Mentally Healthy Workplaces Grant Program – Applications Close 12 May 2026
The Mentally Healthy Workplaces Grant Program supports initiatives that improve the understanding, identification and management of psychosocial hazards in Western Australian workplaces. Grant funding of up to $1 million is available over four years, with individual grants of up to $200,000 per year. Funding will support practical initiatives that help workplaces identify and assess psychosocial risks and build capability through practical guidance, toolkits, training programs, industry-specific resources and psychosocial risk assessment tools.
Applications close 12 May 2026. Visit WorkSafe WA to find out more and apply.
Debate Over ‘Workplace Banter’ Highlights Boundaries Between Humour and Bullying
Recent discussion around the decline of “workplace banter” in Australia has highlighted differing views on whether informal humour contributes to workplace culture or risks crossing into inappropriate conduct. While some employees view reduced tolerance for banter as a shift toward overly cautious workplaces, others note that such behaviour can escalate into bullying or exclude workers from different cultural backgrounds.
The discussion reflects growing awareness of respectful workplace standards and evolving expectations around conduct, and underscores the need for employers to set clear behavioural expectations and manage psychosocial risks associated with workplace interactions.
Resignation Deemed Dismissal After Employer Fails to Remove Harasser
The Fair Work Commission has found that an employee was effectively dismissed after resigning due to her employer’s failure to remove a director who engaged in substantiated sexual harassment. The director had covertly filmed a female employee during a work trip, touched her without consent, made inappropriate comments, and regularly commented on her appearance. While the CEO took steps to restrict the director’s access, the Board did not take action to remove him or inform members who had the power to vote on his removal.
The Deputy President stated that “The Board should have made every possible attempt to remove the Director, and it is disgraceful that he continues to hold a position on the Board.” The Commission found this created an unsafe working environment, leaving the employee with no real choice but to resign – confirming that a resignation may constitute constructive dismissal where it is not truly voluntary, particularly in the context of unresolved workplace sexual harassment.
HR Leaders Face Rising Pressure from Sexual Harassment, Psychosocial Risk and AI
Australian HR leaders are navigating significant legal and operational change, with increased focus on sexual harassment, psychosocial hazards and the impact of AI on workplace claims. Employment lawyers warn these issues are now firmly board-level concerns, driven by positive duties to prevent harm and heightened regulatory and investor scrutiny. While reporting of sexual harassment has increased, prevalence remains high, with growing expectations on employers to proactively manage risks. At the same time, AI is contributing to a surge in workplace complaints and legal claims, increasing pressure on HR processes and resources.
Leaders on the Brink: Why Psychological Capital Is HR’s New Frontline Against Burnout
Psychologist Byron McCaughey argues that leadership burnout is less an individual issue and more a systemic one, requiring organisations to rethink how they measure and support leadership performance. A key focus is “psychological capital” – made up of efficacy, optimism, resilience and hope – positioned as a measurable driver of leadership effectiveness and business performance. McCaughey warns that HR cannot prevent burnout alone, and that organisations need stronger system design: clearer roles, fairer processes, better workload visibility and more effective change management.
Global Report Highlights Scale of Psychosocial Risks in Workplaces
A new International Labour Organisation report released for World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2026 has found that more than 840,000 deaths globally each year are linked to psychosocial risks, including long working hours, job insecurity, bullying and harassment. The report estimates psychosocial risks also cause a 1.37% loss to global GDP annually, and identifies how work design, organisation and management contribute to both mental and physical health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, mental illness and suicide.
Psychosocial Risk Driven by Systems, Not Just Managers
Ingrid Jenkins, Chief People Officer at Sonder, highlights that psychosocial harm in workplaces is increasingly being driven by systemic issues rather than individual “bad managers.” As regulators treat psychosocial hazards as enforceable WHS risks, employers are required to proactively identify and manage risks rather than simply respond to complaints. Managers are often placed under significant pressure within unclear systems, contributing to stress and risk across teams – reinforcing that workload design, role clarity and organisational expectations are at the heart of the problem.
$55,000 Award Sets New Benchmark in Disability Discrimination Case
The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal has awarded $55,000 in damages to a worker after finding NSW Health discriminated against her on the basis of disability. The employee was subjected to an independent medical examination and fitness for duty process without appropriate workplace adjustments, before being deemed unfit and placed on forced leave.
The Tribunal found the process was “prolonged” and “invasive”, based on assumptions rather than evidence, inconsistent with community standards, and undermining of dignity and autonomy. NSW Health was ordered to pay general damages and implement training for senior staff. The decision sets a new benchmark for damages in disability discrimination matters and reinforces the need for employers to avoid decision-making based on assumptions alone and ensure reasonable adjustments are properly considered.
Safe Work Australia Releases New Resources on Gender-Based Violence in Construction
Safe Work Australia has released a new set of resources to help employers identify, assess and manage the risks of gender-based violence in the construction industry. Gender-based violence is behaviour that humiliates, intimidates or threatens a person because of their sex, gender, sexual orientation or because they do not conform to gender stereotypes, and is recognised as a psychosocial hazard that can occur in any workplace. The new resources include practical case studies, posters and infographics designed for use on construction worksites.
Workplace Surveillance Evolving Amid Psychosocial Risk Obligations
Workplace surveillance is increasingly being scrutinised as both a risk control and a potential psychosocial hazard under Australian Work Health Safety laws. With advances in AI-enabled monitoring and emerging regulatory reforms, employers must ensure surveillance practices are reasonable, proportionate and do not create risks to employee mental health. Recent developments, including guidance from WorkSafe Victoria and reforms to digital work systems in NSW, signal a shift toward stricter expectations on how surveillance is implemented. Excessive or poorly managed monitoring may contribute to stress, anxiety and loss of trust, exposing employers to legal and reputational risk.
ANZ Removes ‘Respect’ from Core Values in Cultural Reset
ANZ Bank has introduced a new set of corporate values as part of a broader cultural overhaul under CEO Nuno Matos, notably removing “respect” from its previous framework. The updated values focus on customers, performance, accountability and teamwork. While the bank maintains the new values better reflect priorities, the removal of “respect” raises considerations around how organisations embed safe, inclusive and respectful workplace behaviours in practice.
Commission Rejects Naked Swim Claim as Employer’s Proof Falls Short
The Fair Work Commission found a cleaner’s dismissal unfair after the employer failed to prove allegations of misconduct at a workplace Christmas party. Despite internal reports and witness accounts, none of the employer’s key witnesses gave evidence at the determinative conference. The alleged breach of a 10pm alcohol curfew was also not supported by the actual wording of the site rules, and other employees who engaged in similar conduct were not dismissed – undermining consistency of the disciplinary response. Compensation was reduced to $9,543 due to the employee’s failure to mitigate loss.
Termination Upheld Despite Carer’s Leave
The Federal Circuit and Family Court has dismissed an adverse action claim brought by an employee terminated on her first day back from carer’s leave, finding the dismissal was due to pre-existing performance concerns rather than the exercise of a workplace right. The Court accepted the employer’s evidence that the decision to terminate had been made weeks earlier, supported by contemporaneous documents. However, the employer was found to have breached the Fair Work Act by failing to provide written notice of termination, despite paying notice in lieu. The matter will proceed to a penalty hearing. Working Fathers Report Stigma and Barriers When Taking Parental Leave
New research from La Trobe University highlights ongoing cultural barriers faced by Australian fathers taking parental leave, with many reporting stigma, reduced workplace support and negative assumptions about their caregiving role. Despite policy reforms expanding access to paid parental leave, men accounted for only 17% of leave taken in 2023-24. The research emphasises that workplace culture, not just policy, is critical in addressing gender inequality and supporting employees with caring responsibilities.
New Research Highlights Ongoing Age Bias in Perceptions of Older Workers
University of Queensland research has found that older workers are often perceived by younger colleagues as less competent, trainable and adaptable, contributing to persistent age-related bias in workplaces. Broader evidence also suggests older applicants are significantly less likely to be shortlisted, despite experience advantages in many technical and legacy systems roles. The study suggests that implementation of active workforce inclusion strategies is increasingly necessary, ensuring older employees’ expertise is visible and not overlooked in recruitment and workplace decision-making.