Tag: Outsource

Common misconceptions about HR

Posted on by thepeopleandcultureoffice in Human Resources

Believe it or not we don’t sit in our offices all day dreaming up ways to give you more work or ruin your life.

HR is one of those business functions that people just “don’t get”. They either have this really narrow view of what HR is to business, or they think we are evil b*tches.

The latter is usually because they’ve had some dodgy manager that has allowed them to believe that some decision has been made because of HR.

“I don’t want to do this but HR is making me”

Then, there’s nothing like a manager who doesn’t want to have the tough conversations and puts it back on HR, setting them up as the bad guy.

So, are we all evil b*tches? Well, misconceptions come from somewhere, and absolutely there are some HR people out there doing our sector dirty. Sometime the function itself is outdated and there is no desire to move forward into the new era (or decade) of work, it can have too much red tape and it can all just be a bit too stuffy.

This isn’t how HR should look and feel⁠. And it’s not how we operate.

Let’s unpack some common misconceptions about HR

HR is about protecting the company⁠ – HR has a responsibility to minimise risk, sometimes protecting employees is the best way to minimise risk and sometimes it’s protecting the interests of the company. HR’s job is to be a neutral voice of reason, we are there to help leaders and employees navigate doing the right thing⁠.

Yep, a lot of HR people are anti-employee, but this isn’t what HR is, or should be. Sometimes this sentiment is driven by the leaders – if the company you are working for is anti-employee you should probably go find another job⁠

All HR does is hire & fire⁠ – Unless you are a dedicated recruiter this is about 10% of what HR is. HR is involved in the hiring and firing process to ensure it is a good process (and a legal process), but we don’t initiate it and it is nowhere near how we spend our days⁠.

HR is easy and anyone can do it⁠ – Ok, so we don’t just organise Christmas parties and answer employees questions. A large part of HR is strategising things that may or may not happen in the future, we look at organisational design and ensure you will have the right people to take the organisation forward. We develop initiatives to drive the right culture and build the capacity of your people⁠
⁠
We manage ego & politics and we need to be able to manage our own emotions when we need to flip from ending someones employment to celebrating someone else’s promotion.⁠ HR is full of “big feelings” and you need to be a skilled enough operator to juggle all of that in amongst the day to day & technical aspects of the work⁠.

They are always on our back – If you’re a manager and you aren’t completing a component of your job such as effectively leading your team, then yeah, we are going to be on your back. You know the stakes, if something is part of your job you need to do it. You can’t blame HR for the repercussions of you not doing your job.

Want to learn more about what quality HR is? Click HERE

The People & Culture Office supports HR teams and SMEs Australia-wide to take a fresh approach towards their people and culture function. 

With 20-plus years in the HR game behind them, Tiahanna & Simone build capacity and culture in the workplace to drive the achievement of your operational goals and give you an edge in a talent-led economy.

Who we are

Like what you see? Click around and discover how partnering with us can give your business a competitive advantage by aligning strategy with people & culture, or, give us a like on Facebook for regular updates on industry trends, blog posts & photo’s of us having coffee at our regular haunts and / or our dogs & cats disrupting our work day.

THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE IS A KALGOORLIE BASED HUMAN RESOURCES (HR) CONSULTING COMPANY THAT SPECIALISES IN DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS WITH SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES. WE CAN PARTNER WITH YOU TO GAIN A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE THROUGH EMPLOYEE INITIATIVES. 

CONTACT US TO ARRANGE AN APPOINTMENT TO DISCUSS WHAT SOLUTIONS WE CAN PUT IN PLACE TO DRIVE ACHIEVEMENT OF YOUR STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL GOALS.

AT THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE YOU ONLY PAY FOR THE WORK WE UNDERTAKE FOR YOU;  NO ANNUAL OR MONTHLY FEES; NO CONTRACTS; JUST QUALITY, LOCAL, SERVICE.

What does good HR look like?

Posted on by thepeopleandcultureoffice in HR Consultant Kalgoorlie, Outsource Human Resources, Strategic HR Management, The People & Culture Office

Whether your organisation has an in-house HR team or you’ve engaged an external HR consultant you need to be getting a lot more value than employment contracts and legislative policies.

Your HR function needs to be business driven and have a strategic approach that aligns the people and culture initiatives to the organisations’ strategic priorities and its values.

To be an effective function within the business your HR team (internal or external) needs to be able to competently perform the critical elements of the people function, but more than that, the executive or leadership team needs to allow them to do their job.

Presumably they have been engaged because management has recognised the need for HR support, as with any professional or expert within their individual field they are there to provide expert guidance and solutions for the business. Their professional knowledge, analysis and reports should be utilised to make evidence based business decisions.

If an Engineer were to advise on a particular course of action to avoid catastrophic failure management wouldn’t disregard their recommendations. High turnover, poor leadership, poor culture, lack of strategic direction, undervalued employees, poor reputation, inability to attract & retain employees are all a sign of catastrophic failure on HRs behalf.

Sometimes these outcomes are a result of the leadership teams failure to act on the recommendations of HR, too heavy of a focus towards business outcomes and a lack of balance with the people aspect of running a successful organisation. It’s the role of an experienced HR practitioner to present an effective business case to influence and educate management, to make a convincing argument as to why an investment in your strategy will result in a greater opportunity to meet the organisational goals.

The Australian HR Institute has developed a Model of Excellence; the competencies to which HR specialists should be measured against. The model reflects the “business and people” approach that is widely regarded as best practice and aims to:

  • contribute to a profitable and sustainable workforce
  • increase workforce competency and engagement
  • develop excellence in people management
  • create a dynamic and productive work environment

The Model of Excellence

Business Driven – HR adds value to the organisation through understanding the organisational context and objectives. They fully understand your business operations and the priorities of the business; drive a competitive advantage for the organisation through HR initiatives & projects; are proactive in managing the impacts of of economic, political and legislative influences

Strategic Architect – HR develops goals and plans which contribute to the strategic management of the organisation. They develop and implement HR strategies that add value, are valued by the organisation and ensure organisation strategies are achieved; apply analysis to the organisational outcomes and how they might be achieved from a people perspective; take action to ensure HR activities improve the organisations performance and design and deliver solutions to workforce issues, challenges and opportunities

Ethical & Credible Activist – Influences through the provision of valued insights. They have a track record of achieving positive people outcomes; exercise sound judgement and courage when influencing decision making; display a high level of personal values and leadership, they embody ethical behaviour and accountability.

Stakeholder Mentor & Coach – Builds quality relationships and partnerships with key stakeholders to ensure organisational capability. Engages with industry and internal & external stakeholders to develop effective HR solutions; coaches managers to develop their competence and confidence to perform their people management responsibilities effectively; engages in solutions focussed conversations

Expert Practitioner – Builds, maintains and applies expert HR knowledge to deliver HR benefits to the organisation. Continually develops knowledge; challenges the status quo and develops insights on how decisions affect organisational design, culture and performance; understands metrics and makes informed business decisions after analysis

Culture and Change Leader – Foster a sustainable organisational culture in response to the internal & external environment. Has an understanding on the creation of a positive workplace culture; designs HR solutions to foster an optimal organisational culture; translates culture & values into workforce and workplace practices; champions a values based culture

Workforce and Workplace Designer – Designs a workplace that sustains a capable workforce. Aligns the workforce profile with the needs of the organisation; designs a productive, sustainable and engaging workplace that integrates work and life; constructs and designs jobs which match the needs of the organisation and employee capabilities; establish frameworks and systems that ensure a productive and engaged workforce; builds frameworks that enable the development of workforce capacity and capability to meet the future needs of the organisation

Where does your HR team sit within the HR Competency Model? Do they require additional support to provide a HR service that is consistent with the organisational strategic direction and best practice?

If you have engaged an external HR consultant are they meeting this need for you? Are you getting 100% bang for your buck or are you literally getting employment contracts and a booklet of legislative policies?

Employment Law & people management is a complex beast, if you need assistance navigating your way around we are on hand to provide support & add value to your business

I‘d love to meet with you to discuss how I can create a HR Strategy that adds value to your business, Contact Me for an obligation free chat.

This post is the 3rd in a series of how quality HR solutions can add value to your business. Catch up here & here

HR is so much more than a set of policies and procedures. Strategic HR Management is about developing value adding strategies surrounding compensation & benefits, workforce planning, recruitment, performance management and career development. The policies and procedures aspect of HR is about compliance and risk management; they work within the wider business environment but their core purpose is to provide a risk management framework to manage the industrial relations and employee relations aspect of the business.

Like what you see? Click around and discover how partnering with us can give your business a competitive advantage by aligning strategy with people & culture, or, give us a like on Facebook for regular updates on industry trends, blog posts & photo’s of me having coffee at my regular haunts and / or my dog & cat disrupting my work day

It’s time for HR to move beyond policies, practices and processes, HR’s value proposition to business is to ensure HR professionals and their practices’ produce positive outcomes for key stakeholders, employees, line managers, customers and investors.

THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE IS A KALGOORLIE BASED HUMAN RESOURCES (HR) CONSULTING COMPANY THAT SPECIALISES IN DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS WITH SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES. WE CAN PARTNER WITH YOU TO GAIN A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE THROUGH EMPLOYEE INITIATIVES. 

CONTACT US TO ARRANGE AN APPOINTMENT TO DISCUSS WHAT SOLUTIONS WE CAN PUT IN PLACE TO DRIVE ACHIEVEMENT OF YOUR STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL GOALS.

AT THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE YOU ONLY PAY FOR THE WORK WE UNDERTAKE FOR YOU;  NO ANNUAL OR MONTHLY FEES; NO CONTRACTS; JUST QUALITY, LOCAL, SERVICE.

Can’t find it? Then create it

Posted on by thepeopleandcultureoffice in HR Consultant Kalgoorlie, Kalgoorlie, Strategic HR Management, The People & Culture Office

There’s nothing quite like seeing your business or department thrive because of the hard work & skill of employees that you have nurtured and developed.

There’s nothing quite like a leader who recognises if you want dedicated, engaged, on brand specialist or senior employees you need to start that process in house.

About a decade ago I worked on a new mine start-up for an up and coming miner. It was at the tail end of the GFC, mines had closed, contractors were hit hard and Kalgoorlie was definitely in a downturn of sorts.

Wider, iron ore was still paying good money and some of the more savvy operations were picking up Grads whether they needed them or not because they knew in less than 12 months, when nit all turned around, they would.

Evidently as a HR department we found ourselves in an interesting position, senior level engineers and geologists we easy to source, junior level not so much. Locally based operators and maintenance positions were easy to fill initially but as the operations grew it was a hard task.

Plans were quickly put into place early in the piece to train and develop our own operators, apprentices were signed up, as were WASM vacation students and new supervisors were put through leadership training.

In the recent 10 year celebration photos the company posted to Instagram I counted a handful of senior management that were those vacation students, graduates and green supervisors.

If you’re complaining about the skills shortage or lack of quality employees my question to you is;

“How many apprentices have you taken on in the past decade?”

“Can’t find skilled operators? What internal training pipelines do you have in place?”

“How are you engaging with WASM, CRTafe and the local high schools to create some brand awareness around you and the career paths you can offer”

In short, you don’t get to complain about the problem if you aren’t actively involved in the solution.

In 2019 I wrote this post about why apprentices and trainees should be a part of your workforce planning.

Let’s just hit the pause button on the skills shortage element of this conversation and focus on why it’s just good business practice to develop your own talent.

Businesses and leaders who see development of their employees as a priority routinely see more engaged, innovative employees with a solid connection to the company.

If your first thought when I talk about investing in employee development is “What so I can invest all that time time and energy for them to just take all that knowledge elsewhere” then you need to reconsider your assumptions.

If an employee is fulfilled by their work they are less likely to leave. According to the 2018 Linkedin Workforce Learning Report a (not so surprising) 93% of employees stated they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their career.

That being said the “job for life” concept belongs in another time, so it’s inevitable that at some point in their career they will bid you farewell. So I guess what I’m saying is if you put effort into developing your employees at least you will get value, loyalty and connectedness from them during their tenure over those employees who are afforded very little training and concentrated career development.

So how can this look in the average business? Varied and diverse based on the business and industry but here are some common elements.

A structured onboarding program into the business that steps out the general “this is us, this is who were are and how we operate” introduction through to on the job training. From where documents are saved, to the document management and naming conventions for files, to branding and language to the business right through to the nitty gritty of learning what’s required to absolutely succeed at a role.

Allowing autonomy and ownership over their role and projects. Don’t micromanage, pull them up if you can see a disaster looming but quite often there more than one way to achieve the end goal and their perception of problem / solution might just create some innovation and efficiency for the company.

Create a safe space for learning and development. Start giving your team exposure to the inner machinations of the business by bringing them along to operational meetings or have them involved in creating the strategy for your department. I have had some amazing Managers and CEO’s that really taught me the “back end” of the business that ultimately allowed me the confidence to move into management positions and then to specialise in people and culture strategies. There was no withholding of knowledge and information to protect their role. They took me along for the ride and I’m the first to acknowledge I would not be here today without them. If past and present employees were asked to comment on your input in their careers what do you think they will say?

Employment Law & people management is a complex beast, if you need assistance navigating your way around we are on hand to provide support & add value to your business

I‘d love to meet with you to discuss how I can create a HR Strategy that adds value to your business, Contact Me for an obligation free chat.

This post is part in a series of how quality HR solutions can add value to your business. HR is so much more than a set of policies and procedures. Strategic HR Management is about developing value adding strategies surrounding compensation & benefits, workforce planning, recruitment, performance management and career development. The policies and procedures aspect of HR is about compliance and risk management; they work within the wider business environment but their core purpose is to provide a risk management framework to manage the industrial relations and employee relations aspect of the business.

Read the previous post here.

Like what you see? Click around and discover how partnering with us can give your business a competitive advantage by aligning strategy with people & culture, or, give us a like on Facebook for regular updates on industry trends, blog posts & photo’s of me having coffee at my regular haunts and / or my dog & cat disrupting my work day

It’s time for HR to move beyond policies, practices and processes, HR’s value proposition to business is to ensure HR professionals and their practices’ produce positive outcomes for key stakeholders, employees, line managers, customers and investors.

THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE IS A KALGOORLIE BASED HUMAN RESOURCES (HR) CONSULTING COMPANY THAT SPECIALISES IN DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS WITH SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES. WE CAN PARTNER WITH YOU TO GAIN A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE THROUGH EMPLOYEE INITIATIVES. 

CONTACT US TO ARRANGE AN APPOINTMENT TO DISCUSS WHAT SOLUTIONS WE CAN PUT IN PLACE TO DRIVE ACHIEVEMENT OF YOUR STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL GOALS.

AT THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE YOU ONLY PAY FOR THE WORK WE UNDERTAKE FOR YOU;  NO ANNUAL OR MONTHLY FEES; NO CONTRACTS; JUST QUALITY, LOCAL, SERVICE.

Roll on 2019

Posted on by thepeopleandcultureoffice in HR Consultant Kalgoorlie, Human Resource Consultant, Human Resources, Kalgoorlie, Outsource Human Resources, outsourcing, sme, The People & Culture Office, The People and Culture Office
The People & Culture Office 2019

Who’s in holiday mode already? 🙋🏻‍♀️ We don’t tend to make a fuss over Christmas in terms of gifts and over consumption (except for when it comes to my Mum’s cheesecake) but I always look forward to actually having a legitimate excuse for nanna naps, eating leftover BBQ for 3 days & moving from the lounge to the pool & back again.

Anyway I’m sending a big peace out to 2018 ✌🏻 and I hope to see you all in 2019, remember one of the best ways to start the new year off is to consolidate your strategic goals, review your values and whether they are reflecting in your workplace culture, and most importantly, engage The People & Culture Office as your strategic partner to assist with HR solutions to implement cultural change and strengthen your workplace relations framework.

Work is hectic – getting help doesn’t have to be

I can still be contacted via email for appointments in the new year & urgent matters.

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BASED IN KALGOORLIE, THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE IS AN INDEPENDENT HR CONSULTANT WHO CAN PARTNER WITH YOU TO OFFER A ONE STOP HR SOLUTION, WE ONLY CHARGE YOU FOR THE WORK WE PERFORM; NO CONTRACTS, NO ANNUAL OR MONTHLY FEES, JUST QUALITY SERVICE. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Changes to flexible work arrangements commence 1 December 2018

Posted on by thepeopleandcultureoffice in HR Consultant Kalgoorlie, Human Resource Consultant, Human Resources, Kalgoorlie, Outsource Human Resources, outsourcing, sme, The People & Culture Office, The People and Culture Office
Employee Working | HR Consultant | The People & Culture Office
The People & Culture Office – your first choice for HR solutions

As of tomorrow the new changes to requesting flexible work arrangements come into effect for all businesses under the national workplace relations system. If you are a Sole Trader eg: Jane Smith T/as Janes Cafe, an unincorporated partnership eg: Jane & Bob Smith T/as Janes Cafe or an unincorporated trust eg: Jane and Bob Smith as trustee for Janes Cafe you fall under the WA Industrial Relations Commission, so these changes do not effect you. The majority of employees in Australia fall under the Federal system which covers all constitutional corporations or in layman’s terms it is any business with “Ltd” or “Pty Ltd” after its name. All other states in Australia have referred their industrial relations powers to the Federal system but Western Australia being Western Australia has chosen to keep the State based system.

So what are the changes and how do they effect your business.

Come December 1 2018 there will be a right for certain employees to request flexible working arrangements from their employer. An employer can only refuse such a request on “reasonable business grounds”.

More specifically, the requests may be made by:

  • permanent employees who have completed 12 months of service
  • casual employees who have been employed on a regular & systematic basis for a sequence of periods of employment of at least 12 months, and have a reasonable expectation of the arrangement to continue

Eligible employees are entitled to request a change in their working arrangements if they:

  • are the parent, or have responsibility for the care, of a child who is school aged or younger
  • are a carer (under the Carer Recognition Act 2010)
  • have a disability
  • are 55 or older
  • are experiencing family or domestic violence, or
  • provide care or support to a member of their household or immediate family who requires care and support because of family or domestic violence.

Examples of changes in working arrangements may include:

  • hours of work (eg. changes to start and finish times)
  • patterns of work (eg. split shifts or job sharing)
  • locations of work (eg. working from home).

Employers must give employees a written response to the request within 21 days, stating whether they grant or refuse the request and may refuse the request only on reasonable business grounds. If the employer refuses the request, the written response must include the reasons for the refusal.

Further, it is unlawful under:

  1. The Fair Work Act to take adverse action against employees including termination of employment
  2. State & Federal legislation to discriminate against employees either directly or indirectly through their employment because of their family or carers responsibilities

Employers must accommodate their employees’ family and carer responsibilities where it is reasonable to do so. Whether a refusal to accommodate such requests is unreasonable will depend on the facts and circumstances of the particular situation. A defence is available to employers on the basis that an adjustment is not reasonable if it would cause an unjustifiable hardship on the employer taking all circumstances into account, including consideration of:

  • the requested arrangements are too costly
  • other employees’ working arrangements can’t be changed to accommodate the request
  • it’s impractical to change other employees’ working arrangements or hire new employees to accommodate the request
  • the request would result in a significant loss of productivity or have a significant negative impact on customer service.

Reasonable grounds for refusal for a small employer may differ vastly to those that are reasonable for a large, well resourced employer.

For example if the employee is in a customer facing role or manning a busy switchboard, and you are a small – medium employer with a minimal number of similar employees to provide coverage for the absence, and recruiting may be impractical given the hours of engagement, then you may be able to justify that you have reasonable business grounds. The same situation with a large employer with 20 + admin staff would struggle to provide such a justification.

Similarly a non customer facing role who can complete the bulk of their tasks online, and with minimal interaction, such as an accountant or engineer would have quite a good case to suggest their absence from the office to work from home would create minimal disruptions to the operations.

The future is now

The reality is flexible working arrangements will soon become the new normal, and not just for the legislated requirements we have now. In a recent white paper released by Employment Hero on what Australian employees want from their workplace, flexible work arrangements rated in the top 3 wants with 45% of respondents indicating it was important to them when choosing a prospective employer. The same group, when asked what benefits they would like their existing employer to introduce, overwhelmingly stated flexible work arrangements with 59% of respondents giving it priority over other benefits such as career development, financial incentives and “feel good” benefits such free massages.

The next generation crave flexibility. The Deloitte 2017 Millennial Survey reveals that “flexible working continues to be a feature of most millennials’ working lives and is linked to improved organisational performance, personal benefit, and loyalty”. Overall, 84% of millennials reported that some degree of flexible working ranging from flexible start and finish times, flexible roles and flexible locations including work from home were highly desirable.

These arrangements are not identified as “simply a nice to have” but as being strongly linked to improved performance, employee retention and loyalty. Further, the report notes that organisations that have adopted flexible work indicated any earlier misgivings that opportunities would be abused appeared to be unfounded with 78% of respondents feeling trusted by their line managers. If you would like to read more about the changing millennial workforce Click Here. I also shared my thoughts on whether the changing face of the workplace was a contributing factor to the skills shortage in residential mining and trades positions here.

The inclusion of flexible work policies into your HR framework isn’t just about millennials or working mums, as we hurtle towards a large ageing population it provides the flexibility for the ageing workforce to continue working well beyond 65, something that will become more and more a necessity with superannuation unlikely to accommodate most retirees needs into their 80’s & 90’s.

Flexibility as a workplace norm builds diverse and inclusive workplaces, it allows those who would otherwise be somewhat excluded or restricted within the workplace to be able to contribute to the organisations success, it allows organisations the ability to attract & retain talent as we see a societal shift in personal priorities. Creating a flexible and agile workplace goes beyond creating “an accommodation for working parents”, rather it’s a strategy that enables a competitive business edge in the ever changing world of work.

At The People & Culture Office you only pay for the work we undertake for you;  no annual or monthly fees; no contracts; just quality, local, service. Click here to learn more

Celebrating 6 months in business

Posted on by thepeopleandcultureoffice in HR Consultant Kalgoorlie, Human Resource Consultant, Human Resources, Kalgoorlie, Outsource Human Resources, outsourcing, sme, The People & Culture Office, The People and Culture Office
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This Sunday will be the 6 month anniversary of the launch of The People & Culture Office.

In January of this year I was made redundant and after an appropriate period of comfort eating and laying on the lounge binging on Netflix I decided I needed to have a serious think about what I was going to do. There were literally no jobs in HR at my level, and over the preceding 12 months I had noticed a distinct decline in career friendly/ challenging positions in female oriented roles in Kalgoorlie- Boulder (has anyone else noticed this trend?)

After some market research and some imposter syndrome related discussions with my partner the conclusion was to take my redundancy payout and invest it in myself – and The People & Culture Office was born.

It’s been an interesting ride and here was what I’ve learnt so far;

SME’s are in need of risk minimisation & strategic HR solutions but don’t understand the value it can bring to their business.

My biggest hurdle to overcome & the sole purpose of this blog.

My mission is to build the capacity of small – medium enterprises through people & culture initiatives, by helping to create more successful, productive and high performance organisations. To achieve this businesses need to put their employees at the forefront of embedding their strategy into the organisation. But to do this successfully they need to create a positive culture and have the HR framework in place to ensure their strategic goals become reality. To put it simply; culture eats strategy for breakfast.

Viewing HR as an admin function only or having a series of policies that are short statements about legislative requirements is not adding value to your business and won’t cut it in the changing business environment.

Outsourcing your HR function is a very cost effective business decision my business model works on a once-off or project basis, I don’t lock people into contracts, nor do I charge an annual fee. Depending on your business needs I don’t need to stick around for months or years on end. The People & Culture Office can provide a framework for your HR needs with ongoing HR support as and when required.

Working from home has a lot of distractions

See Exhibit A

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Exhibit B

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Exhibit C

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Not getting paid every fortnight is scary

It’s fricken scary man

I’ve discovered so many local businesses that I had no idea existed

I’ve also had a hard time trying to find businesses online or even an email address to make contact- if I can’t find you, how can your target market find you? Businesses such as Kalsec Creative  and Pride and Prominence can manage your content for you and help you put strategies in place to reach your market.

It’s given me a platform to meet some dynamic business Owners & Managers

We have a lot of forward thinking & amazing leaders here, we just need others to jump on board and experience what they have to offer. Business is all about change; whether it’s addressing the decline in retail, making your event unique to smash attendance numbers or coaching business owners for greater outcomes. We have the resources here, there just needs to be a desire for progress and a willingness to think outside of the box.

BASED IN KALGOORLIE, THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE IS AN INDEPENDENT HR CONSULTANT WHO CAN PARTNER WITH YOU TO OFFER A ONE STOP HR SOLUTION, WE ONLY CHARGE YOU FOR THE WORK WE PERFORM; NO CONTRACTS, NO ANNUAL OR MONTHLY FEES, JUST QUALITY SERVICE. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Why outsource your HR function

Posted on by thepeopleandcultureoffice in HR Consultant Kalgoorlie, Human Resource Consultant, Human Resources, Kalgoorlie, Outsource Human Resources, outsourcing, sme, The People & Culture Office, The People and Culture Office
HR | Kalgoorlie | The People & Culture Office

More than just hiring & firing, HR is an integral component of any business looking to succeed. Human Resources is the function in an organisation that manages all employees and ensures maximum engagement & productivity, as well as make sure the company is protected from any issues that may arise from the workforce.

There’s no denying that HR focus has dramatically changed in recent years. In the not so distant past, HR was primarily an admin function, the dreaded “fun police” when it came to workplace policies or it was a task lumped in with Payroll.

But today’s astute business leaders understand in order to succeed in today’s (and the futures) business environment they need to move their HR function away from focussing on personnel management and administrative tasks, and direct their focus towards managing employee engagement and strengthening workplace culture. Smart business owners see the benefits in ensuring their employees are happy and as a result will continue to stick around for the foreseeable future.

By outsourcing your human resource operations you can improve compliance, save money & attract the best talent. The People & Culture Office can offer your business long term support so you can focus on achieving business success. We are on hand to support all businesses, wherever you may be.   

No annual fee’s                  No contracts                  Just quality service

BASED IN KALGOORLIE, THE PEOPLE & CULTURE OFFICE IS AN INDEPENDENT HR CONSULTANT WHO CAN PARTNER WITH YOU TO OFFER A ONE STOP HR SOLUTION, WE ONLY CHARGE YOU FOR THE WORK WE PERFORM; NO CONTRACTS, NO ANNUAL OR MONTHLY FEES, JUST QUALITY SERVICE. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

When you just don’t like your co-workers

Posted on by thepeopleandcultureoffice in HR Consultant Kalgoorlie, Human Resource Consultant, Human Resources, Kalgoorlie, Outsource Human Resources, sme, The People & Culture Office, The People and Culture Office
HR Consultant | The People & Culture Office

You spend a large chunk of your life at work and usually it’s spent with people that normally, you wouldn’t willingly hang out with. Unless you want to be miserable at work, or get fired, you need to find away to work around it. You don’t need to like the people you work with, but you do need to be professional.

The most common reason cited by employees for not liking co-workers relates to the employee in question exhibiting, to some degree, challenging behaviours. I wrote about the impact challenging employees have on business here. Some of the most common challenging, or toxic behaviours found in the workplace are;

The Hot Mess

Incompetent, unreliable & erratic, The Hot Mess can kill productivity for the whole team.  Whether they just don’t know how to do their job, or just don’t want to, they bring everyone down with them. Fun fact – Studies have shown low performing employees to be the most happiest in the team & often rate their workplaces as a great place to work. Ahhh ignorance is bliss.

The Slacker

We’ve all worked with one, finding a way to get out of work is a full time job for The Slacker. Like The Hot Mess they are a major drain on everyones time and enthusiasm and don’t really seem to care what others think of them. If they can find away to get out of something they will.

The Martyr

The complete opposite of The Slacker but The Martyr comes with its own set of problems,  not just a hard worker, they generally insist on doing everything themselves and aren’t shy about letting everyone know either. The Martyr is a control freak that creates unrest in the workplace, undermines the confidence of team members and is “that person” who comes to work when sick and spreads there germs around. Life Pro Tip if you do this – no job & no employee is that important,  all you are doing is infecting your co-workers and reducing productivity even further, just stay home kids.

The Socialite

Funny, entertaining and everyone’s best friend, The Socialite treats everyday at work as though it’s their own private party or stage for the day. For The Socialite, gossip & chatting are always the core component of the day, and while having some fun at work is must, The Socialite has a hard time distinguishing between what’s appropriate and what isn’t. Perhaps in what can be a bit of a dark side to The Socialite, they can be very charming, often blinding & manipulating management and colleagues to their poor behaviour.

The Sociopath

An employee with sociopathic tendencies leave a trail of destruction where ever they go, they poison the atmosphere and create a hostile environment for everyone else. Just 1 destructive employee can wreck the morale for the entire team, if placed in a customer facing role they can cause serious damage to your reputation & bottom line.

Karen Gately, the author of The People Managers Toolkit gives the following strategies on how to deal with coworkers you just don’t like;

Choose your attitude

The key to getting along with anyone lies in your ability to choose your attitude.  Of course, their attitude matters also, but the reality is you can’t control other people.  Focus on what you can control; that is your own thoughts, emotions and behaviour.

So many of us waste energy thinking and talking about people we don’t like.  How often do you replay annoying events or conversations in your mind?  Do you ‘roleplay’ scenarios in your mind about the conversations you intend to have with some people? Do you imagine yourself winning an argument with your nemesis? Do you allow your emotions to build as you invest in the drama unfolding in your mind?

We all have the power to choose the thoughts and emotions we invest in.  The ability for anyone to offend us or drain our spirit entirely depends on our response.

Pick your battles

While of course it matters to stand up for ourselves when being mistreated, in many circumstance we can simply choose to ignore the things that otherwise upset us.  We have the choice to simply walk away and disengage rather than wade into an argument.  We can choose to let thoughtless comments or unintentionally offensive remarks ‘go through to the keeper’.  Choosing for example to see someone’s words as ill-considered is healthier for our relationship with them, than assuming their actions are malicious.

Judge carefully

Ask yourself if you are being unfairly judgmental.  Sometimes the actions we see as wrong are simply different to the way we would approach things. Reflect on why you don’t like the person and challenge any unfounded assumptions or unconscious biases you may have.   For example, the woman you perceive as being attention seeking, may be simply talkative and unaware that her enthusiast sharing of stories about her life is coming across as insufferable self-indulgence.

Build bridges

Look for ways in which you can build trust, respect and rapport. Common interests are a safe place to start.  Find out things about the person you find interesting or respect.  This can be particularly challenging with some people, but appreciate the good that can be found in most people and give credit where it is due.

Rapport can be built by finding common ground as well as by being empathetic.  However, it’s important to understand that most rapport-building happens without words and through non-verbal communication channels.  People build rapport subconsciously through non-verbal signals, including eye contact, facial expressions, body positioning and tone of voice.

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