ChatGPT Prompts for HR Managers in Australia

ChatGPT and similar AI tools can significantly reduce the time Australian HR managers spend on documentation, drafting, and research. The quality of the output depends heavily on the quality of the prompt. These prompts are designed for Australian HR contexts and include the legislative and organisational detail that produces useful, relevant results.

Always review AI-generated HR documents before use. For compliance-sensitive documents, have them reviewed by someone with employment law expertise.

Job Description and Recruitment Prompts

Job description drafting:

"Write a job description for a [role title] position at a [industry] company in Australia with approximately [number] employees. The role reports to [manager title]. Key responsibilities include [list 3-4 responsibilities]. Required qualifications: [list qualifications]. The role is [full-time/part-time], [office/hybrid/remote], based in [city]. Include a brief company overview section and an equal opportunity statement consistent with Australian anti-discrimination law."

Screening criteria development:

"I am recruiting for a [role title] in Australia. Help me develop a structured screening criteria matrix with 5-7 criteria, each with a description of what 'meets expectations' and 'exceeds expectations' looks like. The criteria should be directly relevant to job performance and avoid criteria that could constitute indirect discrimination under the Age Discrimination Act, Sex Discrimination Act, or Racial Discrimination Act."

Interview question set:

"Generate a structured interview question set for a [role title] position in Australia. Include 3 behavioural questions using the STAR format, 2 situational questions, and 2 technical/skills questions. Each question should have a brief note on what a strong answer would include. Avoid questions that could constitute unlawful discrimination under Australian anti-discrimination legislation."

Performance Management Prompts

Performance review template:

"Create a performance review template for a [role title] in a [industry] organisation in Australia. Include sections for: achievement against goals, demonstration of core competencies (list 3-4 relevant competencies), development areas, goals for the next review period, and an overall rating scale with descriptors. The template should be suitable for both manager and employee self-assessment."

Performance improvement plan:

"Draft a performance improvement plan (PIP) for an employee in the role of [role title] in Australia. The performance concern is [describe the specific performance issue]. The plan should cover a [timeframe] period and include: specific performance expectations, measurable milestones, support to be provided by the manager, review checkpoints, and the consequence of not meeting the plan. The tone should be constructive and focused on improvement."

Feedback framing:

"Help me reframe this performance feedback to be more constructive and specific: [paste your draft feedback]. The employee is a [role title] and the feedback relates to [describe the situation]. The goal is to clearly communicate the performance concern while maintaining a supportive tone and focusing on observable behaviours rather than personality."

Policy and Compliance Prompts

Policy drafting:

"Draft an [policy type, e.g. flexible work, social media, AI use] policy for an Australian organisation with approximately [number] employees in the [industry] sector. The policy should be consistent with the Fair Work Act 2009 and relevant modern awards. Include: purpose, scope, policy statement, employee responsibilities, manager responsibilities, and a breach/consequence section. Flag any areas where legal review is recommended."

Termination letter:

"Draft a termination letter for an employee in Australia who is being made redundant as part of a [describe restructure]. The employee has been employed for [duration] and is covered by the [award name] Modern Award. Include: the reason for termination, the notice period or payment in lieu, entitlements on termination (annual leave, long service leave if applicable), and information about accessing the Fair Work Commission if the employee believes the redundancy is not genuine. Note: this draft requires legal review before use."

Formal warning letter:

"Draft a first formal written warning letter for an employee in Australia. The performance/conduct issue is [describe the issue]. The employee has been employed for [duration]. Include: a clear description of the performance/conduct concern, reference to previous informal discussions (if any), the expected standard of behaviour, the consequence of continued issues, and the employee's right to respond. Note: this draft requires legal review before use."

Employee Communication Prompts

Announcement drafting:

"Draft an internal announcement for [describe the change, e.g. a new flexible work policy, a restructure, a new HR system]. The audience is [describe the workforce]. The tone should be [professional/warm/direct]. Key messages to include: [list 2-3 key messages]. Include a FAQ section with 3-4 questions employees are likely to ask."

Difficult conversation preparation:

"Help me prepare for a difficult conversation with an employee about [describe the situation, e.g. performance concerns, attendance issues, a complaint from a colleague]. I want to: [describe your goal for the conversation]. Help me structure the conversation with an opening, key points to cover, how to respond if the employee becomes defensive, and a clear closing that confirms next steps."

Engagement and Analytics Prompts

Survey theme analysis:

"I have the following open-text responses from an employee engagement survey. Please identify the top 5 themes, note the sentiment (positive/negative/mixed) for each theme, and suggest one action the organisation could take to address each theme: [paste responses]"

Turnover analysis:

"Based on the following exit interview data, identify the top reasons employees are leaving and suggest 3 evidence-based retention strategies the organisation could implement: [paste exit interview themes or data]"