WORKPLACE RELATIONS ADVISORY
The pointy end of HR.
Practical, legally grounded counsel for high-risk and complex workplace matters.
When a workplace situation becomes serious — a disciplinary matter, a discrimination complaint, a performance issue that has escalated, a termination that needs to be managed with precision — leaders and HR managers often find themselves navigating terrain that is legally complex, emotionally charged, and operationally urgent all at once.
Ruth Levy brings something unusual to this work: the combination of a former barrister and solicitor, a senior HR practitioner with over 40 years of combined experience, and a qualified psychotherapist. She understands the legal framework, the organisational stakes, and the human dimensions of these situations simultaneously — and can advise with clarity and confidence across all three.
AREAS OF ADVISORY
What the service covers
Ruth provides practical, experienced advice across the full range of complex workplace relations matters, including:
Employment-related disputes
When a grievance, dispute, or complaint escalates beyond informal resolution, Ruth provides clear advice on process, risk, and options — helping organisations navigate the situation in a way that is legally sound and proportionate.
Performance management
Structuring and managing a performance process that is fair, documented, and defensible — from initial conversations through to formal performance improvement plans and, where necessary, termination.
Serious misconduct and disciplinary matters
Advising on the appropriate process for investigating and responding to allegations of serious misconduct — including show cause processes, suspension decisions, and the determination of outcomes.
Discrimination, harassment, and bullying
Guidance on responding to complaints — covering the organisation's obligations, the rights of those involved, the appropriate investigation pathway, and how to manage the situation with care.
Health issues impacting work performance
Navigating the intersection of performance and wellbeing — including fitness for work assessments, reasonable adjustments, and managing the employment relationship where health is a complicating factor.
Complex terminations of employment
Advising on termination processes that are legally compliant, appropriately documented, and managed in a way that minimises risk to the organisation and treats the individual with dignity.
Contracts of employment and policies
Review and drafting of employment contracts, position descriptions, and workplace policies to ensure compliance with current legislation and alignment with best practice.
THE DIFFERENCE
Legal precision. Human understanding. Organisational experience.
Most HR advisors bring one or two of these. Ruth brings all three.
Her background as a barrister and solicitor means she can read a situation through a legal lens — identifying risk, understanding obligations, and advising on process with the precision that complex matters require. Her 30+ years in human resources means she understands how organisations actually work — the politics, the cultures, the pressures that leaders face when managing difficult people situations.
And her psychotherapeutic training means she can hold the human dimension alongside the legal and organisational ones — which matters enormously when the people involved are distressed, the relationships are damaged, and the stakes feel very high.
This combination is particularly valuable in situations where a purely legalistic approach would resolve the immediate risk but leave the organisation — and the people in it — worse off than before.
THE ADVISORY RELATIONSHIP
Practical, direct, and confidential
Ruth works as a trusted advisor — available for one-off consultations on a specific situation, or on an ongoing basis for organisations that want experienced HR counsel to call on when complex matters arise.
She is direct in her advice. She will tell you what she thinks the right course of action is, what the risks are in the alternatives, and what she would recommend — while always respecting that the decisions rest with you and your organisation. All advisory work is confidential.
Ruth works with organisations of all sizes and across all sectors. She is based in Byron Bay, NSW, and available nationally — including by phone and video.
WHEN ADVISORY AND MEDIATION INTERSECT
Sometimes the right answer is both.
Many of the situations that require HR advisory support also involve relationship breakdown between individuals or within teams. In some cases — once the formal process has concluded — a Restorative Mediation or Group Restorative Process is the right next step to genuinely repair what has been damaged.
Ruth is uniquely placed to advise on when this is appropriate and to provide both services, ensuring continuity and coherence across what can otherwise be a fragmented response to a complex situation.
WHAT NEXT?
How to engage Ruth
The first step is a confidential conversation about your situation. Ruth offers an initial consultation to understand what you are dealing with and whether and how she can help. There is no obligation and no jargon — just a direct, experienced perspective on where things stand and what the options are.