• Adopting a national definition of bullying, enshrined in the National Code of Practice on Workplace Bullying,

 

• Affording a new right to workers to bring bullying complaints directly to the Fair Work Commission who will be required to act on the matter within 14 days,

 

• Empowering the Commission to make orders or refer to the case to state WHS regulators,

 

• Fines of up to $33,000 for offenders

Employers and HR managers must not only understand how to stamp out bullying behaviour in the workplace, but also be mindful of the increasing regulation around this area and prepare for when complaints arise.

These announcements were made alongside a slew of other reforms around the right to request flexible work arrangements, unpaid parental leave and protection for pregnant workers.

Stay updated with the changes to workplace laws at the HR Law Masterclass, a one-day conference delivered by employment law experts for senior HR managers in major cities nationwide.

The event features a session on the legislative changes around bullying and an optional half-day workshop on practical guidelines around preventing, investigating and responding to bullying in the workplace.

Registrations for April 2013 are open (limited seating) so visit the event website or call 1300 857 431 to reserve your seat.

i)                    increased protections for casual/temporary workers,

ii)                   extended rights to request flexible work to carers, and

iii)                 changes to laws around greenfields agreements.

Meantime, details of the Liberal policies are anticipated by mid-year. The Coalition is expected to focus on addressing flexibility, productivity and “growing union militancy” and has hinted at possible changes to right of entry provisions, greenfields agreements and individual flexibility agreements.

Other developments to watch include;

1. Changes to federal discrimination laws currently before parliament
2. Federal government’s response to a parliamentary inquiry into workplace bullying
3. Fair Work Commission’s decision on penalty rates
4. Queensland government plan to return to a state industrial system (see the full report here)

Employers need to be aware of how these policy changes might impact their operating costs, bargaining position and legal risks.

Stay updated with the changes to workplace laws at the HR Law Masterclass, a one-day conference delivered by employment law experts for senior HR managers in major cities nationwide.

Registrations for April 2013 are now open (limited seating) so visit the event website or call 1300 857 431 to reserve your seat.

The fourth installment of the HR Law Masterclass will again feature leading employment law experts from top-tier firms including Ashurst, Clayton Utz, Herbert Smith Freehills, Maddocks and Minter Ellison.

It is the first and only event to dedicate a full 40-minute session to a Q&A Roundtable, so delegates can bring their employment law questions to the experts in an intimate and interactive small-group setting.

For just one day out of the office, HR managers can expect to brush up on critical changes to workplace and IR law and receive practical guidance on keeping aligned with new legal requirements.

Topics to be covered include changes to the Fair Work Act, ongoing reforms around discrimination, workplace bullying and equal opportunity, as well as case law updates involving unfair dismissal and adverse action claims.

Optional half-day post-conference workshops on managing bullying and discrimination claims, as well as managing long-term ill and injured workers are also available.

Registrations are now open (limited seating) so visit the event website or call 1300 857 431 to reserve your seat.

The review panel makes 53 recommendations, including,

 

• Making individual flexibility agreements more attractive and accessible for employers
• Compulsory conciliation by FWA when negotiating parties have reached an impasse
• With regards to unfair dismissals,
  • Align the time limits for lodging unfair dismissal applications and for general protections claims (involving dismissal) to 21 days
  • Give FWA the power to dismiss unfair dismissal applications in certain circumstances
  • Allow FWA to deal with applications through an informal hearing process

Download  a copy of the 300-page Fair Work review report

Find out what the significant outcomes from the Fair Work Act review are and understand how your organisation can prepare to cope with these changes at the HR Law Masterclass

At this one-day conference for HR and IR managers to be held in five capital cities this October, hear leading partners from Ashurst analyse the proposed changes and explore how organisations can benefit or comply with the amendments – without having to pore through the entire 300-page report!

Other topics include; a review of developments in the IR regime, personal liabilities for officers including HR personnel and the new Paid Parental Leave scheme for Dads & Partners from 1 January 2013.

To find out more about the HR Law Masterclass, visit the event website or call 1300 857 431 for a quote and consultation.

What is Big Data? A meme and a marketing term, for sure, but also shorthand for advancing trends in technology that open the door to a new approach to understanding the world and making decisions. There is a lot more data, all the time, growing at 50 percent a year, or more than doubling every two years, estimates IDC, a technology research firm. It’s not just more streams of data, but entirely new ones. For example, there are now countless digital sensors worldwide in industrial equipment, automobiles, electrical meters and shipping crates. They can measure and communicate location, movement, vibration, temperature, humidity, even chemical changes in the air. Read more…click HERE

Originally posted on the New York Times 11 Feb 2012

This year Little Audrey will celebrate 75 years on the Melbourne skyline with a solar makeover courtesy of AGL Energy.

Little Audrey appeared above the vinegar factory in 1936 as Australia’s first neon sign. She survived the factory demolition and home of a used car dealer to be resurrected three years ago. Carefully restored by AGL and powered by 27 solar panels, the sustainable icon will now jump rope 16,000 times each night.

But who is the beloved illuminated figure? The true identity of Little Audrey is still clouded in mystery. Some say she was a local shopkeepers daughter while others speculate that she was a nun from a nearby convent. Whoever she may be we suspect she will light up Melbourne for many years to come.

Aventedge is delighted to announce that The Skipping Girl’s guardian will be appearing at the Integrated Reporting in Action conference this July. AGL’s Manager of Carbon Analysis, Tim Nelson, will join international corporations, investors, regulators and policy-makers to discuss how an integrated report can promote lasting corporate value.

For more information please click here.

IIBA is a leading association for Business Analysis around the globe. It developed the industry standard, A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledge® (BABOK® Guide) and pioneered the formal certification for business analysis professionals.

The endorsement from IIBA is a testament to the quality of Aventedge’s Business Analysis events, including the upcoming Business Analysis Congress Asia and its rigorous alignment with BABOK.

This means that delegates to Business Analysis Congress Asia are afforded the pride and recognition associated with this regional networking forum.

Furthermore, Aventedge is now authorised to provide Professional Development (PD) hours and Continuing Development Units (CDUs) through its conferences.

CBAP® and CCBA® holders attending the main two-day Business Analysis Congress Asia conference from 29 to 30 May 2012 will receive 14 Continuing Development Units (CDUs) which will count towards recertification.

Learn more about the Business Analysis Congress Asia – the first and only dedicated event for Business Analysis in the region – by visiting the event website.

For more information, contact:

Karen Abts

Email     :  karen.abts@aventedge.com

Tel          :  +65 6410 9051

Published by PwC, here’s a link to the full article.

http://pwc.com.au/consulting/publications/climate-change-plan/index.htm

When big acquisitions pay off

Some are quietly creating value that doesn’t make the headlines. Here’s how.

Big mergers and acquisitions make for splashy headlines, but do they make financial and strategic sense? Executives, board members, and investors are wise to be skeptical. Such deals—worth 30 percent or more of the acquirer’s market capitalization—are extremely complex. And as high-profile failures have demonstrated, big deals can destroy significant value for shareholders.

Big deals can create significant value for the acquirer, however, even if success takes time to unfold. Indeed, in our analysis of such deals over the past decade, half had created excess returns to shareholders when measured two years after the deal’s completion.1 In one-third, returns were significantly higher relative to the industry average.

Click here to read more…