The future of Long Service Leave is a hot topic with our Consultants and we would love for you to weigh in.

The Australian workplace has changed dramatically, and while workers 50 years ago might move jobs just once or twice in their career, new workers are predicted to have 18 jobs across six careers in their lifetime!

Millennials and Gen Z prioritise flexibility, work-life balance, and professional development - and if they aren’t happy, they will go somewhere else.

Is it time to start thinking about how we reward performance at the 2-5yr mark, rather at tenure at 10 years plus?

From school through tertiary studies and into the workplace, being part of a team is inevitable. Teams provide the opportunity to learn from others, have fun, gain support and collaborate, but teams can also cause conflict, friction and be difficult to be part of. Managing, and being part of, a team would be easy if everyone within the team performed the tasks expected of them without fault.

Whether the team is small or large, it will no doubt encompass individuals from diverse backgrounds, with equally diverse skillsets. The key is to identify these skillsets and maximise their use within your workplace.

Flexibility in the Workplace has always been a plus for any employer/employee relationship, but did you realise it is also a requirement? Changes to the Modern Awards means that employees must offer Flexible Work Arrangements to employees who meet certain criteria.

Chloe Blake has spent two decades working in Human Resources and Leadership Development, across a range of industries. She is a Certified Organisational Coach, a Mental Fitness Coach with Positive Intelligence, an Accredited DISC Advanced ® Consultant and works within the coaching principals of the International Coach Federation (ICF).

She partners with leaders to deal with what can be complex and emerging challenges and works with people to ensure that they are able to perform at their best and are confident to deliver.

If you would like to know more about Chloe’s work or you would like have a chat about the way she works and what she can do to support your business visit: www.chloeblake.com.au

Change. There are few words that generate as much emotion, both positive and negative, particularly in the workplace. So why is change so emotive and why is Organisational Development so important in a chance context.

Managers often assume that the absence of resistance when undertaking organisational transformation is a sign of a healthy culture. However, an environment where employees are unwilling to voice their thoughts or opinions may indicate underlying issues within the team.

Trust. In relationships, in life, and in business…it is so important. We use it when we are hiring, promoting, and terminating. But when we do Performance Appraisals, and we give feedback how do we measure it? It is a feeling, an instinct, can we even measure something like trust? Well, we would say…YES!

The realities of managing a small business can be overwhelming. Some of the most common struggles that small businesses face include: a lack of time, finding good employees that fit your business culture/values, and an inability to balance business growth with product/service quality.

At FiveSeven we have been there; we have done it. We understand that HR is not at the top of the priority list for most small business managers/owners. However, as a small business manager/owner you often play the role of your own Human Resource Manager and there are some significant benefits in refocusing and revaluing HR.

Providing employees with a competitive remuneration for their time is no longer enough. To complete with similar organisations for the best talent, build strong company culture and create a sense of social cohesion between co-workers’, organisations need to consider and explore opportunities for professional development.

If you ask any member of an organisation, at any level, no one wants to be micromanaged; however, enforcing conformity is basically the same thing. It dis-empowers, discourages and demotivates even the best employees. The best Leaders empower their people, create an inclusive culture and engage in open communication provides giving their team a choice on how they complete their work.

Call it Rest & Recuperation or Rest & Relaxation, R&R should be as important to a Manger/Leader as any other part of the employment agreement.

A staggering 60% of people do not take their Annual Leave each year. This has been a hard year. For many the juggle of home-schooling and work has just about broken us, for others loneliness and motivation has been the struggle. As we head into the festive season with a record number of Public Holidays here is a reminder why R&R should be important to you.

Covid was a huge catalyst in forcing companies to embrace a level of digitalisation (that otherwise may have taken them another decade to get on board with).

And it is a sad truth, but HR has never been seen as the “data powerhouse” of an organisation. However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that if a data-first mindset is embraced, organisations have a huge opportunity to level up their proactivity and experience better-informed decision making.

Before you undertake an investigation have you ever thought “am I the best person to conduct this investigation?”

This is probably the most important question, and one that many organisations overlook. So how do you know when to engage an external investigator or keep it in-house?

While you should never dismiss your in-house capabilities, what needs to be established is if your capacity is suited to the investigation that needs to be undertaken.

Years of working collaboratively with business, and in-house teams, tells us that there are some core questions business should be considering to ensure that investigation gets the best possible outcome for all parties (including your internal investigator).