IEL Elite
Highly acclaimed boutique
Overview
People + Culture Strategies is a dedicated employment law and management consultancy firm based in Sydney. Founding partner Joydeep Hor is a key contact at the firm, which primarily advises employers.
Kirryn West James was appointed to the directorship in February 2022. Other key names are Michelle Cooper and Chris Oliver.
Specialisms
The firm offers expertise across the gamut of issues facing employers, from advisory and litigation services through to leadership training.
Notably, the boutique acted for a number of key clients on mandatory vaccination policies throughout the covid-19 pandemic.
Advisory work spans employment contracts and policies, separations, issues associated with contractors, business transfers, absenteeism, and the management of confidential information.
The group is also able to support with remuneration, organisational structure reviews, board effectiveness evaluation, and culture and compliance auditing.
The firm’s skillset extends to dispute resolution and investigations, including mediation of workplace grievances, contractual disputes, and support in matters before the Fair Work Ombudsman.
A standout mandate in this space was its advice to Mercer Australia Pty on a dispute relating to allegations by an employee that the client had breached a collective agreement, and sought AU $1.5m in compensation. The team successfully defended the claim and secured costs against the employee.
The group is particularly active in the labour relations space, within which it supports with negotiating enterprise agreements and avoiding strike action.
In addition, the firm is regularly appointed by clients in the sports industry to advise on critical issues impacting employees, including disputes.
Clients
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Profile provided by People + Culture Strategies
Background
People + Culture Strategies (“PCS”) is regarded as one of Australia’s most innovative professional services firms, servicing employers of all sizes and across all industries, operating purely in the fields of labour and employment law and strategy. The Firm is a hybrid of a law firm and a management consulting business, established to be unlike any other legal firm given its emphasis on working with its clients to prevent disputation and legal problems arising within their organisations, as opposed to a mere “reactive” provider.
Founded by Joydeep Hor, Managing Principal of the firm, the unique Australian law firm specialises in the provision of legal and strategic advice to organisations on people management issues. In addition to this, the firm also specialises in a vast range of other areas, which include mediations, legal advice and consulting, coaching and investigations to name but a few. The firm is heavily committed to educating its clients and other stakeholders on its activities so that they are very much ahead of the game.
Achievements & Awards
Since 2016, Joydeep has represented Australia at the prestigious International Forum on Employment Law and he regularly presents at International Bar Association conferences. He is the only Australian lawyer to be invited to be on the American Employment Law Council.
The highly regarded “Who’s Who Legal: Labour, Employment & Benefits” publication has recognised Joydeep as a Global Elite Thought Leader in this area of the law, one of only two lawyers in Australia and six in the entire Asia-Pacific region. Both Joydeep and Director, Chris Oliver, have also been recognised as market-leading lawyers in the “Who’s Who Legal: Australia & New Zealand” publication.
PCS regularly contributes to several international publications and Joydeep makes regular media appearances, including on television, radio and in print media.
PCS is the Australian member firm for Innangard, an international employment law alliance. Each Innangard member firm is individually recognised in its own country and jurisdiction for its expertise in labour and employment law issues.
Product / Services Details
Providing strategic and commercial advice to prevent disputation, conflict and legal problems from arising, the PCS team works closely with Heads of HR, in-house Counsel and an organisation’s senior leadership team.
The Firm’s dispute resolution practice deals with all aspects of litigation and litigation management, including conducting legal proceedings in tribunals such as the Fair Work Commission.
The investigations component of the Firm’s work is one of the most sought-after offerings, dealing with a sexual harassment or workplace bullying complaints or any other grievance our clients may encounter. PCS conducts a fully independent investigation concerning those matters and gives its clients the assurance it seeks around how they should be responding or reacting to the findings of that investigation.
PCS also offers a range of services in education and thought leadership to provide clients with the opportunity to be kept informed on thought-leading and innovative issues and practices in people management. These include executive coaching, corporate training programs (such as high performing teams and behaviour & culture) lunchtime masterclasses, webinars and self-paced on-line training.
Lastly, the Firm offers comprehensive education of recommended legal knowledge for those in HR and People & Culture roles, which is an extremely popular and highly sought-after program.
Philanthropy
PCS is proud to support numerous organisations across its three philanthropic pillars of sport, the arts and education.
PCS sponsors the Northern Suburbs Rugby Football Club and is the Official People Partner of NSW Rugby and the Waratahs, Cricket NSW, Cricket Tasmania, Netball NSW, Netball Queensland, Tennis NSW, Sport NSW, Volleyball NSW, Softball NSW and Athletics NSW. Through these key partnerships, People + Culture Strategies is able to share its expertise in people management to numerous employers in the NSW sporting sector.
The Firm proudly sponsors Packemin Productions (a leading pro-am musical theatre production company), Bloom Creative Productions, Darlinghurst Theatre Company, D2 Productions and numerous ad hoc musicals and plays.
PCS also sponsors the annual Classical Languages Teachers Association Latin Reading Competition, numerous prizes at the University of Sydney and has funded the education of a student in Cambodia through her high school years. The Firm has also provided extensive support since 2010 to numerous early childhood educational organisations.