Teaching old dogs new tricks: The Fair Work Commission New Approaches program

Under the Fair Work Commission (FWC) New Approaches program, employers can now seek assistance from the FWC to develop a 'new approach' to bargaining, implementing change and resolving workplace conflict.

Recently, FWC President Justice Iain Ross AO announced that the New Approaches pilot program, which commenced in 2014, will become a permanent program conducted by the FWC.

This now permanent New Approaches program offers parties an additional avenue to facilitate bargaining, introduce change and resolve workplace conflict and applies an interest-based approach to bargaining and conflict resolution.

Interest-based bargaining and problem solving focuses on identification of the underlying needs and concerns of the parties, rather than the desired outcomes of the parties. Parties using an interest-based approach jointly develop outcomes to advance these interests.