Chief Executive Officer, AIM WA | Emeritus Professor | Social Affairs and Workplace Expert |Workplace Trend Spotter|Columnist |Director|LinkedIn Top Voice 2018 | Speaker |Content Creator

I am a former academic turned social trends and workplace specialist, Board director, keynote speaker, newspaper columnist, and most importantly, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Institute of Management in Western Australia (AIM WA).

My passion is inspiring better workplaces.  I like to ignite discussions around workplace themes and topics, and I use my column in Perth’s The Sunday Times – called “Workplace Matters” – to get conversations started right here on LinkedIn.

I also have an interest in what’s trending in our non-work lives too, so you’ll see that I post pieces on here about various social affairs topics.

And, if you happen to follow what happens in the higher education sector, you might be interested in some of my Business News’ Education pieces which I regularly publish here too.

For me LinkedIn is all about having conversations.  So feel free to follow me, and join the chat.

RESPECT is now part of almost every values statement.

Making it instinctive, consistent and visible is the challenge still before us.

#respect #management #leadership #humanresources #hr #work #workplace #AIMWA

Cartoon used under licence:  CartoonStock

Professor Gary Martin FAIM

I am a former academic turned social affairs and workplace expert, Board director, keynote speaker, newspaper columnist, and most importantly, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Institute of Management in Western Australia (AIM WA).

My passion is inspiring better workplaces.  I like to ignite discussions around workplace themes and topics, and I use my column in Perth’s The Sunday Times – called “Workplace Matters” – to get conversations started right here on LinkedIn.

I also have an interest in what’s trending in our non-work lives too, so you’ll see that I post pieces on here about various social affairs topics.

And, if you happen to follow what happens in the higher education sector, you might be interested in some of my Business News’ Education pieces which I regularly publish here too.

For me LinkedIn is all about having conversations.  So feel free to follow me, and join the chat.

Chief Executive Officer, AIM WA | Emeritus Professor | Social Trends | Workplace Strategist | Workplace Trend Spotter | Columnist | Director| LinkedIn Top Voice 2018 | Speaker | Content Creator

IT's only stationery.

Until it isn’t.

Small compromises rarely stay small. 

They reset the line of what feels acceptable. And once the line moves, it rarely moves back on its own.

#management #leadership #humanresources #theft #workplace #AIMWA

Cartoon used under licence:  CartoonStock

A PAY rise once carried the promise of something better. Not anymore.

Australia is living in the era of the illusionary pay rise, where a wage increase exists in theory but disappears in practice. 

The latest figures show annual nominal wages rising by 3.4 per cent.

The problem is that inflation sits higher at 3.8 per cent. 

The result is that real wages went backwards by 0.4 per cent across 2025.

It might only sound like a small backwards step but it is a move in the wrong direction for a number of reasons.

Most workers do not sit down and consider wage growth against inflation.

But they do know when their money does not stretch as far as it used to.

They experience it when a full shopping trolley costs more than a year ago.
Illusionary pay rises can also impact turnover.  

When wages fail to keep up with the cost of living, workers start looking elsewhere. 

And this creates real challenges for employers. 

Replacing staff is expensive and finding skilled staff is not always straightforward. 

There is another issue that is often overlooked – the financial pressure.

People who are worried about money do not work at their best. 

They might still be capable but stress takes up a big chunk of their mental space. 

And there is little doubt that creativity is harder when people feel exhausted and distracted.

Over time, this becomes a productivity problem.

Many employers are caught between rising expenses and rising expectations.

They might want to do more but are under pressure as well.

Employers cannot control inflation but can control how they respond to it. 

They can be upfront about what their organisation can afford and explain wage decisions clearly. 

Even small gestures, such as one-off cost-of-living payments or more regular pay reviews, can help staff feel seen – and heard.

Employers can also support workers in practical ways. 

Flexible work can cut commuting and other costs while financial wellbeing support, such as access to budgeting advice or salary packaging, can help reduce stress. 

These steps will not replace a proper pay rise but can help to ease personal pressures placed on workers as a result of their financial resources contracting. 

But in the longer term, there is only one real solution: growth in productivity. 

The reality is Australia cannot lift wages in a sustainable way without increasing productivity. 

And this requires better systems, better skills, better training and better technology.

But for now, the pay rise illusion remains.

A wage increase that does not improve living standards feels pointless – like a trick or the promise of progress which never materialises.

So while wages continue to outpace inflation again, many Australians will keep hearing the words “pay rise” and ask: what pay rise?

#management #leadership #benefits #humanresources #wages #aimwa #workplace 

Cartoon used under licence: CartoonStock

SAUNA user ... perhaps read this?

For a country that spends a lot of time trying to stay cool, Australia has developed an unexpected enthusiasm for saunas. 

The sauna, once a humble hideaway tucked inside gyms, is increasingly a hot addition to everyday Australian life.

Saunas are turning up well beyond gyms and pools and appearing in wellness centres, bathhouses and spa venues – often alongside cold plunges and other recovery spaces.

They are also finding their way into backyards, apartment buildings and holiday homes. 

For all the hot air surrounding the trend, the reason people are increasingly showing up to saunas is simple: saunas make us slow down and stop for a while. 

On top of that, saunas promise benefits without boasting about them. 
As for those benefits, they are usually described in modest terms rather than bold claims. 

Research to date generally suggests that regular sauna use is especially beneficial for cardiovascular health, circulation, mood and longevity.

Associated, of course, does not mean guaranteed though it is often enough to sustain belief.

Perhaps the most commonly talked-about benefit is detoxification.
It is also a claim that is dubious.  

Sweating helps the body cool itself and might remove very small amounts of waste.

Yet most detox work is done by the liver and kidneys. 

So even though after time in a sauna people often feel lighter or clearer, in that sense detox is more about perception than process.

Saunas are not a miracle cure. 

The benefits appear to come from regular, sensible use rather than pushing things to extremes.

Plus those benefits vary depending on the person.

And those using saunas will invariably encounter tensions of the people kind.

Thermal tensions between users – particularly those using community hot boxes – arise because there is no single way to use a sauna properly.

Preferences around heat, silence, clothing and even where to sit can differ sharply. 

Some want the temperature pushed higher. Others want it kept to something they can comfortably tolerate.

Some arrive wrapped in towels or swimwear. Others expect bare skin and minimal barriers.

Some want the seat where the heat is most intense. Others want to sit closer to the door for air.

Some sit in silence. Others make conversation.

Despite all of this, the appeal remains for many.

Yes, it seems odd that we live in a country that has spent decades engineering shade, insulation and air-conditioning into everyday life – only to voluntarily queue for controlled heat. 

Whatever the explanation, there is something faintly amusing about a nation so practiced at avoiding the heat that we line up to sit in it, towels wrapped tight.

Thank you to The West Australian for publishing my piece on this topic last week.  

#management #wellbeing #leadership #hr #mentalhealth #AIMWA

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