In workplaces where staff are exposed to higher levels of emotional distress from clients, the pressures upon HR are amplified. Here, we unpack how to manage those pressures and better support the workforce.

In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Resolve Divorce human resources manager Rebecca Kennedy about what it's like to manage the HR function of a family law firm, her perception of the challenges facing HR in 2026, how the role will shift in these 12 months, what constitutes a high-emotion workplace, and how such environments can amplify the pressure on HR.

Kennedy also delves into the issues that HR must grapple with in high-emotion workplaces, managing those issues alongside upskilling in new technologies and AI, taking a deliberate approach to such emotional workplaces, the need for proactivity, why proper management is so essential right now, practical steps that HR can and should take, and the need for a "bottom-up" approach, and what she's learnt about herself – personally and professionally – from managing a high-emotion workplace.

While employers absolutely have the right to manage the performance of staff members, more tailored approaches to the development of individuals that take into account idiosyncratic needs and skill sets are perhaps more fit for purpose in 2026 and beyond.

In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Electro Consulting chief executive and principal Shevonne Joyce about how paralysis and a neurological disorder have shaped her passion for inclusion and championing leaders with disabilities, how her personal experiences have informed her views on the workplace and worker experience, and why the concept of performance management is flawed.

Joyce also delves into some of the broader issues with performance management, how employers are realising that performance management is no longer fit for purpose, the importance of leaning into workers' personal growth, how to practically pivot, and how HR can strike the right balance in accommodating staff needs while living up to the business's expectations.

Reshoring – the process of bringing manufacturing, production, or services back home – may well be critical in ensuring that Australia and its workforce are more resilient, skilled, and sustainable.

In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Steve Kuper, lead of Momentum Media's defence and aerospace brands, about his background as a government staffer and his career pivot to media, what reshoring is and the context driving the need for such a national pivot, and Australia's level of economic complexity relative to other nations.

Kuper also discusses the broader economic and geopolitical arguments in favour of reshoring in particular industries and sectors, how and why younger workers have lost critical life and workplace skills as a result of the current technological landscape, what governments need to do to reshore the economy and workforce, and how businesses can respond to the current climate.

For many HR teams, the real challenges of the year emerge in January.

In this special episode of The Legal Brief, produced in partnership with national workplace law firm Kingston Reid, we examine the workplace risks and legal pressures HR professionals are facing as they return from the summer break – and what this means for compliance, culture and decision making in 2026.

Host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by Kingston Reid partner Michael Mead, who reflects on the past 12 months in workplace relations and explains how issues often brought into sharp focus at the start of the year, from conduct and psychosocial hazards to grievances and workplace investigations, are reshaping best practice for HR. The conversation also explores how rising claims, shifting employee sentiment, and regulatory change are increasing scrutiny on employers, with predictions about the year ahead and what HR teams and professionals should prioritise to start 2026 on the front foot. A timely and practical discussion for all HR professionals navigating an increasingly complex workplace relations landscape in 2026.

To learn more about Kingston Reid, click here.

Leadership transitions can be challenging, but also an opportunity for the C-suite and HR team to prioritise the maintenance of workplace culture, company values, and worker engagement.

In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraismy speaks with BDO Melbourne managing partner Jason de Boer to discuss his background in professional services, the workforce changes and leadership and cultural challenges that stood out to him in 2025, taking a more flexible approach to flexibility, and the lessons he's learnt about good leadership and maintaining the right kind of culture.

De Boer also delves into the looming trends that big corporates like BDO will have to stay on top of when it comes to implementing good leadership and maintaining culture, what a good leadership transition looks like, what he's learnt about leadership from that transition, undertaking best practice, the role of HR in effective real change, how HR can meet the C-suite halfway, and what excites him about 2026 and beyond.

The year 2026 could well bring "an absolute schism" between old ways of working and new approaches for human resources, one professional says, while arguing that HR needs to find new and better ways to have a real impact moving forward.

In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy welcomes back author and middle management expert Rebecca Houghton to discuss what a car accident taught her about the place and importance (or otherwise) of middle management, her key takeaways for HR from the past 12 months, how HR teams are feeling about the rapid pace of change in the market, and what it means to have a real impact in HR.

Houghton also delves into the questions that HR needs to ask of itself to take the right steps in the new year, the key skills and traits that HR professionals need to demonstrate in 2026 and beyond, rethinking your role in human resources, hurdles to overcome, the recipe for success, and her level of optimism that HR can have a true impact in their businesses moving forward.

In this special episode of The HR Leader Podcast, produced in partnership with Deel, we explore the extent to which artificial intelligence has revolutionised the global workforce and what that means moving forward.

Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Deel head of policy Nick Catino about the company's recent research into how AI has upended workforces globally, how Australian businesses are leading the way, how AI is already replacing jobs, how technology makes people's lives better, and how businesses are increasingly taking a proactive approach to the use of AI and other emerging technologies.

Catino also delves into the rapid pace of change in just the last two years, how the labour force is specifically being reshaped and will continue to evolve, how competitive dynamics across borders will continue to change, flow-on consequences for hiring and broader HR practices, why data is a need-to-have (not a nice-to-have), and how best HR teams can lean in.

To learn more about Deel, click here.

Feelings of fun and happiness play a significant role in offsetting the stressors and rigours of working life. Here, an Auckland-based academic dives into the need for businesses to get creative in ensuring staff engagement and the critical role that HR must play in doing so.

In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with University of Auckland Business School Associate Professor Barbara Plester about her research into humour and fun in the workplace and why it's of such interest to her, the extent to which the pandemic shifted workers' levels of happiness, workers' level of connection post-COVID-19, and how critical creativity has become in keeping workers engaged.

Plester also delves into how the pandemic has correlated with an uptick in worker happiness, whether it had led to greater productivity, movement away from standardised approaches to wellbeing, the place for worker autonomy, employer limitations on flexibility, practical steps that employers should be taking to ensure optimal levels of employee happiness and striking the right balance with business objectives, and the role of HR managers in doing so.