It has been said that problems can not be solved from the same level of awareness or mindset from which they were created. One doesn't have to look very far to realise that humanity currently faces a lot of problems. Whilst this may have always been the case, and whilst it is also true that humans have become adept at solving some very complex problems, it is also fair to say that we are potentially facing one of the biggest 'problems' in modern history. What these problems require of us, is a new approach to leadership and a new level of awareness about how we can transform current issues into future possible solutions to navigate the future of work.

The employment gap for people with disabilities continues to widen in Australia. This is a puzzling situation, given that employers often struggle to find the talent they need. Yet there is a huge, untapped resource available. Nearly 500,000 people receive disability pensions in Australia. The United Nations reports much higher employment rates for people with disabilities in a number of other countries, some of which are much less prosperous than Australia. (e.g. Malawi at 92% and China at 85%). Many of you may not be aware that the Australian Government passed legislation last year to facilitate those with disabilities to join the workforce.

Gone are the days when e-Recruitment and Core-HR Software systems were just clumps of code that only store static data. Over the past 8 years, Human Resources systems have undergone a significant evolution - with the architecture of many of today's solutions virtually unrecognisable in comparison to their early noughties counterparts. Even the Payroll space has been radically transformed, despite the fact that many people thought it would take a lot longer for Payroll and Finance to go on-line and be cloud based in a mainstream manner. At the foundation of all these changes is the purpose of connecting both people and different systems together to create increased efficiencies and greater degrees of freedom. This level of innovation and automation has created inspiring levels of progress and change for many businesses, but what is in store during the next 5 to 10 years?

At face value, talent acquisition might seem obvious, straightforward and handled from an organisational perspective. After all, organisations hire employees every day, and have been doing so for a long, long time. However, as the way we work continues to evolve, the talent acquisition function has become a highly complex and dynamic process. With multiple types of employees, many performance drivers, ever-evolving technology, a plethora of solution and service providers, and a shortage of great talent, the importance of acquisition cannot be overstated.

Accenture is currently undertaking a multi-year research initiative designed to examine the new mission, mandate, skills, capabilities, roles, and organisational structures that may emerge for the HR function in the future. The research assesses important new developments in technology, changing employee expectations, continued market volatility, and more. Through this initiative, Accenture is exploring how key business trends will fundamentally reshape HR as the future workplace continues to evolve. Accenture's research also provides actionable insights to enable HR and business executives to address future trends and help their people and organisations become more robust.

Having great talent intelligence – that is an accurate understanding of the skills, expertise, and qualities of your employees - is essential for the decision makers in every organisation. However, the available evidence suggests that despite the importance of having accurate talent intelligence, it is often not done well. Why is it, that in 2015, this is still the case?

The popularity of last week's post on 'how to stress less' is an indication of the level of interest around stress in the workplace. How many HR Professionals out there are aware of the neuroscience of stress versus success? Stress isn’t just a major contributor to illness and disease, stress hormones actually erode higher-brain networks. The result? Essentially the effects of chronic stress will inhibit you from succeeding fully at life. Prolonged periods of high levels of stress mean that your stress response system is on high alert, releasing toxic hormones into your system. These hormones effect your ability to perform, produce and ultimately, to enjoy your life.

Workplace stress is a serious issue. More importantly, high levels of worry in the workplace can have serious consequences on your quality of life - not only at the office, but everywhere else as well. Stress is responsible for over 75% of all doctor’s office visits and contributes to heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and autoimmune diseases. If you’re stressed out at work, and you take this home with you at the end of the day, it’s time to implement some measures that will help you STRESS LESS.