BAL Employment Team Director Bill Pardy entertained a small but select school holiday crowd on Friday 17 April 2026 at the latest BAL Lawyers HR Breakfast Club presentation.
The subject of discussion was organisational responses to workplace violence. In a wide-ranging discussion, Bill discussed the relevant considerations for businesses to address this issue from a work health and safety (WHS) perspective. Different dimensions of workplace violence were discussed, including both internal and external perpetrators. There was also an acknowledgement that workplace violence can be psychological as well as physical.
Recommended steps were identified to address workplace violence from a WHS perspective, by merging traditional approaches regarding risk assessment (which primarily addressed physical violence risks) with the more difficult emerging territory of preventing workplace violence from a psychological perspective.
Various approaches to eliminating or minimising risks were considered, including physical, environmental and cultural factors. There was a discussion regarding the desirability of a structured response to such risks, including identification and management of them via a risk register or similar document.
Turning to responses to such risks, emphasis was placed on specific responses from each business or organisation, based on how risks presented in their individual context. The considerations, for example, for a pub or nightclub regarding workplace violence, are different from the considerations for an insurance office, a bank, a law firm, or a physiotherapy practice. In each instance, there are relevant environmental factors to consider, as well as the risk presented by engagement with clients, contractors, and customers, as well as staff.
The meeting discussed both prevention of workplace violence and responses to workplace violence in its aftermath, both in the immediate post-event period and in the medium term. The need for a thorough review of any incident of workplace violence and the organisation’s response in the moment was discussed, as well as any broader structural or systemic issues which may have impacted upon the relevant environment in which the workplace violence occurred.
Finally, Bill addressed the attendees on the availability of Workplace Protection Orders (WPOs) in the ACT Magistrates Court as a response to WHS obligations from an employer’s perspective, to protect staff in the workplace in extreme circumstances.
Following a lively discussion on these matters, attendees appreciated that the risks to be managed were complex. Attendees were encouraged to consider engaging external expert advice to ensure that their organisation was taking a reasonable and defensible approach to both identifying risks of workplace violence and responding to those risks.
For those regular attendees who are unable to attend the presentation last Friday, if you would like us to reschedule a further presentation on this subject, please advise us and we will try to accommodate that request.
BAL’s HR Breakfast Club will return in May when Senior Associate Rebecca Richardson will be presenting the topic “Back to Basics: General Protections”.
If you are an HR professional and would like to attend our future HR Breakfast Club forums, please visit our monthly forum page and register to attend.
If you have any questions or queries about the information in this summary, or if you are experiencing any issues and need advice, please contact the BAL Lawyers Employment & Investigations team on 02 6274 0999.