The Latest from Kristy-Lee

Hello and welcome to Episode 294 of the People Powered Business Podcast!

In today’s episode, we’re exploring why good people leave organisations, and what it really costs you when you lose someone from your business.

Most business owners assume staff leave for better pay or new opportunities, but more often it comes down to three things: lack of clarity, lack of direction, and inconsistent leadership. When your team isn’t clear on what’s expected of them, can’t see where they’re heading, or don’t feel supported by steady, consistent leadership, even the best employees start to disengage.

We’ll also unpack the hidden costs of turnover that most business owners underestimate. It’s not just the cost of recruitment or training. It’s the time you lose filling gaps, the emotional energy it takes to start over, the trust that’s eroded, and the morale that dips each time someone walks out the door. The ripple effect of turnover can quietly damage your business far more than you realise.

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Every business owner has been there.

Juggling a hundred things at once, making Canva graphics at midnight, manually reconciling accounts, and frantically Googling how to deal with a tricky staff situation. Winging it is a survival skill that comes with the territory of being a business owner.

When it comes to HR, “figuring it out as you go” feels easy and cost-effective in the short term. But the longer you fly by the seat of your pants, the more expensive the fallout becomes.

Not just financially, but mentally, emotionally, and in lost opportunities for business growth.

Let’s unpack why “winging it” with your HR will always cost you more, and what you can do instead.

Why Winging It Feels Right (At First)

There’s something oddly empowering about being a business owner who wears all the hats. In the early stages, you’ve got a tiny team, maybe even just one or two people, and everything feels manageable. Writing policies? Meh. Performance management? Not needed. Hiring? Easy eno...

Hello and welcome to Episode 293 of the People Powered Business Podcast!

In today’s episode, we’re diving into a challenge that so many business owners face (even if they don’t talk about it): what happens when your team starts calling the shots… and you’re no longer in control of your business?

It happens more often than you’d think.

You start out delegating a few tasks to make life easier… then one day you realise you're asking your team for permission to make decisions. You're walking on eggshells. You’re avoiding the hard conversations. And your business? It no longer feels like yours.

If any of that sounds familiar — this episode is for you.

Here’s what we cover:

✅ How it happens – The subtle shift from leading to reacting

✅ Why it happens – The mindset traps and leadership habits that leave us overrun

✅ Red flags to watch for – Signs your team might be running the show

✅ How to take back control – Practical, non-confrontational ways to reset and reclaim your role as the ...

When it comes to running a business, especially one that’s growing, there’s always a temptation to solve problems with shiny new software.

HR is no exception.

If you’ve ever Googled “how to manage HR better,” you’ve likely been flooded with ads for platforms promising to automate your HR, solve compliance, and organise your team all in one neat dashboard.

Sounds perfect, right? Well, not so fast.

Before you sign up for that new subscription or sit through another slick demo, it’s worth asking: Do you really need another HR system? Or are you just not using what you already have?

Let’s take a step back and explore how to get more out of your existing tools before you commit to adding yet another system to your tech stack.

The Real Problem Isn’t Always the System

Most small to medium businesses don’t need a complicated HR platform. What they do need is a better understanding of how to use their current systems more effectively.

The mistake many business owner...

This is one of the topics I most often get asked about.

I see business owners, leaders and managers struggling with this one all the time: tackling difficult conversations with staff. Usually this comes after a period of avoiding that difficult conversation which is what we’re going to spend a bit of time today looking at in depth.

We Are Conflict Avoiders

If you’re anything like me, conflict is not something you run headfirst toward with arms wide open to embrace - that’s exactly why tough conversations are hard.

That dreaded feeling in the pit of your stomach, sleepless nights, anxiety, avoiding the staff member and putting off THAT conversation, if not avoiding it entirely.

You are absolutely not alone.

It’s a Skill We Can All Learn

Even with my experience, I don’t like having these conversations either. I never have, and while I’m definitely better at tackling these tough conversations, it doesn’t mean I like it any more than I did before - I just developed the skil...

Hello and welcome to Episode 292 of the People Powered Business Podcast!

In today’s episode we’re dipping our toes into a very hot topic at the moment – set off clauses in employment contracts and why they are proving to be such a problem.

We start by unpacking what are set off clauses actually are – a clause in a contract that allows the employer to pay a salary which incorporates base rates + allowances etc and other award conditions that would otherwise be an entitlement the employee should receive.

We then look at when can they be used and how, when written correctly they can protect you as the employer and cover a lot of things.

Finally we take a look at a case involving Coles and Woolworths that really has the experts talking, and highlights how these clauses can and can’t be used, and why so many businesses are currently at risk of huge back payment claims as a result.

An Invitation: If you’d like to connect with other businesses who are also juggling the challenges of team...

Hello and welcome to Episode 291 of the People Powered Business Podcast!

In today's episode we are talking about using AI in your workplace, and how it can be valuable for you and your team, but where you may need to be cautious.

The reality is your team is likely already using it, even if you haven’t officially introduced it. And while it can be an amazing productivity tool (I love it myself for getting past blank pages, speeding up thinking, and yes - it’s replaced Google for me!), it also raises real questions for business owners:

• How do we manage AI use at work?
• What are the risks and rewards?
• And what do we do when our team isn’t on board?

In this episode, I’m diving into what I’m seeing with clients around AI in the workplace, how to use it well, and what to do when team members resist or misuse it.

What I’m seeing right now is team members using AI for internal comms (and business owners being surprised—or concerned), AI-written job applications, ads, and emails: how ...

When the spotlight is shone on employee rights, which it certainly has been recently, especially around workplace flexibility and boundaries…it’s easy to forget there’s another side to the coin: the employers themselves.

With Australia's right to disconnect laws now expanded to include small businesses, it’s time to ask a critical question. Do business owners have the right to disconnect too?

The Law Says Maybe, But That’s Not the Whole Story

As of August 26, 2025, Australia's Fair Work legislation extends the right to disconnect to small businesses. In essence, employees now have the legal right to ignore after hours contact that’s deemed unreasonable. But what does this mean if you're the one who owns the business?

If you're technically an employee of your own company, drawing a wage, on the books, then yes, you may fall under the protection of this law. However, let’s be honest: most business owners won’t be suing themselves over a late night email or answering a call at 9 PM...

Hello and welcome to Episode 290 of the People Powered Business Podcast!

In today's episode we are talking about why DIY HR might be holding you, your team and your business back.

As business owners we often think we need to figure all the things out for ourselves, but just like you take your car to a mechanic, and see your accountant for tax advice, HR is one of those areas where going it alone is not always the best approach.

When you rely on DIY HR, your team feels the gaps—uncertainty, confusion, no clear path forward. People leave more often when feedback isn’t consistent, or when their role feels vague. That’s lost momentum for your business.

On the business side, the financial cost of misclassification or non‑compliance isn’t just about fines—it’s about the time, resources, and stress it takes to clean up. And in a tight SME, that clean‑up eats into profit or growth that could’ve been reinvested.

As the owner, when you’re constantly firefighting HR, you can’t lead. Your ene...

No less than once a week I’ll get a call, or question online, that goes a little like “I have a problem with a staff member, they are getting their job done but they aren’t being a great team member, I can’t quite put my finger on it but every time I raise an issue with them they have an excuse, there is always some reason things haven’t gone to plan”.

Does this sound familiar to you? Have you had someone like this on your team before?

Sure enough, after a few questions my typical conclusion is they aren’t taking accountability, because the employee in question is what we call ‘below the line’.

The Above the Line / Below the Line Framework

I first became aware of this framework close to 20 years ago, I’d heard about it conceptually but when I really noticed this as a powerful framework for teams when I worked with a business who really embraced the concept so much that their team used the language in their day to day operations, this is when I really started to pay attenti...