform, having a bottom-up approach whereby collaboration and communication are embedded, assuming responsibility for managing a younger workforce, how she measures success in implementing reform, her guidance to other HR leaders about successful reform projects, and what excites her about HR work moving forward.

In the current climate, catering to the idiosyncratic needs and perceptions of all staff across generations – and ensuring they feel safe and included – is an ever-present challenge for HR. In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Konica Minolta Australia head of people and culture Gabrielle Stevens about her personal and professional investment in helping people, whether it's getting easier or harder for businesses to help workers feel safe and included, what constitutes a safe and inclusive workplace, and creating a foundation of trust in the post-pandemic world. Stevens also discusses her team's journey, what they have implemented, the importance of getting onboarding right, catering to individual needs and across generational differences, what has worked and not worked within her workplace, the investment of time required from HR, and how this journey has shaped her ongoing view of the importance of the role of HR.

In an age where employees are increasingly demanding a sense of purpose and belonging in the workplace, it is incumbent upon businesses and their HR teams to ensure that all staff feel seen and heard. In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Insight people and culture director in APAC, Elyse Philippi, about how she always wanted to be in a job where she could help people, whether it's getting easier or harder for HR to make meaningful workplace change, why personalising the employee journey is so essential, why employees currently want more from the workplace, and catering to a workforce with more generations than ever before. Philippi also discusses the questions that HR needs to ask in getting started on personalising the employee journey at scale, challenges to be overcome, what she and her team have successfully implemented at Insight, and the role of AI and other emerging technologies, how such a journey has reinforced her perception of the role of HR, highlighting the human element of such work, and what lessons she's learnt in personalisation at scale of the employee experience.