A member of your team tells their manager that a regular customer has been making increasingly personal comments about them.  Nothing particularly dramatic has happened. The customer is important to the business, the employee says they don’t want to “make a fuss”, and the manager isn’t sure whether the behaviour is serious enough to take...Read More

October 2026 brings another significant round of employment law changes, with several important measures taking effect during the month and further reforms following shortly afterwards.  For employers, this isn’t simply about knowing what is changing. Some of the new requirements will mean reviewing existing practices, updating processes and making sure managers understand what is expected...Read More

An employee leaves your business following several months of performance concerns.  There have been informal conversations, meetings, emails and eventually a formal process before their employment ends.  Time passes. The manager involved moves to another company. Some of the earlier conversations were never written down. Notes from other meetings are sitting in individual folders and...Read More

An events coordinator discovers that the maximum capacity for a venue is regularly being exceeded at popular events.  She raises it with her manager after one particularly busy evening, explaining that she is concerned about what would happen if the venue had to be evacuated. Her manager tells her not to worry – they have...Read More

When Rachel won a major new contract, it was everything she’d been working towards.  Within a few months, she’d recruited four new employees, moved into larger premises and was busier than ever.  Growth was exciting, but it also brought new challenges. Job roles had evolved, managers were juggling bigger teams and recruitment decisions needed to be made quickly. Before long, Rachel...Read More

When Ben started his business, there were just three employees.  As the company grew to eight, then twelve, HR wasn’t something he gave much thought to.  “We’re too small to need HR,” he would often say. “We’re like a family.”  Then one employee resigned unexpectedly. Another raised concerns about inconsistent treatment. Ben realised that, although his business...Read More

Most HR problems don’t appear overnight. More often than not, they develop gradually through a series of well-intentioned management decisions. A difficult conversation is postponed, expectations aren’t made clear, or an issue is handled differently from a similar situation in the past. Before long, what could have been resolved quickly has become a grievance, a resignation or a time-consuming employee relations issue. The good...Read More

Major sporting events like the FIFA World Cup can create excitement across the workplace. Employees may want time off to watch matches, discuss results with colleagues or follow games during the working day.  While the tournament can boost morale and team spirit, it can also present challenges around staffing, productivity and fairness. With a little planning, employers can strike...Read More

For many small businesses, attracting great people is only half the challenge. Retaining them is just as important. In a competitive labour market, where skilled employees have increasing choice about where they work, keeping talented team members engaged and committed can make a significant difference to your organisation’s stability and growth.  Unlike larger organisations, small...Read More

Managing poor performance is one of the trickiest aspects of leadership. On one hand, organisations need to maintain high standards; on the other, heavy-handed approaches can harm team morale, reduce engagement, and even increase turnover. The key is addressing performance issues thoughtfully, consistently, and constructively.  Understand the root cause  Before taking any action, it’s important to understand why an employee is...Read More