Blog Entries for HR for SMEs

Does the admin associated with managing your people take you away from actually managing your ...

asathiamoorthy@smartcompany.com.au — Mon, 20 May 2013 22:25:13 +0100

Sometimes, one of the most tedious and time consuming things about managing your people are the administrative tasks that go with it.

As your business grows and so too your team, things like recruitment, on-boarding and payroll tend to demand your resources even more than they used to in the begi [...]

Bigger isn't always better when it comes to career development

eschmidl@hotmail.com — Mon, 06 May 2013 23:17:21 +0100

It's a common assumption that due to the size of their operations, small businesses offer little to nothing when it comes to career development. As a result, for talented employees who are looking for their next challenge, the choice between small business over big business can often see small busin [...]

Don't be too quick to generalise generations

eschmidl@hotmail.com — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 22:41:20 +0100

SmartCompany's own Aunty B recently received the following question from one of her readers: "How do I deal with my cocky Generation Y employees?"

This perception and negative generalisation of Gen Y isn't anything new, we've all heard it before.

The generation typically known as the 'what's in it for me' generation has buil [...]

Your 'gold ticket' employee might be right under your nose

eschmidl@hotmail.com — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 23:38:10 +0100

Finding the right talent for your business is no easy task. Working through the external labour market in order to find your 'golden ticket' employee can be incredibly time consuming and costly. Rather than looking externally for a new recruit, why not shift your focus internally and look within your existing team instead?

Promoting from within is a clever little alternative to external recruitment. It makes a lot of sense to invest in your existing talent and can save you a lot of [...]

Applying a little tough love at work

eschmidl@hotmail.com — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 22:04:45 +0100

Confronting poor performers and speaking to them about how and why they're not meeting expectations often falls into the "difficult conversation" basket for most managers. They're never easy conversations to have as they can be fairly confronting for all parties involved.

The fear that doing so will damage relationships or 'rock the boat' unnecessarily and cause more trouble than it's worth is a common reason for why managers avoid addressing poor performance within their teams. Th [...]

'They get paid how much?!'

eschmidl@hotmail.com — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 14:00:00 +0100

How would you feel about your employees knowing what their colleagues got paid? For many, this is probably a very confronting thought. However, according to a recent article published on news.com.au, this is the bold move some companies are starting to take.

The businesses mentioned have decided to take the concept of a transparent workplace to a whole new level by sharing all of their financials, including salaries and results, with each and every person in their team. The philoso [...]

Back to basics: Five things you need to get right with your HR

eschmidl@hotmail.com — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 22:42:49 +0100

Having an in-house HR resource can be a bit of a luxury for most SMEs. It's often a cost (or as we like to think of it – an 'investment', just a little biased!) that most businesses find difficult to justify when they consider all of the other things they need to have in place in order to run their operations successfully.

It seems to be fairly common that it's not until something goes wrong with one of your employees that you realise the need to have in place some structure and ke [...]

Perks are nice, but don't forget the basics

eschmidl@hotmail.com — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 22:10:53 +0100

Fortune magazine recently released its 100 best companies to work for in 2013. Results were based on feedback from over 277,000 employees across 280 companies.

A number of perks and employee benefits were listed as to why it was so great to work for these companies. These varied from free yoga classes to additional paid leave, world-class training courses and even an in-house roller hockey rink!

This year, Google took out the number one spot (if you haven't guessed already, [...]

New year is the perfect time to get your team issues sorted

eschmidl@hotmail.com — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 22:11:21 +0100

It's the start of a new year – hopefully you had a chance to rest and refresh over the break. Now is the perfect time to think about the year ahead and prioritise things within your business.

Of course, this includes your people initiatives. Before things get hectic again, take some time to consider what initiatives you plan on putting in place to get the best out of your team. This may not seem as important as enhancing your business operations or improving and expanding your prod [...]

Christmas cheer throughout the year!

eschmidl@hotmail.com — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 21:50:14 +0100

How great is it at this time of the year?! No doubt office Christmas parties and celebrations are now in full swing. It's such a great excuse to not only celebrate the silly season but to recognise your team's efforts over the past year and say thank you to reward them for their achievements and contributions towards the success of your business.

Instead of banking up all the reward and recognition (R&R) for your team's efforts for Christmas, why not spread the love throughout t [...]

Developing an induction program: First impressions really do count

eschmidl@hotmail.com — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 21:50:40 +0100

Being the 'new kid' at work isn't always easy and is bound to be a little daunting for most. After investing time and money into hiring, how do you welcome your new employees? Do you set them up for success or do you have them second guessing their decision to join your business?

It's often been said that first impressions count. Your new employees' first few days and weeks play an important part in shaping how they perceive you as an employer and set their expectations about what i [...]

"What should we pay?": A quick guide to setting remuneration

eschmidl@hotmail.com — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 21:28:22 +0100

We often get asked the question "What should we pay?" by employers who are looking to hire a new team member. Whether it's for an existing role or a new one, there are a few easy things that you can do to help determine the right offer to put on the table.

Minimum entitlements

A number of industries are covered by Modern Awards which outline a set of minimum wage entitlements for various roles. If the role you're recruiting for is covered by a specific award, this should be [...]

What happens when an employee goes from "you're hired" to "you're fired"?

eschmidl@hotmail.com — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 14:00:00 +0100

"Why can't we just get rid of them?!"

We hear this a lot from small business owners when they discover that one of their employees is no longer cutting the mustard. In fairness, it's a reasonable question to ask. After all, it's your business, you pay the wages and so you should be able to say who stays and who goes, right? It makes no sense to put up with poor performance and the last thing you want is an underperforming employee who just holds your business back.

Well. [...]

Why an effective Code of Conduct can save you a lot of trouble

eschmidl@hotmail.com — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 14:00:00 +0100

As business owners and employers, we've all been there. We've all experienced that euphoric high you feel when you find 'the one' from the piles of resumes and endless hours spent interviewing.

The hope and enthusiasm you feel on their first day, like everything will be okay now that they've arrived. And then, as if out of nowhere, they do something that conflicts with your values and the values of your business and suddenly you're at a crossroads. That high quickly disappears and [...]

HR: More than just 'warm and fuzzy'

eschmidl@hotmail.com — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 22:41:01 +0100

Before we start, let's make something clear. We're very aware that in too many businesses, HR doesn't have the best reputation.

When you think of the role that HR plays in business, what comes to mind? Perhaps things like the fun police, the reason why your pay rise didn't get approved, glorified admin, or the warm and fuzzies (you know, the ones who believe all problems can be resolved with a hug)? Or perhaps you've heard the rumour that HR is often seen as having a superficial se [...]