IR Unpacked Event: Your Invitation to Learn What Employers Need to Know

Over the past 12 months, the industrial relations landscape hasn’t just shifted—it’s accelerated.

We’re seeing more claims, broader interpretations of employee rights, and growing uncertainty among employers about where the line actually sits. For many business owners and managers, the biggest concern isn’t just keeping up with change, it’s getting it wrong and ending up in a Fair Work matter.

And based on the data, that concern is well-founded.

At Focus HR, we’ve seen a noticeable rise in claims coming through—many increasingly complex, and in some cases, clearly influenced by AI-generated content. At the same time, Fair Work is continuing to test and expand how legislation is applied in practice.

We’ll explore this and more in our upcoming ‘IR Unpacked – 1 July Fair Work Update’.

This one-hour, practical session is designed to cut through the noise and focus on what employers actually need to know.

What we’ll be unpacking

This session isn’t about reciting legislation—it’s about understanding how legislation is being interpreted, applied, and challenged in real workplace scenarios.

We’ll cover:

• Key IR changes from the past 12 months
  What’s changed and how those developments are affecting day-to-day decisions.

• What’s on the horizon
  Including our predictions around:

  • The increasing scope of Fair Work’s powers

  • Emerging challenges in managing AI-generated employee claims

  • Legislation in the making

• Case law that brings it to life
  Including:

  • A disciplinary matter involving… rubber duckies (yes, really)

  • Cases testing how flexible working arrangement rights are being interpreted

  • Termination decisions where procedural fairness (or lack of it) made all the difference

These aren’t just interesting stories, they’re practical examples of where employers are getting caught out, and the lessons businesses can take from them.

A practical session for real-world decisions

This session is intended to help employers better understand current obligations, identifying emerging risks, and make more informed people decisions.

You’ll walk away with:

• A clearer understanding of current IR risks

• Insight into how Fair Work is assessing employer actions

• Practical takeaways you can apply immediately

Who should attend

This session is designed for those responsible for making (or advising on) people decisions, including:

• Business owners and directors wanting to stay ahead of increasing risk and legislative change.

• Managers and operational leaders handling performance, conduct, and flexible work requests day-to-day

• HR professionals looking to stay across legislative developments, case law trends, and emerging risks

How to Access This Session

• Attend in Person

• Attend an Online Presentation