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Reflective Issues Report
Human Resource 

Reflective Issues Report | Human Resource Management

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Introduction

The purpose of this reflection is to determine an emerging issue which is currently influencing employment relations in the Australian context. The focus is on exploring strategic models and frameworks of HRM and analysing how Ethics and Employment Law aim to improve and protect the workplace relationship. There is a need to include at least one current workplace policy and discuss how this aligns with selected issues. The selected issue is workplace health and safety. Health and safety is vital for employees in the workplace (Australia, 2018). The employers have to ensure that they keep their employees extremely safe so that they stay motivated and happy. This increases their commitment level and they are able to dedicate to their organisation.

Impact of issue on workplace relations

Work and health safety influences the workplace relations tremendouly. This is due to the fact that when employers develop reforms for ensuring work and health safety of the employees, it motivates them. They are able to make better workplace relations. Therefore, the impact of work and health safety on the workplace relations is always positive. In Australia, maintaining work health and safety of the employees is considered to be a legal requirement. It is vital for the success of the business to ensure that there are proper work health and safety policies. This puts impact on enhancing the staff productivity, minising physical injuries at the work and also reduces of teh cost of injury and compensation of the workers. Researches have indicated that when employees are aware about the fact that their employees take care of the work health and safety, they tend to work in a secure way and ensure that they acquire the work objectives effectively (Australia, 2018). There is a trust established between employee and employer.

Impact on i) the employee and ii) the employer

Work health and safety influences the employee and employer in a tremendous way. Studies indicate that it motivates the employees while helping in having better productivity for the employer. For instance, if a worker is employed in a factory so he can have a chance of getting injury due to the machine work or any other physical work (Australia, 2019). The worker should be given an assurance that he is protected by the organisation. The employer must provide protective kits to the workers, insurance policies and even an additional compensation for the employees. In times of Covid-19, the work health and safety policies have become even more important for the employers in Australia. In Australia, the organisations have taken steps to ensure that the premises are safe and secure and hygienic for the employees. Most of the employees work with PPE kits and masks so that they can be safe. This helps in developing a trust relation between employee and employer. Employee is able to work with full motivation and he remains committed to his work since he is aware that his health is properly safegauded by his employer (Business.gov.au, 2020).

On the other hand, WHS policies are extremely useful for the employers as well. In Australia, it is vital for every employer to provide WHS benefits to the employees. This helps the employer to run the business in an ethical way and with proper corporate social responsibility. It increases the productivity of the business and better profits for the employer.

Therefore, it can be indicated that work ehealth and safety is extremely beneficial for the employees and employers.

Latest workplace policies relevant to your chosen issue

Work health and safety, also known as occupational health and safety, includes risk management of the health and safety for the employees working in the workplace. The WHS policies include the health and safety of the employee who does work for the business and for other stakeholders (Business.gov.au, 2020). WHS policies can be an investment and may initially be expensive but establishing safe work practices is vital for the success of the business. This helps in establishing efficient relations between the employees and also employee and employer. In Australia, there are workers compensation insurance policies developed by the organisations so that if any employee gets injured while at work, he can get an insurance policy to get proper claim.

In Australia, Work Health and Safety Act 2011 is applicable. The key objective of this act is to provide a balanced and nationally consistent framework for ensuring the health of the workers. This act aims at protecting the workers and other people for any health, safety and welfare so that any risks can be minimised. There are various fair and effective workplace acts (Business.gov.au, 2020).

>Ways of the policies aim to protect the workplace relationship

Employee health and safety initiatives should be a key priority of the employers in Australia to ensure a safe working environment, high productivity and minimise cost. WHS policies help in motivating the employees to increase their engagement in different tasks in the organisation and also develop a sense of trust with the employer (Stewart & Stanford, 2017). The employee is aware of the fcat that the employer has taken steps to establsub safe working conditions and there should not be anything which creates huge risks for the employees. Hence, health and safety are vital for creating good conditions, habits that encourage the workers to carry out their work in an efficient manner. Safe working environment for the employees influences the working habits of the workers and also impacts the efficiency of the workers (Stewart & Stanford, 2017). The employees who work in safe working conditions in Australian organisations are extremely productive and efficient. Hence, they have better relations with their employers and also with other stakeholders. As a result of this, it can be indicated that

Significance of workplace relations in the Australian context

In Australia, Workplace relations are extremely impoirtant in organisations. Workplace relations are unique international relationships with others in the organisation including stakeholders (Australia, 2019). One of the key aspects of workplace reform in Australia is the interrelationship between changes at the macro or institutional level and also at the enterprise level. The issues of the workplace are critical to the economic and political debate in the country. The major political parties have declared to have better credentials in introducing macro and micro economic reforms to encourage positive workplace relations. Studies have indicated that the interrelationship between changes in employment relations at different levels have been rrsearched so that different steps are taken for improving them. In Australia, unions have played a very critical role with respect to the labour market. The field of employment relations has many changes, especially since the early 1980s.

Aspect of HR practices to be explored in more detail as a result of this research

Besides Work Helath and Safety, there are many HR prcatices that can be explored in detail as a result of this research. The areas such as diversity in workplace, aging workforce, unfair dismissal etc. can be explored in future. All these aspects are extremely crucial HR concepts. In Australia, the employers have to be very vigilant about ensuring the safety of their workers and also making sure that they are ethical towards them. For this, they introduce various reforms to provide a healthy organisational culture to the employees (Business.gov.au, 2020). The concept of WHS is linked to the diversity in the workplace and also the unfair dismissal that can influence the organisational culture. The culture of the organisation has to be motivating for the employees to have good relations with stakeholders and work in a committed way.

References

Australia, S. W. (2018). Work-related psychological health and safety: A systematic approach to meeting your duties. Safe Work Australia, Canberra, Australia.

Australia, S. W. (2019). Model work health and safety laws. 2016-04-t 1]. http://www. safeworkaustralia. gov. au/sites/swa/mod-el-whs-laws/pages/model-whs-laws.

Business.gov.au., (2020). Work Health and Safety. https://www.business.gov.au/risk-management/health-and-safety/work-health-and-safety.

Stewart, A., & Stanford, J. (2017). Regulating work in the gig economy: What are the options?. The Economic and Labour Relations Review, 28(3), 420-437.