A lack of understanding surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is polarising workplaces. Ongoing and comprehensive training and education are crucial in the modern workplace.

These themes were explored in a recent episode of The HR Leader with Cultural Infusion chief executive Peter Mousaferiadis, highlighting just how important it is for organisations to create equitable and inclusive workplaces.

The significance of intersectionality was explored, and how understanding this term can assist in developing a healthy and happy workplace.

Peter also delved into the role of technology and data in recognising issues and helping to eliminate them. Representation is a crucial aspect of DEI, and it’s important for workplaces to reflect the community they serve.

Ahead of the Women in Finance Summit and Awards 2023, we’re catching up with some of the leading women in the financial services space. In this episode, host Maja Garaca Djurdjevic is joined by Olympian and financial adviser at HLB Mann Judd, Sarah Carli, to discuss how she made her way from the track to financial advice.

Ms Carli, who competed in the 400-metre hurdles at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, reveals the valuable skills she has learned as an adviser that have positively impacted her athletic career, as well as how she balances being a professional athlete with working full time.

Tune in to find out:

• The importance of a supportive work environment.
• How she balances her professional and athletic commitments.
• How there are more transferable skills between athletics and advice than many might expect.

And much more!

In this episode of The HR Leader, Margot Faraci, a senior leader, leadership expert, and author, discusses the concept of “love leadership” and how harnessing this can help better leadership. Trust is a crucial aspect of this, and those who incorporate it into practice can help to build better relationships with employees. Margot also discusses the power shift in the job market, with employees having more say in their working arrangements. She advocates for a more consultative leadership style that balances consultation with decisive decision making and empathy with results-driven performance. Another area delved into was psychological safety and its impact on performance. Margot suggests that leaders should focus on building a culture of psychological safety. By choosing capable team members and fostering trust within the team, leaders can drive sustainable performance.

Ahead of the Women in Finance Summit and Awards 2023, we’re catching up with some of the leading women in the financial services space.

Deslie Taylor, principal at Mortgage Choice Ormeau in Queensland, is one of the top brokers in the country, having settled over $1 billion in loans in her 16-year career and taken home numerous awards including Mortgage Broker of the Year at the Women in Finance Awards multiple years in a row. In this episode, we chat to Ms Taylor about how she runs her award-winning brokerage and find out from Aaron Slater, general manager of distribution at Mortgage Choice (principal partner of the Women in Finance Summit and Awards 2023), how we can help support and create more inclusive workplaces. Tune in to find out:

• The power of being an empathetic leader.
• The art of practising continuous improvement.
• How Mortgage Choice’s Aspire program is supporting women in finance.

And much more!

Ahead of the Women in Finance Summit and Awards 2023, we’re catching up with some of the leading women in the financial services space. Joanna James is an advocate for constant reinvention and resilience, having adapted to change over her career in the finance space herself. Having worked in the lending space for more than 20 years – including as the general manager of non-bank lender Mortgage Ezy – she now helps support women in building successful businesses through Artemis Space, a women’s community group delivered by the Finance Brokers Association of Australia. In this episode, Annie Kane sits down with Ms James to find out:

• Why success is subjective.

• The power of visualisation, emotionalisation and manifestation.

• Why she believes the finance industry is a great industry for women.

And much more!

In this episode of The HR Leader, Sue Parker, a career strategist and communications expert, discusses the prevalent issue of ageism in the workplace.

Ageism, which affects both the younger and older generations, is a form of discrimination that can have detrimental effects on individuals and businesses.

Sue emphasises the need for awareness, introspection, and change to combat ageism effectively, as it is often overlooked compared to other forms of discrimination like racism and sexism.

Ageism has significant consequences for both individuals and businesses. It can lead to decreased productivity, disengagement, and a loss of self-esteem. 

To combat ageism, it is crucial for individuals to examine their own biases and challenge assumptions based on age. To effectively address ageism, it must be given a seat at the table in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies.

Ahead of the Women in Finance Summit and Awards 2023, we’re catching up with some of the leading women in the financial services space. Tanya Sale co-founded mortgage aggregation group outsource Financial with Andrea Tassis 13 years ago, with Tanya now one of the very few female chief executives in the mortgage industry.

In this episode, Annie Kane sits down with Tanya to find out:

• How a piggy bank triggered her love of finance.

• Why she started her own aggregation business.

• Why she believes support is critical to succeed as a female business leader.

And much more!

Leadership burnout is on the rise as the workforce continues to navigate the challenges created by the pandemic. In this episode of The HR Leader, Aaron McEwan, vice-president of research and advisory at Gartner, explains that the burnout experienced by leaders is not surprising given the significant disruption and change, and leaders are at the forefront of navigating their organisations through this uncertainty. Aaron points out that economic instability and volatility also contribute to the high levels of stress experienced by leaders. While organisations have made efforts to provide mental health support to their employees, leaders often put their workforces before themselves. They are dealing with not only the stresses of the workplace but also the changes in the way work is done. The widespread adoption of hybrid and remote work has required leaders to learn new ways of leading their teams. Micromanagement has also become a significant issue during the pandemic. Aaron emphasises the importance of trust in leadership. Leaders who trust their teams and provide autonomy tend to have more engaged and productive workers. Employees with control over where, when, and how they work tend to perform better and have stronger connections to the organisation.

As companies and nations rush to be the first to advance artificial intelligence (AI) and become the next powerhouse, we have to wonder whether everything is moving too quickly. Tony Anscombe, chief security evangelist at ESET, joins the HR Leader to discuss the sudden boom in the general public’s use of AI and how this “AI race” may have got these systems into people’s hands prematurely. Tony addresses the issue of misinformation surrounding AI. He explains that AI, or more specifically, machine learning, has been in use for a long time. However, recent advancements have made it more accessible and understandable to the general public. This accessibility has led to both excitement and fear as people are more aware of its capabilities and potential risks. Meanwhile, Tony touches on regulation and how this is a tricky path to go down, as it could stifle innovation. He believes caution should be taken when operating these systems, as the technology isn’t the danger; it’s who uses it. What the future has in store for AI was also discussed, and Mr Tony believes AI will become integrated into everyday life to the point where people won’t even realise they are using it.

Despite many HR professionals and business leaders understanding that they need tech to survive and thrive, too many are still witnessing high failure rates. So, what’s stopping them from a successful technology journey? In this episode of the HR Leader podcast, host Emma Musgrave is joined by Pinpoint HRM Founder and Managing Director Craig Aunger to discuss where many go wrong in the pre- and post-implementation phases. Backed by over 25 years of experience, Craig takes listeners through his three secrets to HR tech success, sharing how you can effectively evaluate cloud HR solutions, what key points you need to consider prior to rolling them out in your business, and how you can ensure ongoing success beyond go-live. Craig started Pinpoint HRM in the early 2000s, and since then, he and his team of 75 consultants have delivered over 650 HR tech projects, working on over 100 client engagements at any point in time, across the full cloud HR project life cycle. The insights and learnings from these many and varied projects over the years are what Craig brings to this discussion today. We hope you enjoy the episode.