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A lesson in baseball
I must say a movie about baseball wasn’t my first choice to go and see at the movies, the fact that Brad Pitt was starring did sway my interest a little more than the storyline but never mind the attraction – I watched it and I loved it. If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s a very rough recap. A General Manager of a baseball team has limited financial capacity for his player’s payroll. Not being able to purchase the big names that all the teams are bidding for, he creates a formula for success which sees him recruit unknown or undervalued players based near solely on their on base percentage. This resulted in winning 103 games in that season and paying his team 1/6 th per win than that of their competitors in the league who won the same amount of games with the big name, big ticket baseball stars. But how? The formula was this: What wins games? Runs. Let’s find people who get them. It was an inspirational movie,... continue reading
Are you prepared for harmonisation?
In 2008 the federal government started working towards harmonising the health and safety legislation across the nation. The aim of the harmonisation is to enhance protection of the health and safety of workers, improve safety outcomes in workplaces, reduce compliance costs for business and to improve efficiency for regulatory agencies. On 1 January this year these changes became effective, and employers around Australia are required to comply. So what are these changes and how do they affect you? In brief, the key changes you need to take notice of are: Persons undertaking or conducting business (PCBU’s) will have a duty to, far as is reasonably practicable to ensure the health and safety of workers and others in the workplace, provide and maintain a work environment and safe systems of work and provide information, training and consultation around health and safety in the workplace. This list is only a snapshot of the duties tha... continue reading
Team building and communication day
On Monday 9 January the team at Watts Next celebrated the beginning of the New Year with a team building and communication day. The sessions consisted of the team going to Rocksports Indoor Rock Climbing centre. It was great to see how much the team was able to learn about each other and the way we communicate especially when one of the activities involved one team member being blind folded climbing up the rock wall assisted by another team member who navigated their path. ... continue reading
Show me the money
You meet them, something flutters inside you and you know they are the one; there is a connection and you’re sold. Yes! You have found your new employee! You call and let them know you’re interested and would like a permanent commitment. They say yes and you are ecstatic! It’s a great feeling when you have found the perfect person to fill that gap and the timely recruitment process is over. And then you get the call : ‘I have been counter offered’. Suddenly, you don’t feel so great. How do you handle this? Do you throw money at them? Do you say no because they are just trying to up the offer? Or do you cry because you can’t afford what they are asking? You need to ask yourself these questions: Why did they want to leave their current job? How much did they ask for during the salary negotiations? How much are they worth? If they wanted to leave because there is no growth... continue reading
Are you aware of adverse action?
When the industrial landscape changed last year and the Fair Work Act (FWA) was introduced, so to was adverse action. Adverse action is an avenue available to employees under the FWA which allows them to make a claim against an employer on the basis of being treated adversely due to undertaking, requesting or querying a work place right or having a workplace right withheld. For an employee to make a claim on the basis of adverse action the workplace right must be the motivation for the action. This could be anything from simply changing an employee’s roster outside the bounds of the award, forcing an employee to take annual leave, treating one employee differently from other employees or withholding a promotion where the employee was qualified to perform the job due to impending parental leave. In the event that an employee makes a claim, the onus of proof falls to you as the employer to prove that process or act was not as a result of a workplace right. In laymen’s... continue reading
Performance Management is not a dirty word
I have staff issues but I know I’m not addressing them. I don’t want to be seen as the bad guy. What can I do? Has your mother ever said….”Wash your mouth out with soap and don’t say that again”. And now you are thinking the same thing every time the word ‘Performance Management’ is used. Let me tell you, it isn’t dirty it just needs to be used correctly. This is a great question and one that I come across more often than not. Employers seem to be scared or not confident enough to have difficult conversations with their employees, usually because they are emotionally attached to their employees. By not doing this they are leaving important and often serious issues directly relating to the business or the employees performance until the last minute. Generally dealing with these types of problems is put in ‘the too hard basket’. When issues arise it is important to address this with the staff member immediately.... continue reading
I don't know what I don't know
I recently attended the Telstra Business Women’s awards to support and celebrate my Managing Directors nominations. I was amongst Queensland’s most accomplished business women and was in awe of some of their amazing achievements. I listened to key note speakers and acceptance speeches hoping to take away that piece of information that will unlock the doors to almighty success (e.g. the easy way), unfortunately I was told it was all hard work and there is no easy road. Bummer! However I did not walk away empty handed. Vanessa Garrard got up on stage and simply said, ‘I don’t know what I don’t know’. Her success was driven by realising she did not know everything and that she needed to find people that filled her gaps. If only everyone could come to this realisation. I all too often find people who don’t necessarily believe they know everything, but they still try to do everything whether they know how to or not �... continue reading
Surround yourself with amazing women
Over the last couple of months the team at Watts Next has been riding the excitement train with their Managing Director Sue-Ellen who was nominated and a subsequent finalist in two categories of the 2011 Telstra Business Women’s Awards. This year’s theme was ‘uncover amazing’ and that is certainly what the awards presentation did. To sit there and hear the stories of women who are not only making a difference but who are also shaping their career to be successful in their chosen field no matter what obstacles they may encounter was totally inspiring. Whilst Sue-Ellen was not a winner on the day, she certainly is a winner to the Watts Next team, her friends and family. Starting a business from nothing only 4 years ago to now employing 8 staff and servicing over 140 SME’s across... continue reading
Flexible Working Arrangements for Employees Returning from Parental Leave
It seems we are in the midst of a baby boom, which means an increase in maternity leave. So as a small or medium business how can you increase the chances of your quality employees returning from maternity leave sooner? I myself have just returned from maternity leave so I know exactly what this means for a business. Employees returning to work following a period of maternity leave poses a challenge for employers, it seems many employers are unsure about their obligations under the Fair Work Act 2009 or anti-discrimination legislation. Amongst the other entitlements under the Fair Work Act 2009, on returning to work the employee has the right to request flexible working arrangements. This is very important to consider when you have an employee taking maternity leave as flexible working arrangements can include: changes to hours of work including reduction of hours or changes to start and/or finishing times; ... continue reading
What is abandonment of employment?
I have a staff member who hasn’t shown up for work for 2 days and isn’t’ contactable on their mobile. Surprisingly this can happen more often than you think and is commonly referred to as ‘Abandonment of Employment’. So what does it mean and what do you need to do if I you are in this situation with an employee. Abandonment of Employment is when an employee fails to turn up for work, does not advise the business of any leave and is not contactable to respond to any questions regarding their absence. Whilst this can put the business in a sticky situation it is important to remember that a process still needs to occur to determine if this in fact is an abandonment of employment situation or a communication breakdown between the business and the employee. Employees can often fail to advise the business if they are unwell or have been called to an emergency situation. However it must also be noted that their inability to... continue reading
Sexual Harassment | Are you aware of the changes?
Sexual harassment, a form of sex discrimination, was first made illegal in Australia 25 years ago, however this has remained an ongoing issue for employers. With new amendments made to the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 taking affect back in June this year, it is possible that you may see an emergence of more claims if you are not abreast of the matter. The reason for this is that the recent changes to the legislation have seen additional protections added, in affect extending scope of the act. This has meant employees now have additional actions for which they can make a complaint or claim and as an employer you have new obligations. The changes you need to know about are: The test for sexual harassment has now been changed to “would a reasonable person, having regard to all the circumstances, have anticipated the possibility that the person harassed would be offended, humiliated, or intimidated by the conduct.” The a... continue reading
The Rescue Mission
Recruitment for most business owners is something you do when you need a staff member. Recruitment for me is what I live and breathe - it’s my job to do it for all the SME’s out there. Because I do it every day, I have become an expert at seeking out talent and matching people to roles. I know how to get the right information from the client and from the candidate to see if they are compatible – the same way your accountant looks at your books and just knows when something isn’t right – but you would have been starring at it for hours and couldn’t work it out. I recently found myself frustrated because a client of mine was taking an extremely long time to make a decision between 2 candidates. I knew they were both good and both could do the job, but I personally believed there was a standout and it was an easy choice. So I asked my client what he was finding difficult about making a decision. This was his response: “Sally has all of the skill... continue reading