Written by Sophie Babic

Reimagining HR with Gartner 

This week, IMPACT’s corporate team attended Gartner’s ReimagineHR Conference in Sydney, where HR leaders gathered to discuss the top trends shaping the Australian workforce for 2025. Highlights included a focus talent acquisition, employee motivation, and the impact of AI. 

More than half (56%) of CEOs intend to prioritise growth in 2025, and AI emerged as the most impactful technology, with 74% of leaders acknowledging its transformative potential. However, significant value gains from AI are expected to come slowly, with challenges around deployment and integration. 

Another critical issue is the declining availability of talent, driven by labour shortages, skill mismatches, and shifting employee expectations. Gartner’s research found that 41% of Australian job seekers rejected offers that didn’t meet their expectations, showing the need for businesses to offer competitive and meaningful work opportunities. 

As businesses prepare for 2025, balancing growth ambitions with employee satisfaction and AI integration will be essential to staying ahead in a competitive market. 

Gartner is an IMPACT client.  

ABC departures 

ABC News Breakfast host Michael Rowland has announced he is stepping down after 15 years with the program. While taking a break, Rowland assured fans that he would return to the network in 2025. His exit adds to a growing list of departures from the program, including co-host Lisa Millar in August and Tony Armstrong in October.  

But it’s not just TV; ABC Radio Sydney is also seeing a major shake-up. Longtime broadcaster Robbie Buck is stepping away from full-time duties after nearly three decades, Richard Glover wrapped up his 26-year run on the Drive program last week and Simon Marnie and Sarah MacDonald’s contracts were not renewed. 

Meta locks down on financial advertising 

Meta is taking a stance against fake celebrity investment scams on Facebook and Instagram by introducing stricter requirements for advertising. 

From February 2025, Meta will need businesses looking to run ads about financial services to verify their Australian financial services licence number or declare an exemption. Individuals will need to provide a government-issued ID. The new constraints will apply to advertisers worldwide targeting Australian users on Meta’s platforms.

Similarly to political ads on Facebook, financial ads will now also feature a disclaimer that allows users to see who is behind them. The regulations have already been implemented in Taiwan and the UK, with Australia following closely behind after the growing pressure from politicians and regulators to combat scams involving deepfake images of public figures, such as Martin Lewis, Gina Rinehart, and Anthony Albanese, being used to promote fake investments.  

The National Anti-Scam Centre reports that, as of September 2024, Australia has seen $135 million in reported losses from investment scams, with $35 million attributed to social media scams alone.

Woolies workers strike for better pay and safety 

Supermarket giant Woolworths is under scrutiny again with more than 1,500 warehouse workers on strike since 21 November.

The United Workers Union (UWU) is demanding a minimum wage rise to at least $38 in addition to the scrapping of a productivity framework imposed, which it believes currently puts worker safety at risk. The strikes are impacting the flow of goods into stores, as shoppers find bare shelves in their local stores. 

Woolworths pushed back on UWU demands, claiming the wages requested are far above inflation, which are not feasible amidst the current cost-of-living pressures.