A Decade of L.E.A.D.

Human resources departments have emerged as a powerful force in big organisations, but a new book suggests they fail in their most crucial function - helping humans.

A Decade of L.E.A.D. (the Leadership, Employment and Direction survey), which charted workplace attitudes in Australia in the past decade, revealed that while the ranks of HR managers had swollen, the number of staff who believed their needs were being met by them had fallen.

Researchers, analysing data from four big workplace surveys dating to 2003, found the proportion of employees who believed the HR department was addressing their concerns had fallen from 60 per cent to less than 50 per cent.

In the most recent results, about 40 per cent of employees said HR had a poor or very poor awareness of what their issues actually were.

"HR departments are plagued by contradiction - they are trying to meet employee needs and expectations on one hand, and the needs and expectations of managers and shareholders," Sydney University workplace expert Professor John Shields said.

A Decade of L.E.A.D. suggested human resources departments were leaning more towards their paymasters than general employees, and a much larger proportion of managers professed to be happy with their activities.

The chairman of the Human Resources Institute of Australia, Peter Wilson, said human resources departments were not meant to be trade unions.

"HR is about reconciling the interests of staff and management and in our view they do that very successfully," Mr Wilson said.

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Ark Tribe Trial - Adjourned Again

On Thursday 22 July, Ark Tribe's trial heard all the evidence from key witnesses and will now be adjourned until September 13.

Magistrate David Whittle will receive written and oral submissions on the day. He’ll announce his findings after that on a later date to be determined.

Ark’s lawyers throughout the three day hearing have continually objected to the evidence brought forward, maintaining the case is not only unlawful and illegal but outside of the powers of the ABCC.

It was also revealed during the course of proceedings, that Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) inspector Seamus Flynn admitted he had no evidence that Ark Tribe even attended the union meeting in question. Yet the ABCC’s coercive powers were used anyway.