Performance reviews….is it that time of year again…..already? Why is it that something that should be an effective tool to motivate your team often turns into that annoying form that you have to fill out once a year?

Last week I conducted a workshop with a leadership team of a global pharmaceutical company on how to conduct an…

Effective human resource management doesn't need to be over complicated. In fact, if you can just get the fundamentals right then you are well on your way to growing a successful business and employment culture.

Read on to discover the steps and tools to help you achieve them in your business.…

I recently read about the upcoming release of Sheryl Sandberg’s new book “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead”. As the COO of Facebook, she talks about Mark Zuckerberg (her boss) and the advice he gave re her desire to be liked by everyone and his belief that it would hold her back in her…

Looking back over 2012, there have been certain developments that really stand out as important for small businesses…

Two years ago when I worked in a large corporate, I had an outrageous idea that risked $25 million in sales revenue completely on the trust of our front-line employees. It was so phenomenally successful that it got me thinking that trust itself might be the new business currency:

The Background

When our long-standing sales manager announced her impending maternity leave, it left me with a decision to make on how to drive sales for a year without her. Conventional…

Just like we need a brand to attract the right customers, every business should also have a separate employment brand or employee value proposition to attract great talent. Whilst, it may have similar characteristics to the overall marketing message of the business, it should also be very targeted. Any business, big or small is missing out if they don’t have their own employment identity.

We all know that a brand is not just a company logo; it is what stands behind it in terms of…

With an ageing workforce, a tight labour market, ongoing skills shortages and an increasingly knowledge based economy, businesses are driving a focus on maximising employee performance and efficiency. Optimising performance and productivity is about collaborating to share best practice knowledge and aligning corporate learning with business goals. HR and the learning and development (L&D) team play a key role in enabling performance on the job and when coupled with the right technology…

One of the biggest bugbears by job seekers is not winning an interview because they don’t have the industry experience for the role they have applied for.  It seems that every job ad wants ‘industry experience’ – you must have worked in the wine industry or have banking or financial services experience.  This criteria and restriction make it pretty hard for you to join new…

In Brief

An employee owes a duty to their employer to be honest in their dealings with it.  This is no more apparent than when the employee is the subject of an investigation into alleged misconduct.

A recent dismissal case…

I don’t know how to start? I think it’s too tough?  Or time consuming?  These were all the questions which popped into my mind whenever I thought about writing my own blog. Instead of thinking why we should write a blog? Let’s think over why we shouldn’t hesitate to write it. People are usually willing to write and start their own blog but most of the time they stop dead due to below mentioned reasons:…

I have recently returned from speaking at the International Recruitment Conference in Fiji where the theme was “Recruitment at the Speed of Tomorrow”.  It was an inspiring…

“Although the goals in this book are important, it’s really your ideas, talent, and energy that will keep Valve shining in the years ahead. Thanks for being here. Let’s make great things.”

Valve, the company responsible for the ever-popular “Half Life”, “Portal” and digital shopfront, “Stream” has released their new employee handbook for public viewing. Read it here:  …

Our Managing Director and Chief Psychologist, Stephen Kohl, believes that since the Global Financial Crisis, people have been demanding more genuine engagement and service in business.

In the boom climate prior to late 2009, companies and organisations were prepared to spend much more on out-sourced services like recruitment, training, conferences and “extras”. Following the GFC, things have been leaner and…

“People join companies, but leave people.” What does this mean when it comes to your workplace culture?

Firstly, it means that leading by example is always a good idea. If you want to see punctuality, enthusiasm and team player behaviour then you will need to display them yourself…

Innovation and Creativity articles dominate the July issue of HR Monthly, the official magazine of AHRI, Australia’s peak Human Resources body.

Like businesses and organisations the world over, who are increasingly recognising that innovation and…

This week I met with a promising new client. They have a handful of vacancies, one position that has been vacant for 3 months and another that they have interviewed 30 candidates for (yes, face to face) and still haven’t found the right candidate. Hmmmm…. Houston we have a problem!

The managers are pulling their hair out as it…

There is no doubt about it, the Australian workplace is going through massive structural changes.  Wage costs are high. The cost of living and working in the major capitals is also high. In case you hadn’t noticed, Sydney is the seventh most expensive city in the world. Melbourne is the eighth.

So it’s no surprise that organisations have been…

Over the past few months I have been giving advice on executive CV’s and how to improve them. What I’ve learnt is that just because you earn a six-figure salary shouldn’t assume you have a great resume – in fact in some cases, these have been the worst!

The resume is a sales tool – it is a preview document with…