Managing employees has never been more difficult: the boundaries between work and private life are increasingly blurred, flexible working relationships are becoming the norm but come with a raft of problems, and general protection claims continue to be the weapon of choice by disgruntled former employees. On top of that, the new Federal Government has workplace reforms squarely in its sights, and the changes are already coming. This year’s conference explores these key challenges, along with dedicated sessions examining the new workplace relations landscape, the High Court’s final word on independent contractors, as well as managing long term injured workers.

Structuring and Managing the Employment Relationship

• Secure Jobs, Better Pay? The Seismic Shift in Australia’s New Workplace Relations Landscape
• The Final Word on Independent Contractors? The High Court Decisions and the Road Ahead
• The Precarious Boundary between Work and Play
• Bending Over Backwards: Flexible Working Arrangements and the Employment Relationship

Performance, Behaviour and Management

• Shoot First Talk Later? Rethinking Workplace Dispute Management
• Too Hot to Handle? Long Term Injured Workers and Return to Work
• Effective Management of Underperforming Staff

Regulation and Compliance

• Getting on the Front Foot with General Protection Claims
• Reducing the Risks in Redundancy and Restructuring
• Fair Work Ombudsman: What to do When the Regulator Comes Knocking

Contemporary Challenges

• From Reactive to Proactive in Sexual Harassment Claims: The New Positive Duty on Employers
• Managing the Me(ntal Health) You Can’t See

Rohan Doyle, Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills, Melbourne

Stephen Woodbury, Partner, Ashurst, Sydney

Samantha Betzien, Partner, Allens, Brisbane

Lucy Adams, Senior Associate, Seyfarth Shaw Australia, Sydney

Lindy Richardson, Partner, Maddocks, Melbourne

Nick Ruskin, Partner, K&L Gates, Melbourne

Mark Howard. Partner, HWL Ebsworth Lawyers, Melbourne

Martin Alden, Partner, Cornwalls, Melbourne

Magda Marciniak, Partner, Justitia, Melbourne

Jamie Robinson, Special Counsel, K&L Gates, Brisbane

Wendy Fauvel, Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills, Brisbane

Skye Rose, Practice Leader, Moores, Melbourne