Complying with workplace legislation is more helpful than you think

23 February 2026|blog industrial-relations psychology-hr

For those of you who have followed me for a while would know that I am always talking the benefits of compliance, that is, compliance with workplace legislation in the areas of industrial relations, workplace health and safety and discrimination and harassment. There really is so much more to compliance!

I think it is definitely a good guide to use to manage circumstances to maximise employee performance and productivity. It can be used to ideally be proactive and if not deal with issues that arise and requiring intervention but it is about more than mitigating risks. Because, consulting with your employees, giving them an opportunity to speak, paying them correctly, ensuring and caring about their health and safety whilst at work, will all assist in maximising productivity and performance.

It provides guidance when having performance concerns, having to terminate employees, making roles redundant, paying employees, basic terms and conditions of employment, ensuring employees are working in an environment that is physically and mentally safe.

Now talking about workplaces being mentally safe, you may be aware of the changes in workplace health and safety legislation to include psychosocial hazards in 2023. These hazards need to be identified, assessed, control and reviewed. This means identify through data, observations, surveys and feedback on any hazards commonly through; high or low job demands, workplace conflict, poor support, poor organisational change management, low job control or clarity, poor workplace relations or remote or isolate work to name some. This really opens the legislation up to a lot more and can identify or uncover a lot of workplace issues, which believe me, you really want to know about before they become workers compensation claims and/or become any more destructive to the workplace than they already are, at the point they are being shared as concerns. So, by complying with this piece of legislation helps to not only identify existing issues it can also assist in practising good HR and being preventative in the first place so there are no psychosocial hazards. Through trying to identify any issues that may create psychosocial issues or simply giving it consideration in managing people, allows issues to be identified and then dealt with to prevent harm to individuals and the business.

I do think the majority comply with workplace legislation not because they see the benefit of keeping their staff safe and the flow on effect but because they are scared of the penalties and consequences of not. Just some of the benefits are; improved business performance, increased productivity, increased moral and increased retention.

HR Business Direction can assist in reaping the benefits of complying with psychosocial hazard legislation or any other workplace legislation. Contact us here.

Leisa Messer BBus (HRM); GradDipIR; FCPHR
Managing Director | HR Strategist
leisa.messer@hrbd.com.au
07 3890 2066
hrbd.com.au