The Legal Brief: Why psychosocial safety is now central to workforce change

In this week's The Legal Brief, a special episode produced in partnership with national workplace law firm Kingston Reid, we explore how psychosocial safety is now central to how Australian regulators assess organisational competence and leadership, and what this means specifically for those within the HR function. Host Jerome Doraisamy speaks with Kingston Reid partner Liam Fraser about how psychosocial safety has evolved into a core governance risk, with organisational restructures, change programs and the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence now all considered high-risk psychosocial events. This evolution now brings to light the need for organisations, particularly HR, to be proactive about ongoing risk management in 2026 and beyond. Fraser also delves into what work health and safety (WHS) regulators are most heavily scrutinising, the key questions that HR professionals need to be asking in 2026 to keep up with best practice, and why businesses that properly embed psychosocial safety into governance frameworks will ultimately prove to be more resilient, trusted, and high performing in the long term. To learn more about Kingston Reid, click here.