We all know HR can be a real minefield if you’re not sure of the correct process to follow when you suspect an employee is up to no good.
It isn’t clearly documented in legislation, but case law has given us a great framework that should be applied whenever a disciplinary matter rears its head.
Below we have outlined the main steps of a disciplinary process:
I think most people would agree it’s easier to avoid issues than confront them, but often that serves to prolong the inevitable – the tough conversation has to happen eventually. And the longer an issue goes on, the harder it is to address.
A toxic employee has to be called out, regardless of whether or not they’re talented. In fact, some would argue that more talented the employee, the more they should be held to account in exhibiting the right behaviours because they could be looked up to by others in the organisation who then copy what they see.
Regardless of how tricky the conversation may be, it has to happen.
Here’s some advice on how to get underway:
Oh my goodness, you, my baby Oaty Boaty, are now 5. There were times when I was in the trenches with our three musketeers all under 4 years old, and it felt like this day would never come, but now it’s here, I can’t really believe it.
It all seems to have happened so fast, yet at the same time, it seems so long ago that I brought you into the world at the Te Awamutu birthing centre.
The second you were born, I felt so complete. You were, and still are, the glue that holds us altogether. You’re our peacemaker. You’re the one who mediates conflicts, and finds a middle ground between our rational-thinking Archie and our emotive-driven Bossy.
Your arrival created a world where I really had my hands (and heart) full, so you would spend hours snuggled in the Moby wrap like a little koala bear. You loved it and I loved it. I think it helped us both find some calm amongst the chaos.
You can also have almighty tantrums. You’re not patient. You’re easily frustrated. And you’re a terrible loser, no matter what game is being played. But, you’re just as easily cheered up. With you, no mad, bad, sad moment lasts long. You find the fun in life, and spend so much of every day giggling.
You are an absolute trooper hiking and biking with “the big boys”. You’ve conquered Mt Kakepuku, Mt Tauhara, Mt Maunganui, and the Hakarimatas.
You’ve always loved doing jobs, helping others, and keeping yourself busy. You are content in your own company and I often find you outside pottering around, using your imagination to do “farm work” in the backyard.
As you’ve got older, your cuddles have decreased, and your independence has increased.
Sometimes I’ve found that hard.
I’ll miss our Wednesday home day, and I know Daddy will miss his Thursday home day with you. Even though we often had lots of errands to run and jobs to do on Wednesdays, doing it with you, always made it so much better. Your constant chat and cheeky grin brightens every day.
I know when it comes time to say goodbye to you at the classroom, you’ll be braver than me. You’ll have the love and support of your two best friends, Archie and Hugo, and you won’t need me.
Whilst that hurts, it also makes me so so proud.
So my darling, go and be a big 5 year old. Suck up the school years of sitting in a classroom, learn what you can, and before you know it, you’ll get your heart and head back outside to a life on the farm.
Tova O’Brien argued her new role as a radio show host captured a substantively different audience to her work as a political editor and therefore would not be ‘competition’ for the purposes of her restraint of trade.
Her old employer, Discovery, argued her new role appealed to a significant portion of their target market, namely the younger generation of consumers who appear to switch between breakfast radio and TV media based on their preference of hosts.
Read More »Since seeing it on Instagram, I’ve been reflecting on Gus Balbontin’s Career Spectrum, and how it applies to me.
He suggests stretching your time beyond your current role and spread it across the career spectrum. “Your job” is actually balancing this time, not just deploying it all to a single role and a single company.
So, what does this mean for me?
What is my anchor role? My push? My side hustle? My play?
Read More »Over the last month, we’ve seen this situation escalate with the government expanding their vaccination mandate to include the education, health and prison worker sectors, and introducing vaccination certificates for customers (and staff) as part of the traffic light COVID-19 protection framework.
There is still a lot of grey area around exactly how far reaching the Order is and how the vaccination certificates will be policed, but at the moment, this is what we know:
Read More »There’s no denying the topic of vaccinations is a very emotive issue and it has the potential to segregate your employees if not managed sensitively. Even organisations that had a strong culture and a united workforce, risk division in the face of a vaccine debate.
Organisations that already practice diversity and inclusion (D&I) will do well. The culture of accepting differences in perspective, among other differences, will lead to a culture that invites, welcomes, and embraces choice.
But for Organisations less mature in their D&I practices, this divisive topic can drive an ‘us’ and ‘them’ culture. But there are 2 tips that could help protect a united culture.
It can feel harsh receiving an employee’s resignation, even when you know the employee is leaving to pursue an exciting new opportunity. But as the employer, how do you manage this resignation process while meeting good faith obligations?
Read More »A recent post on Facebook about a coffee cart at Fieldays highlighted some real challenges about rest and meal breaks.
Tired employees are dangerous. They can make mistakes that could be fatal. As an Employer you are required to allow and ensure your team can take breaks to rest the body and the mind. Rested workers are more productive and in turn, safer.
It is often easier in concept than reality, especially if you run a small business, where there is just you and one other employee, or you own a retail shop where your employee works alone while you are only on site a few hours a day, or a busy café when the break times are the busiest times for customers.
Big news for Employers – from 24 July 2021, minimum sick leave entitlements will increase from 5 to 10 days per year.
The cycle for entitlement remains the same so this change will come into effect for each of your employees at a different time. You still have to be employed for six months before you become entitled to sick leave, but once that entitlement is due it is now double what it was!
So how does this work in practice? Here’s how….
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