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Workplace Relations & Safety

From proactive workplace advice to complex disputes, we help employers navigate employment, work health and safety, and industrial relations challenges to achieve their desired outcome.

Workplace Relations & Safety

Achieving your desired outcome is all that matters.

Expertise

Employment and safety issues can be the most challenging and consequential you face. Listening to you and understanding your key objectives and desired outcome—in tandem with the very best technical expertise and relevant experience—are how we guide you to that outcome.

Across the disciplines of employment, industrial relations and work health and safety, you will have access to the people you need who will strategically, pragmatically and collaboratively work towards a shared understanding by simplifying the complex to identify the best course of action.

And while we excel at avoiding disputes—when a dispute is the best course of action, we ensure our clients prevail.

Employment

You will inevitably face challenges and hurdles at all stages of the employment life cycle. Supporting you to successfully address complex and often time-sensitive issues is the primary focus of our employment team.

Your objectives and desired outcome are central to the strategy we agree and work towards collaboratively, deploying the very best legal thinking and pragmatic, accessible advice.

How we can help:

  • current and emerging workforce management issues such as flexible and hybrid work arrangements, performance surveillance and monitoring, wage compliance, as well as terminations, grievances, under-performance, misconduct and management of leave
  • disciplinary processes and conducting workplace investigations or engaging independent investigators under legal professional privilege
  • drafting and/or review of employment contracts, consultancy agreements, workplace policies and other guidelines/materials
  • discrimination, harassment, bullying and other complaints, and defending general protections, unfair dismissal and discrimination claims
  • employer sponsored migration; supporting skilled overseas workers
  • termination of senior executives (including options and bonus entitlements, directorships and public announcements), breach of contract claims
  • protection of intellectual property, confidential information and goodwill and enforcement of restraints of trade
  • workforce and employment impacts of mergers and acquisitions (including transfer of business rules and conducting due diligence), business restructures and change management plans
  • training boards, management and employees on all aspects of workplace law matters, including psychosocial risks, Respect@Work reforms, bullying, harassment and discrimination.

Industrial Relations

Industrial relations are increasingly complex. Guiding you through changing laws, heightened employee expectations, union engagement and the risk of disputes is central to our industrial relations team’s approach.

You will receive advice grounded in a deep understanding of how your business operates—balancing legal risk with commercial realities—so you can make informed decisions to reach your required objectives.

From enterprise bargaining and workforce change to industrial strategies, the focus stays firmly on outcomes that matter to you.

How we can help:

  • advising and acting on the implementation of workplace and industrial strategies, and implementation of and compliance with workplace laws including modern awards and enterprise agreements
  • industrial relations matters including union rights of entry, managing industrial disputes and negotiating enterprise agreements
  • advising on applicable industrial instruments that apply to the workplace
  • acting on behalf of clients involved in Fair Work Building & Construction investigations.

Work Health & Safety

You know it’s critical that you develop and maintain a strong culture of working safely in your organisation—not only to comply with your legal obligations—but to make sure that everyone who works in, or with, your organisation is protected from harm.

Workplace safety issues—whether physical or psychological harm—can happen at any time, triggering regulator and union intervention as well as disputes and claims.

You need a legal team to work with you to prevent these issues as much as is possible and to expertly guide you to the best outcome when things go wrong. Our specialist safety partners and lawyers are the leaders in their field, with advice that is focused on protecting your directors, the business and those who work for you.

And while regulator intervention may be unavoidable—when investigations or enforcement action is taken against you, we ensure your best course of action is taken to minimise legal risk.

How we can help:

  • strategic advice on minimising exposure to risk and liability
  • development and audit of management systems, policies and procedures including chain of responsibility
  • training in workplace safety including duty of care and incident response
  • advice and representation in investigations, coronials, commissions of inquiry, right of entry disputes and prosecutions
  • due diligence of relevant safety issues in acquisitions of property and businesses
  • advice on management of ill and injured workers, self-insurance and insurance premium issues related to incidents.


Experience

We have broad experience across a range of industries, including:

  • advising an employer in the resources sector on available industrial strategies, including the implementation of workplace agreements
  • acting for an employer in the logistics industry in a range of matters, including in unfair dismissal proceedings and unlawful discrimination complaints and investigations
  • acting for an employer in media industry in dealing with a variety of employment and industrial relations matters, including engaging key talent
  • acting for an employer in the negotiation and implementation of a referral agreement to the Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales
  • acting for an employer in proceedings commenced in the Supreme Court of Queensland and concerning alleged misleading and deceptive conduct in respect of various share options
  • advising a group of companies on the implementation of nationally standardised employment contracts, policies and procedures
  • advising a private equity financier in respect of establishing a competing business and the extraction of senior executives from a major competitor, including dealing with non-compete and confidentiality obligations
  • advising a vendor in respect of employment and industrial issues arising from the divestiture of a number of businesses
  • drafting executive service agreements and advising on relevant ASX Listing Rules and Corporations Act issues
  • advising a developer in respect of industrial relations and enterprise bargaining issues arising at various redevelopment sites in Australia
  • acting for various television producers and providing advice in respect of employment and industrial relations matters relating to film and television production.

Stay informed with our Workplace Wrap

Stay informed with our Workplace Wrap

Our Workplace Wrap provides regular insights, tips, resources and key legal news across employment law, workplace health & safety, employment taxes and migration law.

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Recent Posts

27 August 2026 - Knowledge

WHS reform and psychosocial risk: Key governance questions for boards and executives

#Workplace Relations & Safety

Recent NSW WHS reforms strengthen psychosocial risk regulation, making approved codes a critical compliance benchmark. Boards and executives must ensure meaningful risk reporting, effective controls and assurance mechanisms support directors’ due diligence obligations.

18 August 2026 - Knowledge

Gillham ruling highlights importance of a clear policy regarding political messages

#Workplace Relations & Safety

The Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) protects rights and benefits arising under Australian statutes that regulate employment relationships. The decision in Gillham v Melbourne Symphony Orchestra confirms this protection does not apply in respect of the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic), in its application to independent contractors or employees.

05 August 2026 - Knowledge

When does employee absence amount to abandonment of employment? Lessons from the Haque decision

#Workplace Relations & Safety

A recent Fair Work Commission decision reminds employers that an employee's prolonged and unexplained absence from work does not mean the employer can immediately assume they have abandoned their employment or that the employment relationship has ended.

31 July 2026 - Media Release

Holding Redlich advises Q & M Dental Group on proposed acquisition of Experteeth Dental Group

#Mergers and Acquisitions, #Corporate & Commercial Law, #Property & Development, #Workplace Relations & Safety, #Regulatory

Holding Redlich has advised Q & M Dental Group (Singapore) Limited on its proposed A$119.64 million acquisition of Experteeth Dental Group. If completed, the acquisition represents one of the largest cross-border investments in Australia’s dental sector by a Singapore-listed healthcare company.

23 July 2026 - Knowledge

Codes of practice now mandatory in New South Wales

#Workplace Relations & Safety

NSW minister-approved codes of practice are now mandatory. PCBUs must now either comply with the terms of any published code of practice or manage hazards and risks arising from the work carried out as part of the conduct of the business or undertaking to a standard equivalent to or higher than the standard required under the code.

26 June 2026 - Knowledge

NSW Government Bulletin: Managing employee social media content in the public sector

#Workplace Relations & Safety, #New South Wales Government

In this article, we discuss the extent to which NSW public sector employers can regulate employees’ political and public comments on social media outside of work.

25 June 2026 - Media Release

Holding Redlich announces 17 promotions including three new partners

#Construction, Infrastructure & Projects, #Corporate & Commercial Law, #Dispute Resolution & Litigation, #Government, #Planning, Environment & Sustainability, #Property & Development, #Workplace Relations & Safety

Holding Redlich is pleased to announce the promotion of 17 lawyers across its national offices, including three senior lawyers to partnership. The promotions will take effect on 1 July 2026.

17 June 2026 - Knowledge

Victoria moves to legislate right to work from home

#Workplace Relations & Safety

The Equal Opportunity Amendment (Work from Home) Bill 2026 introduces a statutory right for eligible employees to work from home two days a week. If passed, the legislation will commence on 1 September 2026.

17 June 2026 - Knowledge

Australian Government releases 2026 Public Sector Workplace Relations Policy

#Workplace Relations & Safety, #Australian Government

The new policy sets out the parameters for enterprise bargaining across APS and Non-APS agencies and will kick-start APS-wide enterprise bargaining ahead of agreements expiring in late 2026 and early 2027. We discuss the key requirements for agencies.

16 June 2026 - Knowledge

APSC releases principles and guidance on the use of AI in APS recruitment

#Workplace Relations & Safety, #Australian Government

The APSC released principles and guidance for agencies and candidates on the use of AI in APS recruitment. APS agencies are expected to implement the Principles for agency use by 1 June 2026. These principles and guidance align with the existing AI Plan for the APS and Australian Government Policy for the Responsible use of AI in government.

11 June 2026 - Knowledge

Flexible work requests – lessons for the APS

#Australian Government, #Workplace Relations & Safety

With flexible work on the rise in the APS, we look at the requirements for employers handling flexible work requests and key lessons from recent FWC decisions in Naden and Westpac.

05 June 2026 - Knowledge

Missing the red flag: Lessons from ASIC v Bekier & Ors for company directors

#Workplace Relations & Safety

We highlight six key lessons from the Federal Court’s decision in ASIC v Bekier & Ors, which clarifies the standard of care and diligence expected of company directors under section 180(1) of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth).