On a recent business trip to Sydney, one topic emerged with striking consistency - the new psychosocial legislation. For the CPOs we were talking to, it wasn't just a matter of legal compliance; the conversations revealed a deep-seated concern for the well-being of their workforces, which reflects an increasingly significant shift towards a more holistic approach to workplace safety. Interestingly, this wasn't something we’d heard of at all in our conversations with CPOs in New Zealand. Not yet, at least! After day one of our trip (and three separate conversations where CPOs asked us “what are you guys doing about Psychosocial?”), we realised that our knowledge needed sharpening up, and that there was a clear need being articulated by leaders in the Sydney business community for something to help them address their challenges. Inspired by these discussions, we wanted to share our insights on psychosocial legislation in Australia, and offer insights to New Zealand businesses who may proactively choose to adopt similar frameworks for their employees here. From what we’ve seen and heard, it feels like it’s only a matter of time before this kind of legislation becomes more commonplace.

In the rapidly evolving business landscape, understanding what drives and creates organisational culture is not just important, it's imperative. At Five NZ, we believe that the right culture is the bedrock for the effective execution of strategy. Understanding and shaping organisational culture is not a luxury, it's a necessity. It's the key to unlocking an organisation's full potential and achieving amazing results.

As the world has changed there has been greater awareness and drive for diversity within workplaces - but a large section of the population's needs are still being regularly ignored.

This month, I heard the return of “Make your mind up and stick with it”, but what surprised me is that it came out of my mouth! I cried “re-litigation”!But I’m an agile practitioner? I’m adaptable? I’m open to change? I’m ENORMOUSLY flexible. How could this happen to me? When did I lose the ability to pivot and roll with the changes? It was frustrating as hell, and I’ve reflected a lot on it in the last few days.

Oh, meetings! I’ve had countless conversations in my career, and can’t remember a single instance where I’ve heard someone say “I just adore spending my time in meetings - they are so valuable to me and my organisation”. I’ve certainly never said it.

When times turn tough it becomes much easier to notice hardship all around you, and to experience hardship for yourself. It’s everywhere right now. People are losing jobs. Doors that once were open have started to close. Business and livelihoods that were successful are already starting to fail. Relationships are beginning to become strained under the increased pressure and stress people are experiencing. It can be crushing.

Education today is changing. It’s different to what many of us grew up with, and may feel unfamiliar or “loose” to those of us who had a more formal and structured education. These days, knowledge can be accessed instantly and doesn’t necessarily need to be committed to memory for ever. The skills our children will need to be successful in this world are demonstrably different to the ones we developed at school. The rate of change has increased significantly, and our approach to education has had to make some pretty big leaps to stay relevant.

In my whole career of joining and saying goodbye and then joining organisations again, I’ve only experienced an unbelievable new joiner experience once. I also met my wife in the process, so it obviously sticks in my memory! The great thing is, this sort of experience isn’t actually that hard to replicate. The bad thing is, organisations and hiring managers often get in the way of making it a reality for their new people.It’s actually a lot easier than people think.