Prevention and Retention Convention

To view Damien’s presentation please click here

Douglas Workplace and Litigation Lawyer in conjunction with Safety Action, Nabenet and Crossroads Human Resources hosted the Prevention and Retention Convention at the Toyota Corporate Headquarters in Port Melbourne on 26 August 2008.

A large number of businesses across many industries were presented with valuable tools and strategies for managing some of the important issues in workplace safety, business risk, health and rehabilitation and human resource management.

View photos of the event

Click here to view the flyer from the event

Welcome Address

Damien Bayard, Company
Secretary, Toyota

Insights into Toyota’s key issues and strategies for
preventing losses and attracting and retaining good people.

To view Damien’s presentation please click here

The Common Sense Deception

Dr. David Borys & Dennis Else, Group General Manager
Sustainability, Safety & Health, Brookefield Multiplex Ltd

“Common sense is not common or sensible in the
prevention of accidents and the retention of staff. Common sense
invariably involves individually acquired and unspoken, untested
assumptions that are not drawn from the discipline of management, the
shared learning of the industry and the values of the business. As such, the
application of common sense does not identify and measure risks, fails
to harness appropriate skills, avoids informed analysis and ignores culturally
specific values all of which are the building blocks of managing
risk and the core trust elements that attract employees to a business
and keep them in the business. Decisions based solely on common sense involve
unmeasurable and unaccountable risks.”

The Common Sense Deception – Dr. David Borys & Professor Dennis Else

The Sweet Taste of Safety Success

Cadbury Schweppes are world leaders in confectionery and beverage manufacturing and marketing, and are fast becoming a global leader in workplace safety. Hear Greg Menz, OHS Manager Cadbury Confectionery, explain the key safety initiatives, challenges and success to date.

Gary Rowe, CEO Safety Action will look at trends in workplace safety and explore how best to satisfy Board and regulator demands for compliance and high performance in safety. Gary will also explain how to apply the lessons from Cadbury’s experience to your business.

The
Sweet Taste of Safety Success – Greg Menz

Effective Safety Program – Gary Rowe

Emerging Workplace Safety Issues – Gary Rowe

Are your Employees your Biggest Asset or are they just Big?

Employers face alarming health trends over the next decade. Australians are facing a health crisis. Obesity, diabetes, sleep apnoea, high cholesterol, poor nutrition and a lack of exercise will be discussed in the context of absenteeism, decreased productivity and the risk of workplace injuries.

Dr Coniela Sgroi, Victoria Harbour Medical Centre, and Andrew Paice, Director Nabenet, will address these issues and discuss possible solutions for Australian employers.

Buying new Businesses – Are they Frankenstein’s or Friends?

You have worked hard to create the right business. So successful is the business that it grows and to continue to grow you acquire another business. However the new hybrid does not dance to the old tune. There are challenges to your own business and its employees. The law is complex and in a state of flux. Now that you are the maker of a new being – how will you design and build your baby? Will you mimic your child’s super hero ‘Optimus Prime’ (a good transformer) or become the mean spirited Megatron (the bad transformer) as you breathe life into your creation. Hear Ian Bird, Company Secretary Murray Goulburn and Andrew Douglas, Director Douglas Workplace & Litigation Lawyers describe the true path, unravelling the business and legal traps along the way.

Buying New Businesses – are they Frankenstein’s or Friends? – Andrew Douglas

Buying a Business – Ian Bird

Retention Strategies – Building Engagement Across Cultures

In today’s business climate, it’s common for organizations to face offshoring or merger activities that involve employees from dissimilar cultural backgrounds to work together. The impact of these varied cultures working together towards common business objectives is complex – and often underestimated. When Infosys experienced a merger in January 2004 with a company from India, the cultural issues challenged their traditional notions of culture change- and required that they respond proactively towards building a cohesive workforce, capable of collaborating with colleagues that have different mindsets and standards. This session will examines Infosys’ innovative approach to successfully bridging national cultures within their workforce, while increasing employee satisfaction, retention, and engagement levels.

Recession & Retention – Karl Burns

Building Engagement Across Cultures – Sean Fernando