Managing people

You should discuss the matter with the employee in private to determine why he or she feels they must leave. Ask whether the issue is employment related and if anything could be done to increase their chances of staying on.

The first step is to put your decision in writing and hold a meeting with the staff member. You should also consider having a third party attend and inviting the staff member to bring a third party too.

sually a business will fire an employee if they have either clearly broken a workplace policy, or have committed a serious crime. However, it is more likely a sacking will occur when a policy has been broken. These can relate to occupational health and safety regulations, sexual harassment or even privacy. You are right to expect a reasonable level of behaviour in your workplace, and if this is not being met, following a number of warnings, you may be able to fire the employee. Some of these grounds could include theft, fraud, violence or the threat of violence and breaching health and safety policies. Also consider policies around information technology and what staff are, or aren’t, allowed to share over corporate networks and the internet. Breaches of policy could include sharing pornography over a network, or giving out other inappropriate material. Monitor the use of social media. Following some recent legal cases there are now grounds to fire staff based on comments made on social media – especially if those comments are made during work. Make sure these policies and procedures are clear, documented and are known to all employees. No staff member should have an excuse if a workplace policy is broken.

You should first be absolutely sure the redundancy is necessary for the business to continue. Fair Work will only accept that a redundancy is genuine if you are unable to move the employee to another role or area within the business.

If you are employing casual or part-time employees, you will need to contact Fair Work and get advice on what awards will apply to your industry and subsequent pay rates.

Employee Matters founder Natasha Hawker launched her HR consultancy despite having three young children and an unemployed husband. Will the venture overcome these hurdles?

Brainstorming. Nothing else quite gets my heart singing like hearing the inane suggestions of my teammates.

Twitter provides short, sharp messages. To the point. No wastage. So why not use this platform to inspire a more efficient way of getting information from your staff?

Franchises in the aged care, fitness and real estate industries are among the best with regard to franchisee satisfaction, a US-based report reveals, suggesting start-ups here can learn from them.

Salary expectations are a growing source of tension between employers and employees, according to a new report, with two-thirds of employees believing they deserve a pay rise.

There’s a certain way to say everything and when times are slow, as they are now for many businesses, you really need to pick your words carefully.

While it’s easy to fall into the trap of taking on everything yourself, learning to delegate can be one of the most crucial techniques you use to help grow your business. BY MARK CAMPBELL.

If your business partner is also your life partner it’s imperative you have a shareholders’ agreement that sets out exactly what would happen if your love ever goes cold.

Keeping morale high by finding reasons to celebrate will be crucial this year, so make sure you find ways to do it.

When Taryn Williams started her modelling agency WINK, she quickly realised her management style wasn’t sustainable if she wanted to be taken seriously. BY MICHELLE HAMMOND.

Meetings. You’ve got to love them. Yesterday I was involved in a meeting about our sales strategy. It was like being in a zoo.

The Fair Work Ombudsman has launched a franchise program in a bid to strengthen the sector, teaching franchisors how to best promote compliance with workplace laws.

The best experts are those that want to share their knowledge, not lord it over others.

Having perfectionists is great in areas like administration or compliance, but in a growing business the accent needs to be on speed. And that’s hard to build when you’re agonising over every last detail.

Contained within Facebook’s prospectus is a letter from Mark Zuckerberg to shareholders that sets out the kind of culture and organisation he has tried to create. I think it should be required reading for every entrepreneur.

Business groups have criticised the Fair Work Ombudsman for failing to properly administer flexibility clauses in the Fair Work Act, claiming small business owners need more guidance.

A surge of baby boomers reaching retirement age won’t affect the labour market as much as previously thought but businesses still need to plan in advance, according to a new report.

It can be lonely at the top when it comes to performance reviews and as chief executive of a start-up you can find yourself isolated from your team when it comes to getting feedback on your performance.

While in-depth knowledge of the business world isn’t essential to building a successful venture, it pays to be aware of current trends. So take our quiz and put your knowledge to the test. BY OLIVER MILMAN.

Expanding your workforce is imperative if you are to diversify and grow your business, but how do you know the people you’re hiring are up to the job? Davidson Recruitment founder Rob Davidson found this out the hard way. BY MICHELLE HAMMOND.