There are many reasons why an employment relationship could falter – including misconduct, poor performance, personality clashes, absence, or just the way circumstances fall. Whichever reason applies, trying to respond to a reference request for an employee or ex-employee in that situation can be awkward. In this blog, I’m going to talk through some common…

“I want to make a complaint” is never a phrase we relish hearing, and it can be all too jarring to hear it from the mouths of our own staff. But that is essentially what a grievance is – a complaint about the working environment. So how do you as a manager deal with grievances?…

As practice manager tasks go, telling a staff member that they smell is probably one we’d rather not take on. But one unlucky member of Practice Index posted recently that this was indeed a piece of feedback they needed to give, and they quite reasonably asked for some advice about it. The forum responded with…

I’m a pretty staid and sensible HR professional as things go. However, like most people, I have a secret: I love overdramatic, ‘am I unreasonable?’, social-media posts. You know, the ones that sound so outrageous they get republished all over the internet. Well, I think the ones about people’s experiences in the workplace are especially…

I’ve been an HR professional for 18 years and supporting managers with disciplinary situations is part of the bread and butter of my work. The most common advice I give in such situations is ‘think about process’. But what do I mean by that, and why is it so important? Misconduct To start with, I…

If you’re faced with managing a staff member who is underperforming, it can be a daunting prospect to know exactly how to approach the situation. Robyn Clark (aka JacksonR) and Susi O’Brien (HR Help advisor) hosted a lunchtime HR Clinic which looked at how to tackle this tricky issue. As expected, we received lots of questions…

It’s the start of summer and that means, peak holiday season has arrived! At this time of year, practices are usually filled with excited chatter about trips to sunny destinations. Given the stress and restrictions of the past two years, these trips are more meaningful than ever. Alas, 2022 has brought a sting in its…