Workplace relations in the modern workplace

Executive Education

This program has now concluded. If you are interested in attending future sessions, please submit an expression of interest to our team.

137 St Georges Tce, Perth 6000

Express your interest

Cost

Curtin Alumni / current students: $479
General: $529

Inclusive of a delicious morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea.

Express your interest

This masterclass is designed for those who need practical knowledge on everyday issues in employee relations, including:

recruitment
conflict and dispute resolution
bullying
underperformance
anti-discrimination
health and safety
ending employment.

Why complete this masterclass?

As modern workplaces grow increasingly complex, organisations must ensure that they maintain their knowledge of workplace and employee relations.

Australia’s Fair Work Ombudsman recently delivered celebrity chef George Calombaris a $200,000 ‘contrition’ fine for underpaying more than 500 of his current and former employees a total of $7.8 million.

That well-publicised case highlighted that Australia’s industrial relations landscape is complex and precarious. It is particularly tricky for organisations that lack in-house IR practitioners and employment lawyers.

Our one-day masterclass, is designed to address challenges faced by those in corporate, non-profit, local government, consultancy along with SME owners in all sectors – HR professionals in organisations without discrete IR expertise would also find this masterclass highly valuable.

Who is the program for?

Key takeaways

Facilitated by Associate Professor Kantha Dayaram and Dr Eileen Aitken-Fox, the program draws on professional practice, case studies, case law and simulations.

You will participate in role plays and debates, and learn the tools and techniques to resolve tricky HR and IR issues.

Specifically, you will learn:

the obligations of SME owners and HR professionals under the Fair Work Act 2009
where to access accurate information about employment conditions and minimum standards
about employee recruitment and what to do when things don’t work out
how to manage employees, particularly poor performance and excessive absenteeism
how to recognise and address interpersonal conflict and bullying
about your dispute resolution obligations
legislation and requirements for a safe workplace.

Being practical and hands-on, the masterclass will provide you with the skills to manage potential HR issues efficiently with limited resources.

Program schedule

Time	Title	Facilitators
9:00am – 10:30am	• High-level view of the Fair Work Act: what you need to know • Hiring and engaging employees	• A/Prof. Dayaram • Dr Aitken-Fox
10:30am – 11:00am	Morning tea
11:00am – 12:30pm	Team conflict, bullying and dispute resolution	A/Prof. Dayaram
12:30pm – 1:15pm	Lunch
1:15pm – 2:30pm	Underperforming employees and excessive absenteeism	Dr Aitken-Fox
2:30pm – 3:00pm	Afternoon tea
3:00pm – 4:30pm	• Ending employment: unfair dismissal and adverse action • Health and Safety	• A/Prof. Dayaram • Dr Aitken-Fox

Resources

About the facilitators

Associate Professor Kantha Dayaram

Associate Professor Kantha Dayaram’s expertise in labour and employment relations is underpinned by a 25-year career in teaching, researching and consultancy.

She has a doctorate in policy and change management and dual masters degrees in business leadership and in health economics, focusing on labour and health, from the London School of Economics. She was awarded a postgraduate scholarship (cum laude) for her work on small business development.

She has designed and delivered training programs internationally as well as for Western Australia’s public sector and for private sector organisations. She currently teaches postgraduate courses in Australian employment relations and international industrial relations.

Her recent research, Retirement Reforms: Occupational Strain and Health, published in Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society (2019), has received international media attention.

Dr Eileen Aitken-Fox

Dr Eileen Aitken-Fox is a qualitative researcher and a consultant in the areas of industrial relations, people and culture, and organisational development.

She has extensive experience leading diverse and virtual teams as a business professional, and has fulfilled leadership roles in listed companies and the non-profit sector. She has worked extensively in the Asia Pacific region, holding managing director accountability.

Her PhD focused on small business compliance and industrial relations. She now teaches in the Curtin School of Management, and has coordinated and taught MBA course units in Human Resource Strategies, Leading and Facilitating Teams, and Legal Issues in HR.