In this episode of the HR Cartel, host Tim Dive dives deep into the reality facing Australian business owners post-election. With a government that shows no signs of lifting the cost burden on small and medium-sized employers, Tim breaks down the pressing challenges and what business leaders must now do to survive. From skyrocketing wage costs and …

In this explosive episode of The HR Cartel Podcast, Tim Dive dives deep into a high-stakes restraint of trade case where an ex-employee tried to take $120M worth of tender intel to a direct competitor, and the courts actually stepped in. 📌 Interim restraint orders were granted—three months after the employee had already jumped ship, proving that re…

Episode 073: The 10 Adjustments Employers Are Making to Survive the Next 12-24 Months In this episode of The HR Cartel Podcast, Tim Dive breaks down the real-world moves smart employers are making right now to tackle rising costs, productivity loss, and compliance risks in an increasingly hostile business environment. With union wish lists becoming…

“Activism in the Fair Work Commission: A Wake-Up Call for Employers” In this firecracker episode, we take the gloves off and call out an alarming trend: ideological activism embedded in the Fair Work Commission and Fair Work Ombudsman. With a controversial decision just handed down, targeting modern awards through the lens of gender-based undervalu…

In this raw and unfiltered episode, Tim Dive sits down with one of Australia’s most successful entrepreneurs, Phillip Di Bella; founder of Di Bella Coffee and The Coffee Commune, and passionate advocate for small business. Together, they cut through the noise and dive deep into the real state of play for business owners in Australia. From red tape …

"The Non-Compete Chaos & What It Really Means for Small Business" In this episode of The HR Cartel Podcast, Tim Dive delivers a raw and unfiltered breakdown of the recent and proposed workplace legislation changes that could drastically shift how small and medium-sized businesses operate in Australia. From the alarming plans to outlaw non-compete c…

In this episode of The HR Cartel Podcast, Tim breaks down the real impact of the current Labor government’s workplace law reforms. Small and medium businesses are facing an unprecedented compliance burden, extra admin, higher operational costs, and serious risks for directors and managers. Tim cuts through the noise to show you exactly what’s chang…

With Tropical Cyclone Alfred looming off the coast, businesses across Queensland and Northern NSW are scrambling to prepare—not just for the storm, but for the workforce challenges that come with it. In this audio-only, remote episode of The HR Cartel Podcast, Tim Dive cuts through the confusion surrounding stand-down provisions, temporary shutdown…

In this episode of The HR Cartel, host Tim Dive discusses the evolving workplace compliance landscape in Australia. With the increasing complexities of regulations and the growing administrative burden on small and medium-sized businesses, Tim discusses the critical need for businesses to shift from mere compliance to strategic success. He explores…

As we charge into 2025, the challenges for Australian small and medium-sized businesses continue to grow. In this episode of The HR Cartel Podcast, host Tim Dove breaks down the key decisions business owners must make to stay ahead in an increasingly complex and high-risk environment. From the criminalisation of wage theft to skyrocketing labour co…

Is there such a thing as a risk-free termination? Not exactly—but there are smarter, safer ways to approach it. In this episode of The HR Cartel Podcast, Tim Dive breaks down the termination types that carry the least risk for employers, from probation periods and the Small Business Fair Dismissal Code to redundancies and high-income earners. But t…

Welcome back to The HR Cartel Podcast, and welcome to 2025, the most compliance-heavy, regulator-driven era we’ve ever seen for small and medium-sized businesses in Australia. In this episode, we're busting some of the biggest small business myths that are holding owners and leaders back, including some that could cost you big money, land you in le…

Welcome to 2025, where wage theft is now a criminal offense! In this episode of the HR Cartel Podcast, Tim dives deep into the newly implemented Wage Theft laws under the Fair Work Act. With potential fines reaching millions and the looming risk of jail time, Tim breaks down the Voluntary Small Business Wage Compliance Code to help employers unders…

In this episode of the HR Cartel Podcast, host Tim Dive takes a reflective look at 2024, a year he describes as "historic" for workplace relations in Australia. Tim dives deep into the seismic shifts driven by union advancements, legislative overhauls, and the unexpected unraveling of the modern union movement. From the challenges small and medium …

In this episode of the HR Cartel podcast, Tim dives headfirst into the current state of union activities in Australia and the impact they have on small and medium-sized businesses. From multi-employer bargaining to the Woolworths saga, Tim dissects how unions' actions are driving up costs, complicating regulations, and exposing the true colours of …

Tim discusses the challenges, and opportunities, small and medium-sized businesses will face in 2025. With a high-regulation, high-cost environment on the horizon, Tim outlines what businesses must prioritize to not only survive but thrive. From the critical importance of compliance in light of new wage theft laws, to strategies for employee retent…

In this episode, we dig into the latest developments in wage theft and compliance for small to medium-sized businesses. With the Fair Work Ombudsman set to enforce new, stricter wage theft laws from January 2025, Tim shares insights on how employers need to prepare, highlighting potential risks and liabilities for business owners, HR teams, and eve…

Tim Dive delves into a new legal case that holds employers liable for employees’ injuries while working from home. He explores how this decision reshapes the risks of flexible and remote work arrangements and warns that vague policies and unchecked “work-from-anywhere” setups will certainly leave businesses vulnerable. Tim shares practical tips for…

In this latest podcast episode, Tim Dive breaks down key findings from the Fair Work Ombudsman’s latest reports, highlighting the industries that will face significant scrutiny in 2025. He emphasizes the need for businesses, particularly those in hospitality, aged care, and construction, to focus on wage compliance as wage theft criminalisation law…

This episode of The HR Cartel podcast dives into the ongoing saga, death threats, and situation with the CFMEU and its recent controversies, with a particular focus on leadership and behaviour within the union. Tim shares his insights on the union’s aggressive tactics, how it affects the construction industry, and discusses the broader implications…

In this episode of The HR Cartel Podcast, host Tim Dive draws leadership insights from the Brisbane Broncos' recent leadership decisions. Using the club's journey as a case study, Tim explores the critical decisions that businesses can learn from—emphasising the importance of performance assessment, setting clear standards, removing emotional bias,…

EPISODE CORRECTION: Tim misspeaks when stating "82% of Australian CEOs" intend a return to office within 3 years - The KPMG Report refers to 82% of Global CEOs - not Australian CEOs. In this episode, Tim dives into the heated debate around working from home and why it’s not the workplace revolution many believe it to be. With big companies like Ama…

In this episode of the HR Cartel Podcast, Tim Dive goes deep into the urgent issues small and medium-sized employers face as we approach the end of the year. Tim challenges the usual HR advice on employee engagement and shifts the focus to more pressing concerns: wage compliance, payroll audits, and contract reviews. He breaks down why understandin…

Tim dives into the complexities surrounding Australia's new "right to disconnect" law, which grants employees the right to refuse work-related contact outside of regular hours. Tim highlights the issues regarding the interplay between this law and existing offsetting clauses in employment contracts and explores the broader implications of recent in…

In this episode, Tim Dive explores the ongoing challenges faced by Australia's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) amidst rising government intervention and industrial relations complexities. He discusses the critical role of the middle-class business sector in sustaining the economy and the growing pressures threatening its survival. Tim als…

What are we hearing? Unions using members' fees to interfere with other union elections, multi-million dollar fake printing invoices paid for fake jobs, union delegates walking onto sites demanding cash from their members, suspected secret recordings on the streets of Brisbane, and the ACCC taking a Tier 1 construction contractor to task over their…

The RBA has left interest rates high, and indicated we may be waiting until 2026 to see any reprieve. To quote the Great Mark Bouris - I fear this can push us into a recession. What does that mean for businesses? Time to look ahead and assess you market and organisation - one major mitigating action is to cut costs when you feel you're looking at a…

In this episode of The HR Cartel Podcast, Tim Dive discusses the pressing issues within Australia's industrial relations landscape, focusing on recent changes and conflicts in employment laws. He highlights the persistent challenges posed by the CFMEU's toxic culture and the government's inadequate responses. Tim calls for courage and integrity fro…

As we watch the government and the CFMEU scramble to defend themselves in the wake of corruption allegations, I fear the scope of the argument is far too narrow to make any outcome meaningful. We cannot let any political party manipulate the system so far that Australian's lives, even those distant from any construction union's reach, are negativel…

In the fall out of the crime and corruption committed by one of the biggest unions in Australia, we need to ask - who's really at fault here? Who is to blame when an industry gets so toxic, that for decades, it can't be stopped? It can't be turned around, and so people exit the industry. They write to politicians for help. No one listens and finall…

Finally, thank goodness some Australian journalists have the freedom and courage to report the truth when they learn about it. After 9 months of investigating, journalists have produced a set of recordings and statements that demonstrate what many of us have been saying all along. The corruption in Australia's building and construction industry, fu…

After a brief hiatus due to injury and illness - I'm back! Let's talk about the poor leadership decisions and lack of leadership courage combining to hold back employers and businesses in Australia. It's not their fault (leaders) - this has been a 10-15 year dip into the abyss of businesses/workplaces trying to appease people, make everyone happy, …

We review a list of breaches and penalties (totalling $1.7M) from a recent case where 45 breaches were identified, including document and payslip errors, as well as underpayments. Excellent example of how much Employers will be liable to pay for simple errors of record keeping and payslip details. We also look ahead to picture what this case may ha…

New Industrial Relations laws coming into effect on 26 August 2024 will significantly impact on employers who engage or intend to engage casual employees and contractors. These updates bring vast changes to how casual employment is defined and managed, and the risks of engaging contractors. Ultimately, employers have lost control caused by union wi…

Call me crazy, but I feel like we're headed for a Howard Government style attack against a particular Union - it doesn't feel like we're on a good path, the Union movement is desperate to run a wrecking ball through Australian workplace relations, and our Prime Minister has just publicly declared his undying devotion to advancing the union movement…

Want to hear an alarming truth? We have more than 200,000 vacant positions in our agriculture sector. We need those jobs performed if we have any chance of feeding and clothing ourselves with Australian produce. In Episode 40, we talk with Kelli McDougall, Managing Director or Agri Talent about the reality of Australia's Ag sector, the opportunitie…

This time, we're discussing how to leverage remuneration, incentives and training to drive a return on investment in your wage bill, each year. Hear how to set up the tools needed that guarantee healthy remuneration modelling, hiring decisions, reward and recognition, to push your business along a strategic plan, to execute short and long term goal…

The "candidate market" and recruitment generally changes with market influences, and we've got plenty happening right now, to make recruitment difficult. Many employers are recruiting without success, and retaining people is just as challenging in the shadow of the Covid era. We get candid, as always, with Tanya and open the discussion up. Check ou…

This week, we talk with Phil Di Bella, AKA The Coffee King. When someone can take $5,000 and change the game forever, you bet they have many tales to tell and relevant lessons for all of us. Phil is a renowned entrepreneur who changed the hospitality industry with his customer-centric approach in the coffee/café market. These days, Phil is changing…

Josh Hill gets real on some workplace subjects that aren't for the faint-hearted (trigger warning) and we explore the trials and tribulations of starting businesses, the journey from conceptualising a business to creating an operating company, and hear Josh's thoughts on the difficulties of employing in Australia, complying with laws, and all while…

A wonderful James Clear quote set me on fire this week: "You don't rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems". And how correct he is - so, we explore the HR Cartel concept of "platforms" and explain how you can simply and systematically capture knowledge, develop your organisation, and get improvements compounding to op…

Smaller Employers: there is a perfect storm approaching so we're looking ahead for the next five to ten years and considering what's in store for you. We talk about the risks that are manifesting, over-regulation and the information you need to protect yourself into the future. Listen in to hear about small business and smaller employer capability …

We're talking to Employers; Labor's IR moves are about to bite us hard. Let's talk about the demands of the Union, now infiltrating the Fair Work Commission who is currently drafting wording for Modern Awards, that will impose the Union onto Employers, harder than ever before. How do you feel about paying the Union's operating costs? That may very-…

In this Education Series episode, we explain the general process of Unfair Dismissal Claims and how employers may wish to see things as they progress through the claim defence process. Hear about responding to a claim, jurisdictional objections, the small business fair dismissal code, preparations for an Unfair Dismissal hearing, what to expect on …

We talk about the destruction of the Aussie workplace, the intentional actions by employees and the regulators to continue the impact of bad industrial relations rules, and we bring culture into the conversation. As promised for the show notes: Here's the link to give your thoughts to the Commission on the "Right to Disconnect" Variation of modern …

Are employees getting too much time off, paid, each year? Annual leave, sick leave, public holidays, compassionate leave, FDV leave, and now the Queensland Council of Unions wants an additional 10 days of paid leave for reproductive health. How far is too far? Employees are facing non-productive workforces with increased rights to request even more…

The Gender Pay Equity report is out, and the agency responsible for workplace equality has (again) produced nothing more than an attack on businesses, no solutions, yet demonstrates no 'real' problem actually exists in workplace pay equality. We talk about the lunacy currently plaguing Australian workplaces and how small and medium sized employers …

We dub Minister Tony Burke, "Shania". He don't impress me much... The ridiculous rules this Minister is now making Australian employers deal with, is simply "not impressive". His policies have sent the volume of permanent Australian jobs down, down, down... What's new? Right to disconnect, new Contractor rules, and Unions getting unfettered access …

We discuss the 4 ways employers can most effectively get more out of their people, the total workforce, and where drastic measures are needed, restructure and outsource key functions. Sharing knowledge from real-world experience - listen in and share your thoughts on any other ideas that work. Contact us at [email protected] and visit ww…

Where do you sit on Working From Home and Return To Office mandates? We explore the statements and arguments people are pushing, and the rebuttals we feel every Employer has the right to make. Share your thoughts with us, join the debate. [email protected] or www.workplaceas.comBy timkt