The Latest from Kristy-Lee

When an employee resigns, employers often face a critical decision: should they require the employee to work out their notice period or let them leave immediately?

While it may seem like a simple yes-or-no question, the reality is more complex. There are legal considerations, business needs, and the overall impact on the team to take into account.

While notice periods exist to ensure a smooth transition, the question remains: does keeping a resigning employee on board benefit the business, or is it sometimes better to part ways early? Let’s break down everything you need to consider when making this decision.

Understanding Notice Periods and When They Apply

A notice period is the time between when an employee resigns (or is terminated) and when their employment officially ends. For permanent employees—whether full-time or part-time—notice periods are typically outlined in their employment contract or the relevant Modern Award, or The Fair Work Act.

The length of notice...

Hiring the right people is one of the most critical elements of business success.

The right employees can drive productivity, improve company culture, and help your business thrive. But hiring the wrong people? That can lead to inefficiency, workplace tension, and costly turnover.

Unfortunately, many business owners and managers fall into common hiring traps—ones that are completely avoidable with the right approach. The good news? By recognising these mistakes and making simple changes, you can dramatically improve your hiring success.

Here are three of the most common hiring mistakes—and exactly how to avoid them.

1. Lack of Clarity: Know Exactly Who You’re Hiring

One of the biggest mistakes businesses make when hiring is not being clear on exactly what they need in a new employee. Many employers rush into recruitment without defining the role properly, leading to confusion, wasted time, and unsuitable hires.

Why This Happens:

• Urgency to fill a role quickly,
...

The workplace is constantly evolving, and 2025 is shaping up to be another year of change.

Business owners and leaders need to be aware of the key shifts that will impact their teams—from changing employee expectations to the rise of AI and the increasing importance of workplace wellbeing.

What will 2025 bring for your team? Here are the top five workplace trends that will define the year ahead.

1. Job Mobility is on the Rise

If you thought the job market had settled after the turbulence of the past few years, think again. Employee mobility is set to increase, with more people actively looking to change jobs in 2025.

Several factors are driving this trend. The economic uncertainty that made many employees reluctant to switch roles is beginning to ease. The travel boom that kept workers tied to stable jobs (so they could take extended leave) has passed. And most significantly, employees are no longer willing to stay in jobs where they feel undervalued, underpaid, or o...

In the world of small business, we are always ruminating on the skills v’s fit tension when hiring new staff for organisations.

Commonly these days, the cultural and team fit far outweighs the skills requirements, but obviously new hires still need to have the fundamental and foundational skills to get the job done – otherwise what’s the point in hiring anyone?

In saying that, my advice to business owners, leaders and managers over and over again is this: you can hire the most technically competent and brilliant employee the market has to offer – but if their values don’t align with those of the business, they ultimately won’t be a great fit and they won’t last – meaning any benefits you gained by having their brilliance in your business will be eroded by the lack of alignment and fit, under engagement and ultimately the turnover of the role.

So, if fit is going to trump raw skills, and ultimately you will hire someone who fits into your team every time, provided they have ...

In a competitive market where applicants are in short supply and the struggle to even find one person who might be suitable for your role is real, it’s easy to think that there is no need to screen and assess applicants. Well, there is no one to screen, or so few applicants so what’s the point, right?

Actually, wrong. You see, despite there being far fewer applicants to chose from, the importance of making the right hiring choices hasn’t changed. The reality is you can’t outrun a bad hire. So even if there is only one applicant, hiring the wrong person is guaranteed to cause you more frustration, more stress and cost you more than hiring no one at all.

When we had only a handful of applicants to select from, screening effectively is even more important because in these moments we can lose focus and clarity on what’s really important, out of desperation, overwhelm and stress. We waiver on the previous non negotiables, and start to consider applicants who we know really aren’t ri...

Hiring the right person, the first time, is essential to building a successful, productive and high performing team.

But in a tough market, it isn’t always easy. I anticipate that in 2025 we may experience a challenging hiring period where attracting great applicants to your roles, especially in some industries, will be tricky.

If you’ve hired recently, or are in the process of hiring right now, you’ll know what we’re talking about.

Maybe once you would be inundated with applications, right now it’s looking more like a dried-up oasis. Even the bad applications aren’t coming through.

You don’t always want to hire anyone as a stop-gap because they could create more damage to your business and team in the long-run. It’s still incredibly important to be considered and strategic with your recruitment processes.

Business owners and managers alike may be frustrated, desperate for help and uncertain about how to continue without finding the right staff (or any staff) for their...

As 2025 begins, businesses find themselves navigating a dynamic and ever-evolving workplace landscape. Employee expectations are shifting, market conditions are demanding agility, and technology is opening new doors to innovation.

Amid these changes, one constant remains: the critical importance of building and nurturing a successful team. Here are five practical strategies to set your team up for success this year and beyond.

1. Set Clear Goals and Expectations

The foundation of any successful team lies in clarity. Setting clear goals and expectations ensures that every team member understands their role and how it aligns with the organisation's objectives.

As Brene Brown famously said, "Clear is kind; unclear is unkind."

Action Steps:

• Host Team Goal-Setting Sessions
  Kick off the year with a collaborative planning session. Share the business’s goals for the year—whether they involve revenue targets, product launches, or customer satisfaction metrics—and explain h
...

You’ve done it! You’ve found the PERFECT person for the role. They have all the skills and experience you are looking for, they have accepted the proposed salary, you think they’ll be a great fit, and the team are super excited to have them joining you in a few weeks time.

And then your email ‘dings’. Thinking noting of it you go check your email, see it’s from the new employee, but as you start reading your enthusiasm turns to uncertainty, disappointment, anger or frustration.

Their email is informing you that their current employer has made a counter offer, an offer that is too good to pass up, and they can no longer accept your offer to join your team.

Ever been in that situation? Frustrating is an understatement, isn’t it? 

Counter offers are one of the trickiest things to navigate, do you go back and offer more? Do you negotiate? Or do you just let them go and decide that it wasn’t meant to be?

Conversely, what do you do when the shoe is on the other foot, when one of your te...

Resignations are an inevitable part of running a business. Whether they come as a complete surprise or are long anticipated, how you handle them speaks volumes about your organisation's professionalism and culture.

This blog article unpacks key considerations for handling resignations, answers common questions, and offers actionable advice for making the process smooth and constructive for all parties involved. 

What Constitutes a Resignation?

At its core, a resignation is the act of an employee voluntarily terminating their employment.

But not every mention of leaving qualifies as an official resignation. Statements like "I'm thinking of quitting" or "I might leave at the end of the year" don't constitute a resignation.

A resignation is typically clear and unambiguous, communicated with statements like "I quit" or "I'm resigning." The specificity of the language matters more than the medium—whether it’s verbal, via email, or even a text message.

Does a Resignation Need to Be in ...

As the new year is almost upon us, ensuring your team feels valued, engaged, and motivated is critical.

Employees often reflect on their careers during the holiday season, considering what they want from the year ahead.

This is why planning retention and motivation strategies before the new year begins can pay dividends in 2025.

Here’s how to craft a plan that resonates with your team, aligns with business objectives, and fosters a positive, productive workplace culture. 

Why Timing Is Everything

December isn’t just the end of the calendar year; it’s a period of reflection for employees.

Whether during festive gatherings or quiet moments of self-assessment, many individuals think about their job satisfaction, career goals, and future ambitions.

This reflection often fuels January and February’s annual resignation surge—a time when employees dissatisfied with their roles make career moves.

By acting now, you can influence how your team feels about their work and workplace when t...