
The Legal Brief: Why psychosocial safety is now central to workforce change
HR Leader Podcast NetworkShow Notes
In this week's The Legal Brief, a special episode produced in partnership with national workplace law firm Kingston Reid, we explore how psychosocial safety is now central to how Australian regulators assess organisational competence and leadership, and what this means specifically for those within the HR function. Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Kingston Reid partner Liam Fraser about how psychosocial safety has evolved into a core governance risk, with organisational restructures, change programs and the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence now all considered high-risk psychosocial events. This evolution now brings to light the need for organisations, particularly HR, to be proactive about ongoing risk management in 2026 and beyond. Fraser also delves into what work health and safety (WHS) regulators are most heavily scrutinising, the key questions that HR professionals need to be asking in 2026 to keep up with best practice, and why businesses that properly embed psychosocial safety into governance frameworks will ultimately prove to be more resilient, trusted, and high performing in the long term. To learn more about Kingston Reid, click here.
More from HR Leader Podcast Network
Given Australia's ageing population, it is high time that employers think more seriously about how best to manage workers who have carer responsibilities for elderly family members – and move beyond thinking of such responsibilities as confined to caring for young children.
Optimism abounds that emerging technologies like AI will improve access to justice. However, as one law professor's research has found, there is scant evidence to suggest that AI is actually helping aggrieved workers achieve desired outcomes.
In this special episode of The Legal Brief, produced in partnership with Kingston Reid, we unpack what HR teams need to know about the proposed changes to restraint of trade clauses, and, if passed, how employers may need to rethink the way they protect their business, retain talent, and safeguard key customer relationships.
In this special episode of The HR Leader Podcast, produced in partnership with Harmers Workplace Lawyers, we detail what constitutes best practice for workplaces in undertaking investigations against the backdrop of increased regulatory scrutiny. Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Jenny Inness, Harmers Workplace Lawyers executive counsel and team leader, about the uptick in workplace investigations and why this is happening, the need for a case-by-case approach to navigating conflict, overcoming challenges that arise in such investigations, consequences that arise from not conducting an investigation correctly, the nexus between such investigations and workers' psychological safety, plus how law firms retain independence when assisting with investigations, the need to engage with law firms, and more. To register for Jenny's upcoming webinar on "Managing mental health in the workplace", click here. To learn more about Harmers Workplace Lawyers, click here.
According to one former CPO, the phenomenon of workers abruptly having to leave the workplace after raising issues or concerns is not as isolated as one might think or expect. Here, she unpacks why workers might be "disappeared" from a workplace, what it says about employers' thinking, and the impacts upon workforces across the market.