Kate Neilson

Sydney

Editor at HRmonthly

Senior Editor at Mahlab

Editor at @hrmeditor

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Articles

From gut feeling to hard data: measuring mental health in today’s workplace

6 days ago | hrmonline.com.au | Kate Neilson

In today’s workforce landscape, measuring and benchmarking organisational mental health is essential. This framework offers clear, actionable insights to help you build a thriving workplace. Workplace mental health should never be viewed as a nice-to-have – it’s a business imperative. From compliance and culture to commercial success, it has secured its place on the executive agenda. But are we measuring what truly matters?
Is your business thinking about employee productivity in the right way?

1 week ago | hrmonline.com.au | Kate Neilson

Direct HR involvement can lift productivity by 11 per cent, finds new research. But before these gains can be realised, we need to get clear on what employee productivity actually looks like. Tackling Australia’s ongoing productivity stagnation is often seen as a complex, top-down challenge – one that’s usually left to the executive suite to resolve. It’s no surprise, then, that many CEOs cite it as a significant source of pressure, according to insights from Gartner.
Reframing impostor syndrome to lead with impact

1 week ago | hrmonline.com.au | Kate Neilson

Is impostor syndrome holding you back at work? Leadership coach and author Kemi Nekvapil shares how HR leaders can navigate self-doubt to lead with their personal values front of mind. Moments of self-doubt are common at work, especially for those who are stepping into more senior roles or for leaders navigating spaces where they don’t fit the traditional mould. But what if we reframed impostor syndrome from a weakness to correct to an opportunity for growth?
A guide to managing your team's energy levels

3 weeks ago | hrmonline.com.au | Kate Neilson

The key to building sustainable work practices is to think about managing our energy at work, not our time, says these three expert. “The core problem with working longer hours is that time is a finite resource. Energy is a different story… energy can be systematically expanded and regularly renewed by establishing specific rituals.”While this advice is highly relevant to today’s business context, it originates from a Harvard Business Review article published nearly two decades ago.
5 signs your culture might be in trouble (and what to do about it)

1 month ago | hrmonline.com.au | Kate Neilson

From micromanagement to information hoarding, the warning signs of a struggling culture are often hiding in plain sight. Culture expert Colin Ellis shares how HR can diagnose the early symptoms and take meaningful steps toward cultural repair. A struggling or failing organisational culture is never a surprise.
Designing meaningful reward and recognition strategies in financially tough times

2 months ago | hrmonline.com.au | Kate Neilson

When there’s less cash available for bonuses and promotions, how can HR leaders keep employees feeling valued, motivated and engaged? It may be time to broaden the definition of what ‘reward’ looks like. Despite this year’s Federal Budget offering cost-of-living relief for Australians – including $17.1 billion in tax cuts and energy bill subsidies – many organisations remain under financial pressure.
How to escape constant busyness and enable focused work

2 months ago | hrmonline.com.au | Kate Neilson

A lack of mature and sustainable workflow practices could be impacting our abilities to work in productive, focused and energising manners, says this productivity expert. “All this wellbeing stuff is killing me.”Productivity expert and author Daniel Sih recalls a participant at one of his digital wellbeing workshops making this remark. It piqued his interest.
How to leverage strategic transparency in business

Mar 4, 2025 | hrmonline.com.au | Kate Neilson

The publication of gender pay gaps and sustainability reporting are part of a new era of regulatory disclosures for Australian businesses. How can a commitment to transparency in business go beyond compliance to become both a driver of trust and engagement? In the early 2000s, global retailer Patagonia learned it had unknowingly contradicted its environmentally-friendly ethos by using toxic chemicals in its water-repellent jackets.
HR's guide to navigating office politics

Feb 26, 2025 | hrmonline.com.au | Kate Neilson

Office politics often gets a bad rap – but that’s because its function within a workplace’s ecosystem is commonly misunderstood. It’s only when internal politics turns sour that it becomes an issue. When people hear “office politics”, they often default to the negative – associating it with underhanded tactics, poor intentions and destructive behaviours. While internal politics can take a negative turn, it’s often far more nuanced.
4 reasons why employees quit their jobs

Feb 17, 2025 | hrmonline.com.au | Kate Neilson

It’s important to understand the various push-pull factors that influence an employee’s decision to switch jobs. It’s common to make assumptions about why employees quit their jobs. We often think it’s primarily in search of higher salaries or, for younger employees – the most likely cohort to job-hop (see graph below) – we might attribute it to unrealistic expectations or a lack of commitment. But the reality is more complex.