Small businesses are the backbone of employment in Australia. In fact, the majority of businesses trading in Australia (by a long way) are small businesses. These businesses have a genuine opportunity to establish, maintain and improve gender equality within their workplaces, making a significant difference to the overall success of gender equity initiatives. … keep reading
Want to reward high-performing staff? Sure, you could simply give them a bonus, however, often that money is quickly forgotten, especially when most bonuses are paid by bank transfer. This can make a monetary reward less effective in the long term. Often monetary bonuses become ‘expected’ so the feeling of reward and recognition is reduced. Staff rewards don’t have to be complicated or expensive to be valued. Here’s a few of our favourites.
Most employment contracts we have seen have a probationary period in it. However, many employers don’t give it much thought, except when they become unhappy with the employee’s performance or general ‘fit’ after they commence work.
There is no requirement to provide a probationary period. In saying that, it is a great tool for employers and their employees to regularly check in with each other, formalise any observed training needs and communicate expectations. They aren’t an excuse to simply fire someone 2 months and 28 days into their employment, with no explanation though. … keep reading
When a long term employee isn’t performing well, it can be a real challenge to manage. Often business owners have developed strong relationships with this employee over their employment. It can be difficult to start a performance management conversation, whether the performance issues started suddenly, or if they’ve become worse over a length of time. Either way, for the sake of your business culture and productivity, and your sanity, it’s best to address the issues as they arise. … keep reading
December is a great time for both preparing for the year ahead and reviewing what we’ve achieved in the year past. You might be familiar with completing an annual employee review, but do you perform an annual business review? Reflecting on what you thought you would do, vs. what you did, especially for your employee practices, provides you with a valuable starting point for improving in 2019.
Do you have a workplace social media policy? If you don’t, you really should!
With many Australians accessing Facebook, Instagram or other social media platforms daily, including during working hours, creating a clear understanding with employees as to what’s acceptable online behaviour in relation to your business is vital.
It feels like we’re regularly seeing media releases of companies mistakenly underpaying staff lately. It’s a reflection of the not-so-simple, Modern Award system, that many businesses employ their staff under. Interpreting the terms of the Modern Awards can be challenging, especially for those not well-versed in the language used, or without proper attention to detail. However, there are steps you can take to reduce the likelihood of also inadvertently underpaying your employees.
Did you know that young people in Australia are more than twice as likely to be unemployed as the general population? According to recent figures, those aged between 15-24 had an unemployment rate of 11.6%, as compared to the general population of just 5.4%. Across the world, young people are three times more likely to be unemployed than adults, so as World Youth Skills Day approaches on 15 July, we thought it was the perfect time to share our ideas on how employers can help young job-seekers enter the workforce. … keep reading
3, 2, 1…Happy New (Financial) Year! Yes, it’s that time of year again! The new financial year is a great time to check in with your personal and business goals, to assess if you’re on track, or if perhaps you need to ramp-up or re-evaluate the way you’re doing things. When it comes to your workplace, we’ve got a few ideas for your mid-year, workplace resolutions. … keep reading
In the ever-evolving workplace, being on top of the latest trends can help attract the best staff, increase productivity and reduce surprises along the way. Today we cover 5 of the HR trends we’ve seen in 2018 that could change your HR practices. … keep reading