Navigating the future of HR & HSE leadership: Insights from senior executives

In 2025, Human Resources and Safety leaders face complex challenges and accelerating change. reshaping how they foster people, safety, and productivity. Leaders in the field reflected on these changes at our recent event, The Evolving Landscape of HR & HSE Leadership, where a panel of industry experts shared insights on navigating this shifting workplace environments.

Here are the key insights and expert advice from the event to help you navigate today’s shifting landscape.

Top five event takeaways

1. Integrating HR and HSE

A recurring theme throughout the discussion was the growing need for HR and HSE functions to collaborate, rather than operate in silos. In today’s workplace, where psychosocial risks are as prevalent as physical risks, both must ultimately be seen as people issues.

Deanna McMaster, Partner at MinterEllison , highlighted that there are both serious human and legal consequences for failing to bring the functions together. “More than ever, HR and safety need to collaborate,” she said. “Organisations that are addressing psychosocial safety and sexual harassment well are doing it together. Those that are tussling over who will take the lead aren’t doing the best by their people.”

The panel also acknowledged the challenges of integrating HSE and HR. Richard Coleman, MD at Culturology, pointed out the tension between HR’s need for confidentiality and safety’s emphasis on transparency and information-sharing.

“HR is constantly dealing with incredibly private matters, and there are structured rules around that,” he said. “Yet, safety people want to tell everyone everything. If we’re not telling everyone, then there’s a sense we’re not doing the right thing.”

The panel discussed ways to bridge this gap. Humanology Group Director, Naomi Armitage, shared an example of a client excelling in this area: "Their HR and safety teams work in the same space, go to the same lunches, and get to know each other.” This informal collaboration fosters stronger working relationships and improves integration.

Deanna emphasised the importance of unified reporting. She said, “If we continue to submit separate HR reports, safety reports, and customer complaints reports, it’s extremely hard for a board to see where we’re at in our journey, what their single source of truth is, and how we are evolving.”

Clearly, HR and HSE collaboration is not just beneficial – it’s essential for organisational clarity and success.

2. Address employee fatigue

A pressing concern was the balance between increasing productivity and maintaining employee wellbeing.

“Coming into 2025, there's been a strong push for growth,” said Director of our sister brand, The Safe Step, Katie Johnson, “but many employees are already exhausted.”

Naomi pointed to an article (add hyperlink to article if we can get it) indicating that psychological safety can reduce stress and exhaustion, but stressed the need for tangible action. “If people don't feel heard and don’t see action, even the best frameworks won't prevent burnout,” she said.  

Small issues can quickly escalate into major problems, especially when employees are working harder and longer. Addressing this goes beyond physical safety. It must encompass mental wellbeing as well.

Ben Bradley, GM of Business Partnering at APA Group, shared a practical initiative from his organisation that prioritises employee wellbeing alongside performance. “We rewrote our cultural statement to explicitly include the words ‘safety’ and ‘care’. We’ve communicated to leaders what that means. The physical safety aspect is familiar, but the ‘care’ part allows people to say, ‘I’m feeling pressured, I’m feeling overwhelmed.’ Understanding that tipping point is vital.”

3. Train frontline leaders for future success

Middle managers play a pivotal role in supporting wellbeing and performance. Equipping them with the skills to manage both is crucial for long-term business success. The panel discussed how effective leadership development extends beyond technical expertise to include emotional intelligence, communication skills, and strategic thinking.

However, many middle managers are promoted for their technical abilities rather than their people management skills. Ben illustrated this challenge with an analogy about technical professionals being promoted into leadership roles: “Just because someone is a great engineer or accountant, doesn't mean they're equipped to lead a team,” he said “We need to give frontline leaders the skills to lead from the very beginning.”

Ben detailed a program that integrates leadership development across dual priorities. “We gave leaders the tools to manage their people’s performance and their safety. We run the two processes together because they have to work as one.”

The panel agreed that investing in such leadership training early helps new leaders transition successfully and cascades into a positive work culture

4. Essential qualities for the next generation of HR and HSE leaders

The panel identified five key qualities that future HR and HSE leaders must cultivate:

1. Self-awareness and emotional intelligence: Beyond technical skills, future leaders must “know yourself and your emotional limits,” said Richard. Ben added, “We have leaders now who can talk about feelings, but we made it happen. We started meetings with an emotional check-in. You’d look at people’s faces and you’d see they felt uncomfortable at first, but it fostered openness.”
2.  Understanding the broader team: Successful leaders build relationships across the organisation, including with peers and senior leaders, not just their direct reports. But as Richard pointed out, it’s important to go the next step and understand the motivations of all stakeholders to help inform your decisions.  
3.  Influencing and communication skills: Deanna stressed the importance of articulating the value of HR and HSE initiatives. “If we can’t convince board members why certain things are important, then our work won’t get the support and value it needs,” she said.
4. Business acumen: “Every business is different, and HR and HSE professionals need to understand how their organisation makes money,” said Ben. This knowledge allows leaders to align their strategies with organisational goals and support the workforce effectively.
5. Future focused: Richard pointed out the need to balance immediate performance with long-term planning. This dual focus helps organisations remain competitive and adaptive. But, he noted, new leaders often spend their time putting out fires. They need to learn to also prioritise future planning.

5. Preparing for regulatory changes

Finally, the panel explored upcoming regulatory changes and their implications for HR and HSE teams.

Deanna highlighted two areas requiring cross-functional collaboration: 

1. Sexual harassment prevention plans: In Queensland, new requirements mandate safety-based prevention plans due by March 1st, while federal legislation approaches harassment through an HR lens with non-mandatory frameworks. Effective compliance requires both functions to work together to ensure comprehensive coverage.
   “If you're not working together on that, you're not going to capture what you need to," she emphasised.
2. Expanded incident reporting: Recent Safe Work Australia proposals would significantly change incident notification requirements, increasing workloads for both People and Safety functions. The proposed changes would broaden reporting obligations to include lower-level bullying and harassment incidents, as well as worker suicides and attempts with any potential workplace connection.

Deanna expressed concern that these expanded reporting requirements could discourage open communication if not properly implemented and resourced. “There are legal risks, and it could negatively affect our people,” she cautioned.

Advice for HR and HSE leaders

In summary, to navigate the changing landscape, the panel recommended:

• Prioritise cross-function collaboration: Foster a culture where HR and HSE work together seamlessly to address people and safety concerns in a holistic way.
• Train emotionally intelligent leaders: Invest in programs that develop both technical and emotional intelligence skills, so frontline leaders can manage performance and wellbeing. Develop business acumen and strategic foresight skills, too.
• Stay ahead of regulatory changes: Prepare for expanded reporting obligations and ensure that HR and HSE collaborate to meet these new standards.
• Prioritise psychological safety: Create environments where employees feel heard, and follow-through with tangible actions.  

Make time for your own personal development

The panel also stressed the importance of your own personal development, especially your emotional intelligence. Naomi used the analogy of learning to drive a manual car—moving from conscious competence to unconscious competence through practice and persistence.

She encouraged leaders to reflect on their own impact and seek regular feedback: “When was the last time you asked for feedback? And when did you actually do something about it?”

By modelling vulnerability and a commitment to improvement, leaders not only enhance their own capabilities, but create a safe, open environment where their teams can thrive.

Collaboration & connection is the future

As workplaces continue to transform, Human Resources and Safety leaders must adapt by fostering collaboration, and enhancing their leadership capabilities. Ultimately, the panel argued that those who work together will be best positioned to meet the demands of tomorrow.

If you'd like to be invited to events like this one, please sign up to our e-newsletter. And if you need to expand or strengthen your HR and HSE teams to help navigate these organisational changes, please get in touch with one of our specialist consultants who can connect you with top talent in these critical areas.