Better Businesses is about doing business better with your people. Not all businesses have the budget for a Human Resource or People and Culture business unit. Better Businesses helps to safely implement policies and intervention services to manage the mental wellbeing of your greatest asset…your people.
The project that led to Better Businesses came about after Angela Little identified a need for workers and their employers to learn better ways to proactively implement interventions to manage workplace factors that often lead to mental injuries and compensable claims. Angela has years of experience providing mediation, facilitated discussions, group conferencing, conflict and leadership coaching following compensable claims made by mentally injured workers under Workers Compensation Schemes. It became evident to Angela that most of the claims were avoidable. She recognised that whilst many employer intentions and policies were good and even ideal, in practice there was poor organisational justice due to a lack of proactive interventions. Many issues were managed in-house, which has the potential to lead to perceptions of bias. Independent service providers that offer qualified and accredited specialists can be the key to the success and avoiding costly claims against the business or business unit.
Fact: Workplaces are not always harmonious. Human behaviours, poor communication, unrealistic workload, environmental factors, technology, equipment, poor change management, interpersonal workplace relationships, bullying and harassment, traumatic events or material, lack of role clarity, inadequate reward and recognition, poor organisational justice to name a few hazardous factors may bring about stress in the workplace which can cause mental and/or physical harm. Workplace issues can lead to employees feeling unsupported, resentful and want to leave or make a compensable claim under the Worker’s Compensation System if mentally or physically injured.
Workplace intervention alternatives that minimise the risk of costly claims and brand damage and minimise risk of not complying with state and federal laws can include:
The above interventions provide opportunity to identify and discuss barriers in a safe and supported environment and agree on the best way forward to manage identified or potential factors contributing to psychosocial hazards in the workplace. Importantly, true independence, qualifications and accreditation when providing intervention services is key to avoiding perceptions of bias and maintaining procedural fairness!!
If psychosocial hazards and factors that lead to mental or physical harm are not proactively identified or are managed poorly, this can have a devastating consequence for an organisation and their people. For this reason, Work Safe Australia has recently published a Code of Practice to manage psychosocial hazards at work. All states have adopted the Code of Practice and now employers have an obligation and duty to consult workers in accordance with Section 47 of the WHS Act.
Workplace structured risk assessments and intervention services undertakent by an independent third-party dispute resolution specialist who is not employed by the organisation may assist workers and employers to feel heard, identify barriers and negotiate future expectations to positively impact businesses and their people.
If it sounds like Better Businesses can assist you to do business better with your people, Better Businesses for a confidential obligation free quotation regarding our services. By clicking on the button below, you will be re-directed to the Better Businesses website where you will find more information about workplace intervention services and interesting facts and statistics.
Business related disputes may arise from contractual disagreements about performance, debt recovery or financial hardship, business to business arrangements, organisational change or commercial & retail leasing. On many occasions these types of disputes can escalate very quickly and become costly and protracted which is counterproductive. Angela is skilled at facilitating private and confidential mediations relating to complex commercial matters involving multiple interested participants. Angela provides a structured mediation model to narrow the issues in dispute and allow the participants to share and be curious about finding solutions together to create certainty about the future arrangements and if possible to avoid litigation.
