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 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?
Employees often forget that confidential information is a company asset. Just because something can be emailed, downloaded or copied onto a USB does not make it any less valuable.
Businesses invest years building their intellectual property, client information, systems and goodwill – and there can be very real dollar signs attached to all of it.
Take-Out Point: Just because you created it at work does not mean you own it. You usually don’t.
Buzzphrase of the Week 1: Let’s land the plane
Workplace jargon for “let’s actually finish this”. Usually deployed 45 minutes into a meeting by someone who has just realised no-one is any closer to a decision than when it started.
The irony? The person saying it is almost never the one flying the plane. They’re the passenger in 34B who’s just noticed the runway and would very much like to stop circling.
Buzzphrase of the Week 2: “Getting disappeared”
No, not a true crime podcast. A recent HRD article reports that “getting disappeared” is the phrase employees are using to describe a silent firing trend – where a colleague who raised concerns or became inconvenient is suddenly just gone. No announcement, no farewell, no explanation. Just an empty desk and a manager who “can’t discuss it.”
From the organisation’s perspective, a silent exit looks like a solved problem. For the people left behind, it’s a masterclass in fear. Speak up and you could be next. Hard to run a “we value your feedback” campaign when people are vanishing like contestants on a reality show.
See: ‘Getting disappeared’: the silent firing trend terrifying staff
Job of the Week: Tower Technician
And you think your mobile coverage is bad…
Frustrated villagers in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh reportedly tied a telecom technician to a mobile tower to protest their lack of 5G connectivity.
Talk about sending a message to senior company officials and those who may have been considering a career as a telecom technician.
See: 5G technician tied to pole in Indian cell service protest
New Tool to Help Navigate Sexual Harassment Complaint Pathways
The FWC has launched an interactive online tool to help workers identify the right complaint pathway for workplace sexual harassment. The tool was developed in collaboration with the Fair Work Ombudsman and the Australian Human Rights Commission.
Sexual harassment complaints can be handled by several government agencies, each with different rules, time limits and outcomes. In most cases, a person can only choose one pathway. The tool guides users through yes/no and multiple-choice questions – covering whether criminal conduct was involved, the timeframe and the type of help sought – without requiring detailed information about the experience itself.
Take-Out Point: This is a practical resource worth sharing with your HR team. The tool is free and can help employers direct affected workers to the right agency. It also serves as a reminder that your internal reporting processes should clearly explain external complaint options.
See: New workplace sexual harassment complaint options tool launched
Record FWC Lodgments in FY 2025-26
The FWC received a record 53,617 applications in 2025-26, up from 44,075 the year before. FWC research found about 40% of surveyed applicants reported using AI to prepare or manage their cases, which the Commission links to the sharp rise in filings.
From 20 October 2026, anyone using generative AI to prepare a document in a Commission case must disclose how they used it, check the document is accurate and relevant, and confirm they have done so. This applies to employers and their representatives, not just applicants. Forms in individual rights matters will include a new AI disclosure and declaration section.
The FWC is also discussing further legislative changes with the government, including to deal more quickly with unmeritorious applications without a hearing.
Take-Out Point: Cheap, accessible AI tools have contributed to a surge in self-represented dismissal and general protections claims. Note the 20 October 2026 AI disclosure date.
See: FWC breaks lodgment record with 53,617 cases in FY26
Skilled Migration Priorities Reshuffled, Working Holiday Caps Announced
The Federal Government has announced changes to skilled visa processing and working holiday maker settings.
Skilled visa processing priorities have been updated, with construction, agriculture, fisheries, resources and teaching having been added to the priority list.
The skilled migration points test will also be adjusted so that qualifications in housing trades receive the same points weighting as a university qualification. Changes are also planned for working holiday makers seeking to remain in Australia for a second or third year.
Take-Out Point: Employers relying on skilled migrants or working holiday makers should be aware that some sectors have moved up the processing queue, while substantially fewer third-year working holiday visas will be available.
See: Speech – National Press Club, Tony Burke MP, Minister for Home Affairs, 17 September 2026
CASE YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
AI Use Scrutinised in Employee Costs Ruling
A former employee has been ordered to pay $45,000 in costs after the Federal Court rejected his bid for judicial review of two Fair Work Commission decisions.
The former employee said he used AI only to check spelling and grammar, but the Court identified apparent “hallucinations”, including references to written submissions that did not exist. The judge said there was a likelihood that some anomalies resulted from the “indiscriminate use of artificial intelligence”.
Costs are not automatic in Fair Work court proceedings. Here, the Court found the proceedings were brought without reasonable cause and that his unreasonable conduct caused the employer to incur costs. It described the case as “always doomed to fail”.
Take-Out Point: An expensive reminder: employees can face costs orders for meritless litigation. If AI is used it is essential that every fact, reference and argument is checked. The chatbot won’t be reaching for its wallet.
See: Raghib v Stantec Australia (Costs) [2026] FCA 1415, 24 September 2026.
1 October – Card surcharging changes took effect. From this date, businesses can generally no longer pass card payment surcharges on to customers. Customers will celebrate saving 30 cents on a coffee. Businesses will quietly work out how to put it back on the muffin.
10 October – World Mental Health Day. Check in on your people. Properly.
13 October – International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction. A day to assess your disaster preparedness. If your business continuity plan is a laminated sheet from 2014 pinned behind a dying pot plant, the plant isn’t the only thing that needs reviving.
15 October – Global Handwashing Day. Soap is cheaper than sick leave. Stock up.
16 October – World Food Day. A UN observance highlighting global food security. Also a good day to address the ongoing cold case of who keeps taking clearly labelled lunches from the office fridge.
20 October – International Sloth Day. Celebrating an animal whose entire brand is doing the absolute minimum and still surviving. It’s not a performance management framework, but you have to admire the commitment.
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,
I went to a job interview carrying an iced coffee and was genuinely surprised when the interviewer commented that it looked unprofessional. I wasn’t slurping it through the interview or arriving with a tray of frappuccinos for the panel – I’d simply bought a coffee on the way and carried it in with me.
I thought I was applying for a job, not auditioning for The Crown. Have I missed a new interview rule, or is iced coffee now a career-limiting accessory?
Caffeinated and Confused
Dear Caffeinated and Confused,
There is no rule against arriving with an iced coffee, but interviews are still one of those occasions where first impressions matter – and apparently your drink can now join your shoes, handshake and Zoom background on the assessment panel.
Personally, I’d be far more interested in whether you could do the job than whether your coffee came with ice, but if you really want the role, there’s not much upside in giving an interviewer something irrelevant to form an opinion about. My advice: finish the coffee before you walk in – then let them judge you on the things that actually matter.
Cheers,
Jen
My streaming time has been severely compromised lately because my hero, Seth Godin, has dropped his latest book, The Knot. It is about why we get stuck, and how to untangle the assumptions keeping us there. As someone who can happily listen to Seth explain almost anything, this has temporarily taken priority. Compulsory reading – or listening, if like me you prefer Seth delivered directly into your ears.
Celebrity Traitors UK – Ten
I am positively giddy that my third-favourite show* is back! Apparently, all it takes to completely engross me is a bunch of British “celebrities” plotting, scheming and “murdering” one another in a Scottish castle. I would like to pretend I am above this. I am not.
*Obviously, The Pitt and Slow Horses are numbers 1 and 2.
The Perfect Lie – Netflix
Without a doubt, my favourite show from the Netherlands this year. Four glamorous, seemingly perfect couples, expensive houses, dinner parties and friendships that turn out to be held together by secrets and lies. Then one of them dies in a house fire and the whole polished façade starts to unravel. Seven episodes, plenty of people behaving badly, and very easy to keep watching (despite appalling dubbing).
The Doll – Netflix
A lavish Polish-language period drama about a self-made merchant who becomes hopelessly obsessed with a beautiful aristocrat who has ambitions of her own. Based on a classic Polish novel, it has money, class, romance, social climbing and the sort of relationship you can already tell is going to cause everyone considerable trouble. If your Polish is a little rusty, subtitles and dreadful dubbing are available.
The Gentlemen – Netflix
The latest season of Guy Ritchie’s English-language crime comedy featuring an aristocrat who unexpectedly inherits the family estate – and discovers it comes with a rather substantial cannabis empire underneath it. Cue gangsters, double-crossing, spectacularly bad decisions and some very expensive clothes. Slick, funny and gloriously ridiculous.
