The process of letting an employee go is uncomfortable and upsetting. However there are a few guidelines that can help soften the blow called the five Ws - who, what, when, where and why:  Read More

Training your employees appropriately and frequently is indeed an investment - and one with a powerful return. When your employees are nurtured with the necessary staples they will make better decisions, their relationships will improve and their opinions will show deeper insight. Read More

When a valued employee decides to move on, take the opportunity to get some insight into your operations. Your employee won’t have anything to lose because they are leaving anyway. Listening to criticism can be difficult, but also very valuable.

Don’t waste the opportunity. Read More

Your bookkeeper calls in one morning to say her son is sick and can’t go to school. She will have to stay home and look after him.

In some businesses that would mean writing off the productivity of that employee for the day with possible knock-on effects for meetings, projects or appointments. What if the employee could still contribute at least half a day to get crucial work completed? Or they might want to avoid using up a day of leave? Read More

A hallmark of the industrial revolution was the punch card system. Factory workers clocked on and off by getting their cards stamped by a clerk or later by machine. The manager knew exactly how much time each of their staff had spent on the job by looking at their stamped times.

Some modern workplaces feel like they are operating under a similar framework. The boss sits there watching the clock in the morning and noting down when every employee dawdles in. Read More

Imagine you had a choice of hiring one of two candidates for your business. The first had years of experience, was highly qualified and boasted a strong track record. The second was a junior player, ambitious yet untested.

Many businesses wouldn’t hesitate in choosing the former. But what if the older candidate was so sure of himself that he refused to listen to his superiors, mocked the mistakes of others and proved to be otherwise prickly and uncooperative? Read More