If you run a small or medium-sized business, no doubt your to-do list is already out of control before 9am. So, when someone new joins, it’s tempting to think, “They’ll be fine. We’ll figure it out.” After all, you recruited them. They signed the contract. Job done. Right? Wrong. In a small business, onboarding matters […]
Training Delivery Methods: So much to choose from, but what actually works?
For small and medium-sized organisations, training is always a balancing act. You want quality learning outcomes, but you’re also juggling budgets, productivity, and the reality that every hour someone is in training is an hour they’re not doing their ‘day job’. We know investing in our people’s learning needs are important, but how do we […]
2026 The Year of Communication
I love the start of a new year. The time for reflection, setting new goals, putting new plans in place, drawing a line in the sand and starting over. In reality though, it’s just another day and we can make a fresh start, set a new goal, start a new plan or habit any day […]
2025 Workplace Reflections
If 2025 taught us anything, it was that human resources – people and culture – people and their work life, rarely move in straight lines. It often looks (and feels) more like a tango, a stumble, a regroup and even sometimes a moonwalk. If you work in HR, or run a business or manage staff, […]
Vulnerability Bomb Incoming
In our work, either through delivering Effective Teams training, exploring self-awareness through DiSC Workshops, or conducting culture and organisational reviews across many sectors—both large and small—one theme consistently rises to the surface: we all have far more going on below the surface than others might imagine, or even than we might be aware of ourselves. […]
The HR Guide to Planning a Merry (and Well-Managed) Workplace Christmas Party
‘Tis the season for festive earrings, Elf on the Shelf… and the annual workplace Christmas party, the end-of-year highlight of the workplace calendar. While most employees are thinking of the fun they will have, HR knows there’s another side to the story: risk management, policy reminders, and navigating the delicate balance between fun and professionalism. […]
Stop Drowning in HR Admin: Is a HRIS The Solution for You?
Small businesses are built on hard work, personal relationships, and the ability to navigate the constant flow of challenges coming your way. But, as teams grow and compliance obligations increase, HR admin can start to feel like a full-time job especially when it’s squeezed in between serving customers, managing operations, and fixing the printer for […]
Annual Leave at Christmas Matters More Than We Think
As the year winds down, many of us push through December on autopilot tying up loose ends, meeting final deadlines, and squeezing in catch-ups before the break. It’s a time filled with excitement, yes, but also pressure. And yet, this is exactly why taking annual leave over Christmas matters more than we often give it […]
Should Care and Flexibility Go Both Ways?
When we talk about “employers of choice,” we usually mean organisations that care about their people — the ones that offer flexible hours, let you swap days, and understand that life outside work matters just as much as what happens inside it. Flexible working, supportive leadership, and understanding personal commitments or challenges are considered hallmarks […]
The Performance Appraisal: Time for a Rethink?
Ah, performance appraisals. Those awkward annual check-ins where managers scramble to remember what their team actually did all year, and employees sit across the desk wondering if that one missed deadline in March is about to cost them their end-of-year bonus. Let’s be honest: traditional performance appraisals often miss the mark. But here’s the thing […]