Work design isn’t just about dividing tasks and streamlining processes – it’s about shaping how people experience their work: the meaning they find and the autonomy they have.

In the age of AI, this takes on new urgency. As technology reshapes work, organisations must choose whether to let jobs become narrower and more transactional, or redesign them to drive motivation, resilience and performance.

In this episode, Professor Sharon Parker – Director of the Centre for Transformative Work Design at Curtin University – shares how HR leaders can apply evidence-based work design to create healthy, meaningful roles and ensure people remain at the centre of transformation.

SHOW NOTES

Further learning

AHRI's contemporary workforce redesign short course: https://bit.ly/4hVCh0r

AHRI's organisational design short course: https://bit.ly/49K5Wrh

Sharon Parker's SMART work design model: https://bit.ly/4991zGb

HRM article featuring Sharon Parker's research: https://bit.ly/3WMcmyL

Sharon Parker's book Transformative Work Design: https://bit.ly/47LZptB

Connect:

• Connect with Sharon Parker on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4qTOczS
• Follow AHRI on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3LIdUXZ
• AHRI members can join the AHRI LinkedIn Lounge to access bonus content and continue the discussion: https://bit.ly/3LIdWPB
• Not yet an AHRI member? Join today and access a range of benefits, as well as a passionate community of HR practitioners: https://bit.ly/4oSwaNn

Skills shortages, shifting employee expectations and the rapid rise of AI are transforming how we think about work. For HR leaders, the challenge is not just to keep up – but to stay ahead.

In this episode, Kate Bravery, Mercer’s Global Advisory Solutions and Insights Leader and co-author of Work Different: How to Win in the People Age, explores how HR can turn disruption into opportunity. Kate shares insights on navigating shifting talent markets, reimagining the employee value proposition, and redesigning work for the age of AI.

If you’re ready to think differently about the future of work – and the role HR can play in shaping it – this conversation will help you to make this shift.

SHOW NOTES

Further learning:

• AHRI short course: Employee value proposition: Attracting the best talent: https://bit.ly/48Woswr
• AHRI short course: Contemporary workforce redesign: https://bit.ly/4ojYqb3
• AHRI short course: Workforce planning foundations: https://bit.ly/4onPYb6
• AHRI short course: Workforce planning advanced: https://bit.ly/3Ju2BSK
• Explore Kate's book: Work Different: 10 Truths for Winning in the People Age: https://bit.ly/438ut5t

Connect:

• Connect with Kate Bravery on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/48V6D0K
• Follow AHRI on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3LIdUXZ
• AHRI members can join the AHRI LinkedIn Lounge to access bonus content and continue the discussion: https://bit.ly/3LIdWPB
• Not yet an AHRI member? Join today and access a range of benefits, as well as a passionate community of HR practitioners.

Credibility with the C-suite is built over time through commercial fluency, disciplined inquiry and a deep understanding of how people strategy drives business performance.

In this episode, we explore what it truly takes to be seen as a trusted advisor at the executive table. Joining us are two exceptional leaders from Mirvac.

First, Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz AM – former CEO and Managing Director of Mirvac, and now Chair and Board Member with INSEAD, Rio Tinto, the Australian National Housing Supply and Affordability Council, Macquarie Group, and The Australian Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusion at Work.

She’s joined by Ben Morris MAHRI, Mirvac’s Group Head of HR. Together, Susan and Ben unpack the practical skills and behaviours that help HR practitioners build credibility and influence with the C-suite – and share insights into how HR can enhance its strategic impact in the boardroom.

Related AHRI learning:

• HR Certification – https://bit.ly/4qoPtip
• The Strategic HR Leader short course – https://bit.ly/47IUQ4o
• Leadership and Management Essentials – https://bit.ly/42XC9aH
• Micro-credential: Business Strategy and Culture Leadership – https://bit.ly/3J3E0nH

Connect with AHRI and our guests:

• Join the AHRI LinkedIn Lounge – exclusive to members for access to bonus content and discussions – https://bit.ly/3JxmZSR
• Follow AHRI on LinkedIn – https://bit.ly/43kLXf9
• Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz AM – https://bit.ly/4oDaRhV
• Ben Morris – https://bit.ly/48JnfbJ

Many employees are quietly cracking, according to new research. Beneath the surface of professionalism and productivity, one in two Australian workers report they’re struggling to hold it all together. The drivers are complex, from the rising cost of living to poorly managed change, but the consequences are clear: declining wellbeing, lower engagement and higher risk of burnout.

In this episode, Dr Michelle McQuaid joins host Tani Jacobi CPHR to unpack the latest research on quiet cracking and what HR and business leaders can do to strengthen resilience, civility and trust in uncertain times.

Michelle shares evidence-based insights into how psychosocial hazards, AI adoption and global volatility are reshaping how people feel and perform at work – and how leaders can respond with both humanity and rigour.

Learning:

• Explore AHRI’s micro-credential in health, safety and wellbeing: https://bit.ly/3WKSYSy
• Short course: Driving engagement and performance during change – https://bit.ly/4qiHFyw
• Short course: Implementing wellbeing initiatives – https://bit.ly/471SHAF

Further reading:

• Explore Dr Michelle McQuaid’s research on wellbeing and performance: michellemcquaid.com/research

Connect:

• Connect with Michelle McQuaid on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chellemcquaid
• Follow AHRI on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/ahri
• AHRI members can join the AHRI LinkedIn Lounge to access bonus content and continue the discussion: linkedin.com/groups/13848256

The Australian HR Institute has some fantastic guests lined up for season five of Let's Take This Offline, including Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz, Benjamin Morris, Dr Michelle McQuaid, Professor Sharon Parker and Kate Bravery.

Subscribe today so you don't miss an episode.

AHRI members can gain access to exclusive bonus content. Become a member today so you don't miss out: www.ahri.com.au/ahri-membership

Most leaders agree that culture drives performance – but too often, it's reduced to a values exercise rather than a measurable, strategic asset. The reality is that negative workplace behaviours are among the strongest predictors of attrition, reputational damage and productivity decline. And in many cases, the warning signs are visible long before the damage becomes public.

In this episode, we’re joined by Charlie Sull – a globally recognised expert in corporate culture and AI. As co-founder of CultureX and a regular contributor to MIT Sloan Management Review, Charlie draws on one of the world’s largest workplace culture datasets to help organisations decode what’s really happening inside their walls – and take action where it matters most.

He shares why culture must be measured and managed with the same rigour as financial or operational performance, and how AI is transforming the way we understand workplace dynamics.

Thank you to HR Partner for sponsoring this season. If you want to explore a simple HR solution that streamlines your HR admin, you can book a demo today: https://bit.ly/4dAYxug

SHOW NOTES

Learning:

• Learn how to understand the basics of generative AI for HR with this short course from AHRI: https://bit.ly/40221k4
• Explore CultureX's thought leadership and culture champion profiles: blog.culturex.com

Connect:

• Connect with Charlie on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4kTMV8H
• Connect with AHRI on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4kAaLWJ
• AHRI members can join the AHRI LinkedIn lounge, exclusive to AHRI members to discuss some of the themes explored in this episode with their HR peers and access bonus content. Become a member today: https://bit.ly/41tcOFu

In a world of constant disruption, HR leaders are being asked to help people build the mindsets needed to navigate change. In this episode, leadership expert Richard Gerver — a former award-winning principal turned advisor to global organisations like Google and Deloitte — shares how HR can lead with curiosity, create psychological safety and offer stability during times of uncertainty.

This conversation offers a taste of what Richard will expand on at AHRI’s National Convention and Exhibition in Sydney this August.

Thank you to HR Partner for sponsoring this season. If you want to explore a simple HR solution that streamlines your HR admin, you can book a demo today: https://bit.ly/4dAYxug

SHOW NOTES

Learning opportunities:

• Get your ticket to AHRI's National Convention and Exhibition to hear more from Richard: https://bit.ly/4dUw42M
• Sign up to AHRI's short course to learn how to identify the change lifecycle steps required to effectively manage change using effective change management model and frameworks: https://bit.ly/3Ti5mHY
• Explore Richard's books: Change, Learn to Love it, Learn to Lead it; Simple Thinking; Education: a Manifesto for Change; and Creating Tomorrow's Schools Today.

Connect:

• Connect with Richard on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3FR2YF0
• Connect with AHRI on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4kAaLWJ
• AHRI members can join the AHRI LinkedIn lounge, exclusive to AHRI members to discuss some of the themes explored in this episode with their HR peers and access bonus content. Become a member today: https://bit.ly/41tcOFu

Engaging with the board is a critical skill for HR leaders — but navigating board dynamics isn’t always straightforward.

In this episode, we’re joined by Dr Juliet Bourke, a global authority on human capital, inclusive leadership and governance. With experience advising hundreds of organisations — including Apple, the UN and BHP — and a decade as a Deloitte Partner, Juliet brings rare insight into what boards expect from HR.

Whether you’re board-facing now or preparing for the future, this episode will help you sharpen your strategic edge.

Thank you to HR Partner for sponsoring this season. If you want to explore a simple HR solution that streamlines your HR admin, you can book a demo today: https://bit.ly/4dAYxug

SHOW NOTES:

Learning opportunities:

• Give your HR leadership a point of difference by becoming a Certified HR practitioner: https://bit.ly/3MZnnre
• Transition from operational responsibilities to visionary leadership with AHRI's Strategic HR Leader short course: https://bit.ly/4kpDqxL
• Learn how to overcome stakeholder resistance with this short course from AHRI: https://bit.ly/3MR1dro

More resources:

• Green shoots for change in the boardroom report (Deloitte, 2023): https://bit.ly/3ZOP397
• Read DrJuliet's book: Which Two Heads Are Better Than One? : https://bit.ly/4mLIIoW
• The value of HR leadership at a board level (HRMOnline by Samantha Martin-Williams): https://bit.ly/4kql5AR

Connect:

• Follow Dr Juliet Bourke on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3T8f5R0
• AHRI members can join the AHRI LinkedIn lounge, exclusive to AHRI members to discuss some of the themes explored in this episode with their HR peers and access bonus content. Become a member today: https://bit.ly/41tcOFu