Hello!
I have been busy compiling your favourite workplace newsletter – a combination of things you need to know and things that will make you laugh out loud.
In this issue there’s a workplace trend, news snippets, a case update and sage advice in the “Dear Jen” column.
And of course, I share my recommendations for your viewing pleasure.
I hope this newsletter brings you some wisdom and joy!
Cheers,
Jen
What trend am I seeing across the workplace world?
Clients are nervous about difficult conversations, especially terminations with volatile employees. I am often asked whether I will have the conversation for them. My answer is almost always no. The employer is better placed to do it than anyone else in the room, particularly a lawyer.
So I do the next best thing. I arm the client with a script that is brief but kind, talk them through it, and send them into their meeting with confidence.
Take-Out Point: Dreading a hard conversation is normal. The fix is rarely to avoid it or hand it off. It is to face it head on, with a good script and a decent dose of confidence and compassion.
Buzzword of the Week: Job Scrolling
Forget quiet quitting. Employees are now “job scrolling” by casually browsing job advertisements during the workday, often to ease anxiety about job security, or to see whether the grass is greener elsewhere.
Warning signs include a sudden burst of LinkedIn activity, less enthusiasm for long-term projects and an unexpected fascination with company benefits and notice periods. It does not necessarily mean an employee is planning an immediate escape, but they may be checking where the exits are.
Job of the Week: Census Field Officer
The ultimate remote job: Lord Howe Island, no experience needed.
The fine print: you have to already live on Lord Howe Island. Congratulations to the eleven of you.
The ABS is hiring Census Field Officers in some idyllic spots, but the roles go to locals, because the whole point is local knowledge. Paradise doesn’t relocate, it recruits from within.
And the job itself is less coastal stroll with a clipboard, more knocking on the same door three times because the household has decided the Government does not need to know how many bedrooms they have. The polite decline. The less polite decline. The dog.
See: Earn over $40 an hour with no experience needed in urgent Census job hunt
The Jobs That Did Not Exist When You Last Updated Your CV
Some of the best-paid jobs going right now have titles that sound made up. Prompt engineer. Conversational AI designer. AI ethics associate.
Roles that would have drawn blank looks in 2023 are now real jobs with real salaries, some starting at $180,000. Entry level.
And the list keeps growing. Experts are tipping AI systems auditors, AI policy strategists and autonomous AI operators as the next wave. The names get stranger, the pay gets bigger.
Which reframes the whole “will AI take my job” question. Your job is less likely to be replaced by AI than by a person holding one of these odd new titles, who learned the tools while you were waiting to see if this AI thing would blow over.
Take-Out Point: If you are not using AI yet, perhaps the risk was never the robot…
See: Entry-level AI roles now commanding six-figure salaries amid jobs boom
Timesheets: Boring Until the Day They Save You
Under the Fair Work Act, you have to keep employee records (hours, pay, leave, super) for seven years. That is longer than most gym memberships and New Year’s resolutions combined. And “about eight hours, give or take” doesn’t cut it. For anyone on overtime, penalty rates, or paid by the hour (your casuals and irregular part-timers), the law wants real start and finish times, breaks and all. If it ever comes down to “he said, she said”, you want receipts, not a vague recollection from a Tuesday in March.
The fix:
- Log real times, not guesses
- Record it as the shift happens, day by day, not when payday panic sets in
- Keep it for the full seven years, somewhere safe and somewhere you’ll remember exists
- Write it down. Memory is not a legal document. If your records are missing and someone claims they were underpaid, the burden flips onto you. No records means you have to prove you paid correctly, not the other way around.
Since January 2025, deliberate underpayment can be a criminal offence. Honest mistakes are not, but good records provide the best protection.
From 1 July 2026 NSW Psychosocial Hazards Code Became a Mandatory Benchmark
From 1 July 2026, NSW businesses must comply with an approved WHS Code of Practice or show that another approach provides an equivalent or higher standard of safety. For psychosocial hazards, the Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work Code of Practice is now a compliance benchmark, not simply guidance.
Employers should be able to show how they identify psychosocial hazards, consult workers, assess risk, implement controls and review whether those controls work. Risks include:
- excessive workloads
- poor role clarity
- bullying and harassment
- violence
- poorly managed change
A policy alone will not be enough without practical action.
SafeWork NSW has deployed 20 psychosocial-focused inspectors, and psychosocial risks are a 2026-27 regulatory priority.
Take-Out Point: NSW employers should review their risk-management records and workplace controls now, particularly around workload, conduct and organisational change in order to demonstrate how psychosocial risks are actually managed.
See: SafeWork NSW – Designing Work to Manage Psychosocial Risks
and: Code of Practice: Managing psychosocial hazards at work
CASE YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
Truck Driver Loses $73,000 Worth of Ice Cream… and His Job
A truck driver transported a load of ice cream at -1°C rather than the required -22°C. More than $73,000 of product melted, and the employer faced around $30,000 in disposal costs.
The driver was dismissed and brought an unfair dismissal claim. The Fair Work Commission accepted the incident was a one-off across hundreds of similar trips. Even so, the driver had failed to check the trailer temperature despite several opportunities to do so, and the Commission found this gave the employer a valid reason for dismissal.
The employer did not give the driver a proper chance to respond before deciding to dismiss him. Despite that, the Commission found the dismissal was not unfair in all the circumstances. It is a reminder that procedural fairness matters, but a serious failure in a core part of the role can still justify dismissal.
Take-Out Point: A single mistake can support dismissal where the task is central to the role, the risk is obvious and the consequences are serious. Employers should still give the employee a genuine chance to respond before the decision is made.
See: Mr Jeremiah Manly v ERH Refrigerated Transport Pty Ltd [2026] FWC 2636
30 July – International Day of Friendship. In honour of the work bestie, the one who makes Mondays survivable and has talked you out of pressing send more times than you can count.
31 July – World Ranger Day. A salute to the people who protect our parks, wildlife and heritage – and whose workplace safety issues make a temperamental office printer look positively harmless.
7 August – Aged Care Employee Day. A day to recognise the people who care for older Australians, often with extraordinary patience, skill and a level of calm the rest of us can only dream of having.
8 August – International Cat Day. In honour of the household supervisor who has never RSVP’d to a Teams meeting, yet has appeared in many – often in front of the camera or directly on the mute button.
13 August – International Left-Handers Day. A nod to the one in ten of us who have spent a lifetime wrestling right-handed scissors, smudged pens and spiral notebooks. Proof that a sensible workplace adjustment does not need a tribunal to be worth making.
21 August – World Entrepreneurs’ Day. A salute to the risk-takers and empire-builders, and a quiet reminder to check that the budding entrepreneur on your team is not building their empire on your laptop, in your time, with your client list.
Are Your Managers Carrying the Weight of HR Without the Support of HR?
Small to medium businesses without an in-house HR function need clear, cost-effective and practical advice to navigate people issues. These include:
✔ Hiring the right people
✔ Setting up simple, effective HR processes
✔ Managing performance issues early, clearly, and lawfully
✔ Understanding award coverage, pay rates, and entitlements
✔ Responding to complaints, conflict, and workplace tensions
✔ Reducing compliance risk without creating bureaucracy
✔ Distinguishing a “quick fix” from a legal landmine.
With 30 years’ experience as an HR specialist and owner of a construction firm, Sarah Ryding understands the pressures facing business owners and managers.
For a complimentary 15 minute call to explore how Sarah can support your business, contact:
HR Consultant Sarah Ryding: sarah@jenniferbicknell.com.au | 0418 246 547
Or Jennifer Bicknell: jen@jenniferbicknell.com.au | 0411 275 920
Dear Jen,
My boss insists on “standing meetings”. For a full hour.
I thought standing meetings were supposed to take ten minutes, not turn into an episode of Survivor where the last person upright wins immunity. By the halfway mark, colleagues are dropping like flies and ending up on the floor.
The team has nominated me to speak to our boss about a different format – ideally one that has at least a passing relationship with WHS principles.
How do I have a conversation with my boss about changing the format of these meetings?
The Tribe Has Spoken
Dear The Tribe Has Spoken,
I’m struggling to understand why any meeting needs to run for an hour, let alone one where everyone is required to remain upright for the duration.
I’m sure your boss means well. Some people genuinely believe standing meetings create energy and keep discussions focused.
I suggest having a quick conversation with your boss and framing it around the effectiveness of the meetings, rather than everyone’s aching knees.
Try something like:
“Could we look at changing the format of these meetings? I think we could keep them more focused and productive if we shortened them or tried a different format. How about we trial something and see if it works better?”
The aim is to help your boss achieve what they were trying to achieve – a meeting that is focused, useful and doesn’t require medical attention afterwards.
Good luck. And may your tribe finally find a chair.
Cheers,
Jen
I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed Small Prophets. At the end of a long day, this six-episode series is the perfect escape – funny, quirky and wonderfully odd. Featuring a wonderful cast including Sir Michael Palin, it currently has a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes. A reminder that sometimes the best television is not the loudest – it is the one that quietly makes you smile.
I haven’t enjoyed an Australian-made medical drama this much since The Young Doctors. The F Ward (Stan) follows a group of doctors at a hospital who are given one last chance to get their careers back on track after past mistakes. Admittedly, I spent the first episode distracted by the fact that the hospital is built directly on a beach – something that can only happen in TV land (and possibly somewhere with very forgiving planning laws).
If you like your comedy with a side of creepy, Widow’s Bay (Apple TV+) is worth a look. Set on a remote island where locals insist the town is cursed, this clever horror-comedy mixes small-town oddities, dry humour and genuinely spooky moments. It is quirky, atmospheric and a very enjoyable escape – especially if you enjoy shows that are funny, strange and just a little bit unsettling.
If you need a little holiday without actually having to pack a suitcase, The Five Star Weekend (Binge/Foxtel) is worth a look. A recent widow, played by Jennifer Garner, gathers a group of friends for a luxurious weekend away in Nantucket, where friendships, secrets and old wounds are unpacked along with the suitcases. It is not groundbreaking television, but it is warm, funny and exactly the sort of easy escapism you sometimes need after a long week.
