With frontline leaders being responsible for up to 80% of your workforce and making up 50% of your leadership team it is vital that they are able to perform their roles effectively. When they struggle it has a direct impact on your organisation. If you are having trouble convincing decision makers to spend money on developing your struggling frontline leaders I may have the answer.

The issue of a lack of investment in frontline leadership development was highlighted recently with the…

I’ve always been fond of English literature. I studied it as one of the three A Levels (the UK equivalent of HSC) and, 35 years on, I still remember loving one of the set authors, the American F Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald is best known for his works, ‘The Great Gatsby’ and ‘Tender is the Night’. Like any good lit student, I could rattle off quote after quote, like “Her…

As a small business it can be extremely tough trying to save money while rewarding the successes of your employees. Here are some ways of motivating your employees, while still keeping to a strict budget.

Performance Management

There are often reports on performance management reviews gone wrong, but what happens when it goes…

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) continues to successfully prosecute and investigate businesses that exploit workers from overseas.

In a recent investigation of a Perth restaurant, the FWO found that two overseas workers had been underpaid by their employer to the tune of $13,822.  After admitting to a number of contraventions, the employer agreed to enter into an enforceable undertaking with the FWO to make good.

Enforceable undertakings permit the FWO to take legal action…

Recently in our blog article It’s my prerogative – Employer permitted to stop delegates wearing shirts with union logo we discussed managerial prerogative and the ability for management to direct employees not to wear shirts with a union logo on them in…

Performance management is a hot topic; it has been for some time. Managers universally want to know what can be done to escalate company performance. What are the secrets, shortcuts, and strategies? Where do I begin? Employers and their managers all want answers to these and other performance questions. They…

No one likes to be the bearer of bad news. This is particularly true in the employment context when you are faced with having to tell an employee 'no'. 

These days employees can make a number of requests of their employer, be it leave requests such as annual leave, long service leave or a leave of absence, to flexibility arrangements such as part time hours, altered starting and finishing hours, working from home just to name a few. On most occasions these requests…

Many employers are beginning to see the value of merit- or performance-based pay rises over traditional, incremental increases. However, using a system that ties reward to performance also brings challenges. After all, employees who don't receive the review they're wanting or expecting can become despondent and unproductive, and even those who perform well may feel they’re not rewarded adequately enough.

By setting up a robust and transparent process for your pay reviews, you’ll make…

More and more studies reveal that positive workplaces are the key to driving productivity, reducing employee turnover, and preventing disengagement. Where the real dilemma lies, however, is how to create those positive workplaces that engage…

As this financial year sprints to the end, a lot of employees will be looking forward to the much awaited ‘end of financial year’ party. While this is a great way for employees to take a breath after the year that was, it can become a testing time for HR staff when last drinks are called.

To help minimise or avoid poor behaviour, here are some tips:

• Remind employees about what constitutes unacceptable behaviour and the consequences for such behaviour.
• Encourage…

Recently, I attending an event that featured Fiona de Jong, CEO of the Australian Olympic Committee. Fiona’s presentation and the answers she gave to questions left me pondering why I felt inspired by Fiona and for me, what is the source of inspirational leadership.

Fiona talked about her vision of “being the most respected team in the world” and her three personal values that for me, underpin that vision –

• Giving her best and expecting only the best…

Is this your scenario?

You don’t have a company uniform in place, and you’re not planning to introduce one. The challenge you face is that you have staff of all ages and backgrounds within the organisation.  Often staff are not dressed appropriately and addressing what is considered ‘appropriate’ work attire is a sensitive topic. 

It can be a challenge to address these issues without offending staff.  If a uniform is not something your company is planning to…

Who needs to read this Update?

Well everyone, we all have work health and safety obligations after all, but this update is particularly important for any employers that have a duty in relation to the same matter as another duty holder under the Model Work Health and Safety legislation (“WHS legislation”).

What sections of the WHS legislation are we talking about?

Section 16(1) provides that more than one person can concurrently have the same…

I wanted to let you know about the Lifeline Accidental Counsellor Workshop that I will be delivering in Sydney. It’s an excellent workplace program, drawing on Lifeline’s unparalleled expertise of helping Australian’s in crisis. This teaching can help everyone - whether you work for others or yourself.



Please feel free to contact me or pass on to others. Details are below and…

Brainstorming is a technique for finding the best solution to a known problem or challenge.

However, it’s often used for all ideation attempts, despite the limitations and challenges associated with it. It can be a very effective technique for creative problem solving, but only when used correctly.…

When I think about measuring Return on Investment (ROI) of a training program, my brain lodges a protest. I agree that we need to measure the benefits of training - I just don’t agree that ROI is an appropriate measure to use. ROI is far too simple to cope with the complexity of professional development and performance management.

I suggest that what we really want to measure is the benefit vs cost, or ‘Cost-Benefit Analysis’.

So in discussing ‘ROI’ on learning, I’ll refer to…

With Australia’s rich forestry and the current unpredictability of the weather, properties are at equal risks of falling victims to bushfires and other fire-related emergencies.

As a business, not only can you suffer from great amounts of damages but can also put a lot of lives on the line.

Is Your Workplace OH&S Compliant?

It is vital to ensure that your place of business follows safety…

In a recent Fair Work Commission (FWC) decision in Alcoa of Australia Limited v AWU [2016] FWC 3582, the FWC looked at whether Alcoa was entitled to require all employees, including AWU delegates covered by the World Alumina Australia WA Operations AWU Enterprise Agreement 2014 (the EBA), and working on the Western Australia Mining site, to comply with the terms of the Western Australian Mining Dress Policy (the Policy). 

Alcoa applied to the FWC…