In this episode of The Huddle Leadership Podcast, host Kate Russell sits down with Susan Sadler, HR and Industrial Relations specialist from Red Wagon Workplace Solutions. Together, they dive deep into the often challenging world of workplace relations, exploring how to maintain humanity and psychological safety during difficult conversations, redundancies, and organisational change. Susan brings her unique perspective, having experienced both sides of industrial relations processes—as both practitioner and applicant—offering invaluable insights into creating compassionate yet effective workplace practices.
The conversation reveals the emotional complexity of employment relationships and why treating people with dignity during difficult times isn't just ethically important—it's strategically smart. From handling redundancies with grace to building innovative support systems like "Canary Pairs," Susan and Kate explore practical approaches that keep people at the heart of HR practice while navigating the increasingly complex world of industrial relations.
Key Takeaways
Featured Discussion
Susan's journey from wanting to do "warm fuzzy" HR work to becoming passionate about industrial relations began at Ambulance Victoria, where she discovered her love for understanding rules and applying them practically in challenging environments. Her experience being cross-examined in Federal Court for four hours across two days—and coming back excited—perfectly captures her unique approach to what many find intimidating.
The conversation takes a particularly powerful turn when Susan shares her own experience going through a Fair Work process as an applicant, revealing how even experts find the process stressful and unpleasant. This dual perspective—having been both the advisor and the person needing advice—brings profound depth to her current practice.
Kate and Susan explore the concept of "not damaging people further through processes," discussing how psychological safety can be maintained even during investigations and restructures through scaffolding support, clear communication, and genuine care for the human impact of difficult decisions.
Innovation Spotlight: Canary Pairs
One of the most fascinating elements of this conversation is Susan's description of the "Canary Pairs" system developed for client Yellow Canary. This structured buddy system pairs employees from different departments to create both personal connections and cross-pollination of ideas. What started as pairs evolved into "Canary Squares" and has been remarkably successful in:
The system proves that innovative employee support doesn't require massive resources—just thoughtful design and genuine commitment to human connection.
Quotable Moments
"We get to impact that experience. So a difficult conversation or rejecting someone for a job or making their role redundant affects that person's personal life and ripples then from there into a whole different world that we don't see."
"If you become hard yourself, then you lose the humane element of the process. That is not a strength, it is a weakness."
"Are you doing these things for you to make you feel better, or are you doing it for them to look after them? And if the answer is that you're doing it because it's easier for you, then that's the wrong answer."
"Don't be a dick about it, Kate."
"It's all about the people. HR has become so process-driven and so compliance-driven... but the people have to stay at the heart and soul of what we do."
Connect with Susan Sadler
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