Employee Relations

Building productive, trust-based relationships between management and workforce — handled with care, rigour, and commercial awareness.

Employee Relations Consulting

Getting ER Right Protects Your Business — and Your People

Employee Relations sits at the intersection of law, human behaviour, and business performance. When it's managed well, it creates the conditions for high engagement, low attrition, and a productive working environment. When it's managed poorly, the consequences — grievances, investigations, tribunal claims, and reputational damage — can be significant.

SHR Consultants provides practical, experienced ER guidance that protects your legal position while maintaining — and often improving — workplace relationships. We understand that how you handle difficult situations matters as much as the outcome you reach.

Book a Consultation

What We Deliver

  • Workplace investigations (misconduct, bullying, harassment)
  • Performance management & conduct processes
  • Grievance handling & resolution
  • Mediation & facilitated conversations
  • Psychosocial hazard identification & management
  • ER policy & procedure design
  • General protections advice & support
  • Unfair dismissal risk management
  • ER maturity assessment & capability building
  • Manager coaching for difficult conversations

Service Areas

Our Employee Relations Practice

🔍

Workplace Investigations

Independent, thorough, and procedurally fair investigations into allegations of misconduct, bullying, harassment, discrimination, or policy breach. We deliver clear findings, supported by evidence and sound reasoning.

Our investigations are designed to withstand scrutiny — by the parties, their representatives, and any subsequent tribunal.

📈

Performance & Conduct Management

Guidance and support for managing underperformance and conduct issues — from the initial conversation through to termination where required. We help managers navigate these processes confidently, consistently, and lawfully.

💬

Grievance Resolution & Mediation

Structured, impartial grievance handling and workplace mediation — resolving conflict before it escalates, rebuilding relationships where possible, and finding durable solutions that work for all parties.

🧠

Psychosocial Risk Management

Psychosocial hazards — including excessive workload, poor leadership behaviours, and workplace conflict — are now a primary duty of care obligation. We help organisations identify, assess, and control psychosocial risks in line with current WHS legislation.

📄

ER Policy & Framework Design

Clear, compliant, and practical ER policies that give managers the guidance they need and employees the certainty they expect. We build frameworks that fit your culture and scale as your organisation grows.

🎓

Manager Capability Building

The quality of your ER outcomes depends heavily on manager capability. We coach and develop managers in handling difficult conversations, conducting fair processes, and making consistent, defensible decisions.

Regulatory Focus

Psychosocial Hazards: A Growing Employer Obligation

Across Australia, WHS regulators have significantly expanded obligations around psychosocial hazards in the workplace. Employers are now required to proactively identify, assess, and control psychosocial risks — not just respond to complaints.

Common psychosocial hazards include:

  • High job demands with insufficient resources or support
  • Poor leadership and management behaviours
  • Workplace bullying, harassment, and interpersonal conflict
  • Lack of role clarity or organisational change poorly managed
  • Remote or isolated work without adequate support structures

We help organisations build psychosocial risk management frameworks that are practical, proportionate, and genuinely protective of your workforce.

Why It Matters

The Business Case for Strong Employee Relations

Reduced Legal Exposure

Sound ER processes and documentation significantly reduce the risk of successful unfair dismissal, general protections, and discrimination claims.

Higher Engagement & Retention

Employees who feel heard, fairly treated, and supported are more engaged, more productive, and less likely to leave.

Stronger Management Confidence

Managers who know how to handle difficult situations act sooner, more consistently, and more effectively — reducing escalation.

Better Cultural Outcomes

How an organisation handles conflict and misconduct sends a powerful message about its values. Getting it right builds trust and credibility.

Common Questions

Employee Relations FAQs

External investigators are advisable when the matter involves serious allegations, when there's a perception of bias risk if conducted internally, when the subject of the complaint is a senior leader, or when your internal HR team lacks the experience to conduct a procedurally sound investigation. An external investigation also provides greater defensibility if the matter later proceeds to a tribunal.
A general protections claim (under Part 3-1 of the Fair Work Act) can be made by an employee who believes they've been subject to adverse action because they exercised a workplace right. These claims can be made regardless of whether the employee is dismissed. Managing the risk involves clear documentation, procedurally sound processes, and ensuring management decisions are made for legitimate business reasons — not in response to a complaint or protected activity.
Take every bullying complaint seriously, document it immediately, and ensure the complainant knows their complaint is being treated with care. Depending on the severity, you may need to consider interim arrangements while the matter is investigated. An investigation should be conducted impartially, with both parties given the opportunity to respond to allegations. We strongly recommend involving an ER specialist if the complaint involves a manager or if there are complexity or sensitivity considerations.
Yes. The Work Health and Safety duties that cover psychosocial risks apply to all businesses, regardless of size. The obligation to provide a safe workplace — including a psychologically safe one — applies to every employer. What varies is the practical steps required to meet that obligation, which should be proportionate to the nature and size of your workforce.

Also From SHR

Related Services

Facing an ER Challenge? Let's Talk.

Whether it's an urgent investigation or building long-term ER capability, we can help. Start with a confidential consultation.