In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, working life has changed significantly. Now, research is starting to identify certain professional and environmental trends that businesses need to be on top of.

In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy is joined by the founding board director of R U OK?, Graeme Cowan, to discuss why uncertainty is so prevalent in workplaces in the current climate, why the proliferation of remote and flexible working is a worrying development, the varying levels of trust in the workforce and why it is damaging, a decline in employee engagement and the consequences of not paying attention to that lack of engagement, and the ongoing wellbeing and mental health crisis.

Cowan also delves into the broader business considerations inherent with addressing wellbeing concerns, why the wellbeing focus isn’t working, how and why more managers want out of their workplaces, how business leaders can better support managers, why change leadership needs to improve, and the decline of respect in the workplace.

In this episode of Momentum Media's Defence Connect Podcast, host Steve Kuper is joined by Dr Ross Babbage, CEO of Strategic Forum and senior non-resident fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.

The pair discuss a range of subjects following Babbage’s recent trip to the United States, including:

• Australia’s need to prepare for a more direct involvement in kinetic regional conflict in the Indo-Pacific – including recognising that we are no longer on the periphery of geopolitical competition.
• The multidimensional depth and facets of the challenges being posed by the People’s Republic of China: Babbage emphasises that China’s strategy includes economic coercion, hybrid conflict and soft power, and that Western assumptions about China's integration leading to liberalisation have proven wrong.
• How Western governments have failed to effectively communicate the strategic risks to their populations: Babbage argues that public awareness is essential for national resilience and policy support, and that many in the public are willing to act once properly informed.
• Australia’s urgent need to expand and rethink its defence and industrial capabilities to meet the growing expectations of the new US Trump administration.

Enjoy the Podcast,

The Defence Connect team

In this special episode of Momentum Media's The HR Leader Podcast, Taylor Dee Hawkins joins the podcast to talk about the moral and commercial imperatives to best practice with management of a workforce that is more diverse than ever before and the benefits that come with it.

Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Taylor Dee Hawkins, the Foundations for Tomorrow managing director, about the work that she does, the extent to which business leaders are ready and able to lead so many different generations in the workforce, leaders’ cognisance of the need to do so, the dangers in not properly managing workers of all ages, the questions that businesses need to ask of themselves, and the practical steps to be taken.

In this episode of Momentum Media's The ifa Show, hosts Keith Ford and Maja Garaca Djurdjevic are joined by Blake Briggs, chief executive of the Financial Services Council, to unpack what the federal election and new-look Treasury portfolio will mean for advisers and the broader industry.

Briggs explains that Dr Daniel Mulino enters the financial services minister role with a suite of policies announced under his predecessor but not yet completed. He also stresses the importance of a deliberative approach that would allow Mulino to put his own stamp on the portfolio while continuing the reform process.

Listen as they discuss:

• The importance of stakeholders engaging constructively with the government on financial services reform.
• Why the $3 million super tax remains a contentious issue and the need to re-think its design.
• Where the Coalition will look for economic policy in the wake of its heavy election loss.

Remuneration and incentives have always been a Pandora’s box for business leaders. In the post-pandemic climate, however, in which employee values have shifted, the equation has become trickier.

In this episode of The HR Leader Podcast, host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with TalentCode HR founder and managing director Trudy MacDonald about the difficulties business leaders have long had with implementing successful remuneration and incentive strategies, how COVID-19 spawned a shift in employee thinking around work/life balance, the Great Exhaustion and its implications, the impact of resenteeism, and how difficult it is for employers to cater to idiosyncratic needs of all staff.

MacDonald also reflects on whether employees are staying put right now (following the Great Resignation), employee disgruntlement amid high inflation and a cost-of-living crisis, how the latest WGEA data might impact employee thinking, the steps that HR professionals and C-suite executives need to take, measuring success, and the folly of viewing remuneration as an isolated issue.

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, hosts Major General (Ret’d) Dr Marcus Thompson and Phil Tarrant discuss the heroic actions of Australian soldiers in World War II, before turning to the big issues in the upcoming federal election.

• The pair begin the podcast discussing Joan Beaumont’s book, Gull Force, and the treatment of Australian prisoners of war on the islands of Ambon and Hainan.
• They then discuss the role of Australia’s Reserves in warfare, before unpacking the fundamental importance of seizing and holding ground in warfare.
• Thompson and Tarrant then turn to the upcoming federal election, unpacking some of the big issues facing Australian society, including housing policy and building forward-looking infrastructure for Australia’s financial future.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Contested Ground team

In this episode of the Momentum Media's Secrets of the Top 100 Agents podcast, speaker, trainer and coach Josh Phegan sits down with REB editor Liam Garman to unpack how agents can strive for excellence and what they should expect from the property market over the next 12 months.

The pair begin the podcast discussing what’s in store for the property market over 2025, including the impact of the upcoming “property election” and potential rate changes, before discussing whether it might lead to unforeseen consequences for agents.

The speaker, trainer and coach then shares his top tips for developing one’s mindset and motivation, before discussing common mistakes that he sees as agents adopt new technologies.

Josh wraps up the podcast sharing his must-read books for agents looking to broaden their horizons and continue learning.

Enjoy the podcast,
The REB team

With anticipation ramping up for the upcoming federal election, many are keeping a keen eye on the policies and promises given, particularly regarding the nation’s SMEs.

In this latest episode of Finance Specialist, hosts Jack Campbell and Accendo’s Trent Carter discussed the range of government policies, such as Labor’s new national small business strategy, and how they will affect Australia’'s small businesses.

Additionally, Campbell and Carter unpack economic uncertainty around international tariffs, along with some advice for brokers to help them navigate the ever-changing economic landscape.