The Latest from Kristy-Lee

You’ve got a team member who’s just... not themselves. They’re missing deadlines, showing up late, snapping at colleagues or zoning out in meetings. You start wondering whether they’ve checked out. Are they no longer motivated? Have they stopped caring?

It’s tempting to slap a label on the behaviour and call it disengagement. But what if it’s not that at all? What if the real issue is something deeper, and more dangerous to ignore?

Burnout and disengagement often show up in the same way. What’s happening behind the scenes, though, couldn’t be more different. And if you respond the wrong way, you risk making things worse.

Let’s unpack the difference and look at how you can figure out what’s really going on, and what to do next.

Same Symptoms, Different Causes

It’s easy to see how these two issues get confused. Both can show up as low energy, a lack of initiative, reduced performance or a sense of detachment. From the outside, they can look almost identical.

But the ...

Hiring great people can feel like a win. Keeping them? That’s where the real challenge lies.

Just when you think you’ve finally found the right fit, their resignation lands in your inbox, and the sinking feeling kicks in.

Sound familiar?

While losing any team member hurts, losing a good one hits harder. The costs stretch far beyond recruitment fees and replacement ads. The real price is in the disruption, the lost momentum, and the morale damage. Most business owners dramatically underestimate just how much turnover is costing them, and more importantly, why it's happening in the first place.

Let’s dig into the real reasons great people walk away and what it’s actually costing your business.

The Hidden Costs of Staff Turnover

Replacing an employee isn’t just about hiring someone new. It's a process that quietly drains time, energy and money in ways many don’t fully appreciate.

Here’s what turnover really looks like behind the scenes:

• Productivity takes a hit...

Ever walked into your workplace and felt like your team was calling the shots, not you?

Maybe it started subtly. A staff member made a call on something you’d normally decide. Someone else began setting their own schedule. Now it feels like every day you’re reacting, not leading — and you’re not quite sure how it got to this point.

It happens more often than you’d think, especially in growing businesses. Leaders start with the best intentions, but somewhere along the way, the balance shifts. You end up juggling the leftovers, avoiding conflict, and wondering when exactly you became the passenger instead of the driver.

The good news? You can take back control. Here’s how to spot the warning signs, why this happens, and what to do if your team feels like they’ve taken over.

How Control Slips Away

It usually starts with trying to do the right thing. You want to give your team autonomy, show them you trust them, and avoid being a micromanager. Maybe you don’t love conflict...

Employment contracts should protect your business, not put it at risk. But for many employers using set-off clauses, recent legal developments suggest you could be walking a fine line without even realising it.

If your contracts include a clause that bundles award entitlements like overtime, allowances and penalties into one neat annual salary, you might want to take a closer look.

It’s a practice that’s been common for years, but now there’s fresh concern that many of these clauses aren’t worth the paper they’re written on.

Let’s unpack what set-off clauses are, why they’re popular, and what recent court rulings have changed about how they should be used in practice.

What Is a Set-Off Clause?

A set-off clause is a provision in an employment contract that allows an employer to pay a single annual salary that covers more than just the base wage. It’s used to offset things like:

• Overtime
• Penalty rates
• Allowances
• Loadings

In theory, the clause allows you to si...

Every year, like clockwork, a wave of resignations rolls in during January.

Staff return from the summer break with fresh perspective, a bit of distance, and sometimes a decision that it’s time to move on. It can feel like a blindsiding moment, but the truth is these resignations usually started brewing months earlier.

The good news? There’s a lot you can do right now to reduce the risk of losing great people in the new year. And it doesn’t require a huge investment or elaborate retention strategy. In fact, most of the best actions are simple, practical, and free.

Let’s unpack what’s really going on in January, what signs to watch for, and what steps to take today to hold onto your top talent tomorrow.

Why January is Resignation Season

There’s something about a new year that naturally prompts reflection. People are stepping out of their usual routine, spending time with family and friends, and asking themselves the big questions. Do I want another year like the last on...

Why does the final stretch of the year feel more like we are crawling to the finish line than a festive, celebratory wind down?

Business owners, managers, and employees alike are all feeling the weight of the year that was. Stress is mounting, tempers are flaring, and burnout is rearing its head in ways that feel more acute than ever before. As I’ve had more than one person tell me lately, people are a bit ‘tetchy’ at the moment … maybe you can relate?

This isn’t just a passing mood. It’s what many are calling the “Q4 crash” that very real, end-of-year slump that hits hard as the calendar edges towards December.

But why does it happen, and more importantly, how can you navigate it?

Why Q4 Hits So Hard

Every year has its natural rhythm, and Q4, from October through December, is always a challenge.

It’s a time when businesses are rushing to finish the year strong, personal responsibilities stack up with school events and holidays, and the cumulative pressure of the p...

DIY is a bit of a badge of honour for small business owners.

We patch up websites, design our own marketing, handle bookkeeping, and tackle team management with the same can-do spirit. There’s a certain satisfaction in figuring it out ourselves - until that approach quietly starts to backfire.

When it comes to HR, doing it yourself feels resourceful. Responsible. Even empowering. But what if DIY HR is actually keeping you stuck? What if, despite your best intentions, it’s holding back your team, stalling your business growth, and draining your energy?

Here’s a fresh take on why managing HR yourself might not be the best strategy anymore—and what to do instead.

DIY Isn’t Winging It

Let’s be clear: DIY HR isn’t the same as winging it. When you’re DIYing something, you’re usually making a genuine effort. You’re reading Fair Work articles, researching awards, downloading templates, and doing your best to get it right. And you’re likely doing it because:

• You want control
...

AI has well and truly made its way into our lives - at home, in business, in school (according to my teens….) and everything in between.

Whether you're using it to brainstorm ideas, shortcut admin tasks, or (let’s be honest) figure out what to cook for dinner, artificial intelligence is changing the way we work.

But here’s the thing: while AI tools like ChatGPT can be powerful and downright fabulous, they also bring a new set of challenges for business owners.

From privacy concerns to reluctant team members and questionable content quality, the use of AI in the workplace is something that needs real thought.

So, how do you actually manage AI use across your team, keep things ethical and efficient, and avoid heading into the wild west of automation chaos? Let’s unpack it.

AI Is Everywhere (Whether You Like It or Not)

If you’re not using AI in your business yet, chances are your team is, or your competitors definitely are.

From writing job ads and internal comms ...

Let’s face it, HR in small business can feel like an absolute mess.

One day, you’re celebrating a win with your team, the next, you’re buried under questions, conflicts, or compliance confusion. If it feels like you’re micromanaging, juggling too much, or constantly putting out fires, you’re not alone.

The chaos often leaves small business owners wondering what they are doing wrong, and in that moment of overwhelm, the shiny promise of HR software feels like a lifeline.

But here’s the truth: software is not the solution. It’s a distraction.

What small business really needs isn’t another subscription - it’s structure. And building that structure is a whole lot easier than you might think.

Why HR Feels So Hard

If you feel like your HR is messy, you're not imagining things. It often is messy in small business, especially in those growth phases where you're adding team members but haven't put formal systems in place.

There’s a good chance you’ve tried to do the rig...

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...