Small Biz Matters: People, Policy, Purpose.

Better Workplace Health For Small Businesses

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.
with Alexi Boyd from Boyd Office Management Services
Date: 29 August 2017

Health and wellbeing of ourselves and our employees is an aspect of running a small business which is often left last on the list. We spend more time at our desk sometimes than we do with our families and never for a moment think about the long term health implications. But the stats tell us we should, for the purposes of productivity, staff retention and having just a great place to work make this a number one priority.

So in the interest of thinking of the Health and Wellbeing of our listeners today we’re creating Better Workplace Health for Small Business and Improving the health & well-being of yourself and your employees in the office environment.  We’re focusing today on the concept of Move well, Think well and Eat well.

Welcome to the show, wellness experts, Dr Louis and Dr Engrid.

Topics we’ll be covering:

• Broadly can you guys explain the concept of Move well, Think well and Eat well and why it’s important for small business owners to be conscious of this concept for themselves and their team(louis leads)?
• As a small business owner, there is a heavy reliance on you. If you are not well physically and mentally your business suffers. There are no real off days, always constantly something to work on. So forgetting, not priorities time to invest in your health is common problem.
• That may create an environment where the workplace is unhealthy, affecting your employees.
• Loss of health is a key contributor to loss of productivity, can ultimately affect the health of your business.
• The concept of move well, think well eat well is that; Health is like a puzzle - there are many different pieces, that connect with each other to form a bigger picture.
• Health is more than just feeling and looking great, it’s about optimal function of the whole body, physically, mentally and socially. The choices you make on a day to day basis either takes you towards or away from health.
• Encouraging people to be proactive about their health and not waiting for problems to arise. Focusing on making choices that elevate their health, prevention is key. Instead of this idea of “sacrificing health in order to accumulate and make money and then sacrificing money to recuperate health.” -Dalai Lama

Move well (engrid leads):

• Our current lifestyles, involve prolonged extended periods of sitting. Even more so with technology.
• Injecting movement into your day, try not to sit for more than 40 mins
• Stand to work, sit to rest; this aid breathing & working
• standing desks are great - why?, desk setup and posture.
• But for those that don’t, some tips on proper ergonomics.
• Top of the screen should be at eye level, feet flat on floor, no crossing the legs
•       Sit yourself right in the chair first – utilise the back of the chair, bum back in the corner of the chair.
• be conscious and listen to your body if it tells you that something is uncomfortable
• Stand & walk meetings
• There’s an app from Chiropractor’s Association of Australia (CAA) which prompts you to get up and move & has pop up posture reminders (straighten up App)
• Sitright.com.au
• Straighten Up Australia for simple exercises
• Same principles apply when you are working from home!

Think well (louis leads):

• How society runs today, go go go mentality, everything is easily accessible (esp. Social media), constantly engaged, constantly stimulated.
• This has an impact on our bodies as we aren’t designed to function like that all the time.
• There is a whole branch of the NS that is dedicated to rest and digest, (down time) we should be in that state majority of the time.
• Currently society has us in this overstimulated/stressed state, causing us to be driven into a reactive mode/behaviour, constantly reacting to things which then means you aren’t being proactive.
• Stress is good for us, it can makes us clear our desk, set deadlines, be productive.
• How much stress and where stress falls in your day is important, but it can leads us to become reactive and not proactive with your business and your health.
• It’s easy for small business owners to wake up first thing in the morning,  have a cup of coffee and open your laptop and before you know it you’re addressing e-mails 6:30 in the morning and you haven’t even arrived at the office yet.
• The focus should be to break this cycle, this behaviour by introducing small steps in your routine that will help serve you to be proactive and increase productivity.
• Starting your day with structure, perhaps morning routine help get you into a productive mode.
• Gratitude mindset, start your day with 3 things you are grateful for. Studies indicate that beginning your day with gratitude can rewire your brain to have a more positive outlook on life.
• 5-10 minute meditation (Smiling mind app - guided meditation)
• Breathing exercises – it’s important for oxygenating your muscular tissues every so often and we forget that when we’re working.
• Don’t look at your phone and/or address e-mails until you’ve left the house.

Eat well (engrid leads):

• Lots of information about nutrition, diets, things you should or shouldn’t (most aren’t not sustainable)
• Stick to the basics
• Micro-nutrients, macro-nutrients
• If it grows from a plant (good), if comes from plant (not good)
• What you have probably noticed when you are stressed you often make poor choices because:
• Our response to stress – the overwhelm will create a pattern where you react (rather than proactive) , instant gratification.
• Those foods often start with a C and ends with an E  !! cookies/carbohydrates/cake/chocolate

What is it that we commonly encounter as wellness experts (louis leads)

What we commonly see in practice comes back to problems associated with how people are dealing and coping with stresses in their life.

Bear in mind everyone is different and these symptoms may be different for you. We often see with people who are overstressed or constantly in a stressed state have;

• Poor posture – your spine and nervous system is not supposed in this position (SD)
• Headaches
• Neck pain / back pain
• Irritable
• Reduction in concentration and memory.

Remember the pain is your body to trying to communicate to you to and to bring your attention to something but is not necessarily the source of the problem.

BUT not all is lost - what can you do to reverse these worsening problems? (engrid leads)

Our professional training is that we are Chiropractors, when we say that most people will immediately think of neck and back pain. Professionally we are good at helping with those problems.

Louis and I we are at Complete Health Chiropractic in Chatswood and we are passionate about:

• Helping improve the health of families of all generations by ensuring their body’s isn’t in this constant stressed, fight and flight state and that it’s functioning properly. And also showing them ways to being proactive about their health, small simple steps that over time hopefully can put them on a better path to health.
• What we don’t do is leave them in being reactive state and mode, being unproductive.
• Take the time to review your morning routine, and is it serving you in a proactive, positive manner.
• See what small steps that were discussed today that is easy for you and your team to incorporate. We have a client that started an “hour-aerobics” at their workplace, where they all get up and move for 5 minutes, every 40 minutes.
• Get yourself checked.
• Find out how is your body dealing with stress in your body, function of your nervous system. Find out the cause.
• Investing in yourself.
• Functional tests to help you determine if now is a good time to see a chiropractor
• Search for a chiro on the professional association website.

Being a better employer (louis leads)

• Taking care of yourself.
• Creating a healthier environment and encouraging healthy behaviour and routines.
• Walking/Standing meetings
• Stand up to take a phone call
• Use earpieces when talking on the phone
• Encourage drinking water from the tap – hydration & the formula for how many glasses is right for you differs for everyone!
• Regular breaks – we used to accept the smoko to let’s encourage the Healtho!
• Inviting health professionals to impart knowledge to your employees on better health
• Consider this an option for productivity workshops & health and well being of your employees (ultimately saving you in the long run)
• This is something we do regularly at CHC is provide workplace talks to educate and encourage healthier workplace environments.

To find out more go to their website: www.completehealthchiro.com.au

How Can The State Government Offer Help?

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.
with Alexi Boyd from Boyd Office Management Services
Date: 22 August 2017

It’s always great to access some Govt support when in small business and there are some great resources out there if you know where to look! Matthew Lye is our guest today. He is a Business Advisor with Realise Business a service provided by the NSW Department of Industry and comes under the banner of the NSW Small Business Commissioner. ….

Welcome to the show Matt.

Topics we’ll be covering:

• All about Realise Business and the support services they offer
• What can small businesses expect when they come and see you?
• Tell us about the workshops and events Realise Business runs for the businesses of Sydney

Since 1989, Realise Business has provided trusted and affordable business advice, education and support for thousands of business owners across Sydney.

We operate as a Not-for-Profit enterprise, and are proud to be funded by all levels of Government, which means you can get advice from our highly experienced Business Advisors for a fraction of the cost of private business coaching. Plus, FREE membership gives you access to our growing network of up to 300,000 other Sydney businesses, regular events and education for every stage of business.

As a provider of the NSW Business Connect Program (funded by the NSW Government Dept of Industry) and a provider for the Federal Government Australian Small Business Advisory Service (ASBAS), we receive direct funding from these Government programs, which enables us to retain expert Business Advisors with years of experience operating their own successful businesses and running large corporations. As a result, you can benefit from commercial quality business advice at a reduced (and often free) rate. Joining Realise Business helps you access affordable business services that are tailored to the stage of your business growth.

Established in 1989 and most recently known as Business Enterprise Centre (BEC) Southern Sydney, we originally offered support to businesses based in Southern Sydney and Sutherland Shire. From January 2017, we are proud to have been awarded the NSW Business Connect contract to provide free one-to-one business advice sessions, business advisory services, and training workshops to up to 300,000 businesses and disrupted industries across the Sydney area; including Southern Sydney, Inner West, Sydney’s CBD, Eastern Suburbs, North Shore, and Northern Beaches.

To find out more go to their website: https://realise.business

Contracts And Your Business - Managing The Risk

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.
with Alexi Boyd from Boyd Office Management Services
Date: 15 August 2017

Engaging in business naturally means you take on risk. Not everyone you engage with is going to be trustworthy and if they’re likely to take risks, they might take you along for the ride. But covering yourself legally is expensive, right? Maybe, sure lawyers earn more per hour that we do. But what MORE expensive is going to court and if you don’t have the right compliant contracts in place that’s where you could be heading.

Who best to sk than an expert in Commercial Law we welcome to the show Allan McDougall from Key Point Law Firm.

Welcome to the show Allan.

Topics we’ll be covering:

Q: “When do you typically need ‘Engagement Contracts in Business?”

 

A: You typically need contracts in business when you supply products or services over time, or on-line.

 

In other words performing the transaction  isn’t instantaneous, like paying to have your someone mow your lawn, unless of course it’s a repeating arrangement (but maybe not even then)

Also the product or service you provide is complicated or required to be of a certain standard eg painting the inside of a house

 

Business Terms & Conditions

So, if you are selling products or services, whether from a physical or digital/online presence, you will need to have a well-drafted set of business terms and conditions.

 

These standard Ts&Cs can even be displayed on your website. Some large businesses may display not just standard sales terms, but also standard purchase terms as well.

 

If you provide services you will need a “client agreement”

Client Agreements set out the services you provide your client and on what terms.

 

This agreement will include information on your obligations, your client’s obligations, as well as standard provisions to limit your liability (risk) and protect your legal interests

 

If sell products (things) you will need a set of sales terms & conditions.

A set of sales Ts&Cs covers similar things to a Client Agreement, as well as your delivery, repair and exchange policies.

 

The sales Ts&Cs should also ensure that, as a supplier of goods you are complaint with product quality laws

 

(Talk about the Australian Consumer Law and recent “B2B unfair contract” amendments)

 

Online market place term and conditions

If your website allows parties to buy and sell products, services or even information you will need a set of Ts&Cs to facilitate transactions on your marketplace/website platform.

Website marketplace Ts&Cs need to be a little more comprehensive than the other two sets of business Ts&Cs, because they must protect your website platform as well

2.              Contract with employee or contractor

Yu should always have a written contract of employment with all award employees, and probably management employees as well.

For the sake of good order probably casual employees too, although the contract will most likely be briefer

These agreements will set out things like the role of the worker, their remuneration and benefits, any leave entitlements, and what expectations you have of them

And for the award employees a written document is a way of proving to the Fair Work Ombudsman for example that you are observing the conditions of the award, should that ever become necessary

As regards a contractor you will need to make clear their independence of the cso that you are not responsible for his on-costs, and that he/she is a genuinely independent agent

 

3.              Shareholders Agreement

If your business is in a company and you have shareholders other than immediate family then hopefully you have Shareholders Agreement in place.

Sets out what each shareholder’s role in the company is, what their duties and obligations are, how profits are divided, how a shareholder can exit, and generally what happens if something goes wrong

A kind of a business “pre-nup” 

 

4.              Buying or Selling a business

 

If you engage a lawyer this will generally cost a lot. Sometimes you will think the final amount is out of proportion to the sale price.  I often say the more you’re paying or getting the better it is to engage a lawyer.

Even if it’s for a small sum you at least get peace of mind with a lawyer being involved.

To save money involve your accountant from the word go, and negotiate as much as you can with the person buying or selling.

Really get all the commercial details settled, including doing a “due diligence if you are the buyer

There is a standard form contract, similar to the real estate version, but I think it’s a waste of time, except perhaps for the smallest business.

 

5.              How detailed do theses contacts need to be?

Their level of detail depends on how complicated your products and services are.

Generally one A4 page, with two columns of small type size should suffice.

Note though that the font cannot now be too minute otherwise the contact may be deemed to be unfair, under the new laws

 

 

Why is it better to seek advice rather that downloading from the internet?

 

You take a risk that anything on the internet might not be truly suitable for your purposes.

Also I notice that many of the ‘free” documents on the internet are from American of UK law firms which are quite different from what we use over here and are sometimes alarmingly uncomplete.

Very much a case of buyer beware

Also from the internet you can buy contracts and legal documents for various purposes but you still take a risk that you know what you are doing.

I see that from some sources you can pay substantially extra for legal interpretation and advice to accompany the purchased document. From what I can tell the advice is Ok, but I only know that because I’m a lawyer!

I think you are better off delegating this task. Your time is better spent working on or in your business

 

7.              If you engage with a commercial lawyer like me, how can you expect the meeting to go.

Well, firstly it is my practice to give you the first hour free so you can explain your needs and try to give you an estimate of what it will cost.

Maybe I will need to go away and think about it, then get back to you, but an estimate you will get.

If you like how the meeting went and the number I come up with then I will send you a fees agreement setting out that estimate. If you are happy with that you tell me and we can proceed.

At the beginning of the show Alexi you mentioned that we lawyers charge by time at hourly rates. That’s usually the case where we can’t control the amount of time we spend.

For example, in a court case, a dispute situation or where we have to negotiate with another lawyer.

For myself, about all I can do is keep you fully informed in those circumstances. Court matters are particularly h problematic.

 

8.              When is the best time to engage a lawyer?

When  you’ve agreed all the important bits with the other party and you’ve personally resolved to go forward.

Also you’ve been talking to your accountant in detail and you know the numbers look OK.

 

9.              How can you minimise the costs?

Do your homework:

if selling, be realistic about what you are letting go and what you want in return

if buying, do you DD early and thoroughly.

 

Allan McDougall

Principal

Keypoint Law

To find out more go to their website:  http://www.keypointlaw.com.au/

Top Tips For Engaging With Consultants

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.
with Alexi Boyd from Boyd Office Management Services
Date: 8 August 2017

At one time or another in your small business journey you can be guaranteed you'll be dealing with consultants. Whether it's someone to help you with an aspect of your business you're not very strong in or to access the support that you need to improve your business journey, it's important to know how to engage with these consultants.

Today's guest is John Groarke principal partner of Find a Consultant. His organisation is unique in helping other businesses connect with the right people to support them. But it's not always easy, particularly when you're not the expert. And that's why John is here to help us.

Welcome to the show John.

Topics we’ll be covering:

• Broadly your small business journey and what led you to start your own business
• What are your three top tips for finding the right consult the first time?
• How to best structure the relationships with your consultants.
  • Payment
  • IP
  • The right insurances
• Tell us a little bit about how your directory system works and what mistakes you made made along the way that you would give advice to other similar?

To find out more go to their website: www.findaconsultant.com.au   

Let's Talk About Sales Strategies

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.
with Alexi Boyd from Boyd Office Management Services
Date: 18 July 2017

Sales. It’s a topic not spoken about directly in Small Business. Sure, we chat about marketing, social media, online presence - even personal brand. But what about straight sales? How well are you engaging, Have you got your technique right? Do your sales staff actually know who they’re talking to and do they deliver value. ? Do you even have a CRM? Lots to chat about ….

Welcome to the show Gary. Firstly, tell us a little about your Small Business Journey and what led you to this consultation career?

Topics we’ll be covering:

What does an On-demand Sales Advisory and fulfillment Consultant do?

When you engage with a Consulting Sales Professional here’s what they would be asking you to asses:

• How do you conduct your sales engagements today
• Do you have a Unique Value Proposition (easily articulated)
• Who is doing the selling for your business and how much of it
• Do you have the right person selling for you?
• Is your website up to scratch? Engaging and shows value. Its
  often the beginning or end of an engagement. 
• Marketing/business plan in place? Grow revenue / profit /
  market share.
• How well you conduct any outbound calling ie but needs to be demographically researched and known market segment for B2B selling.
• Incremental sales capacity – at what point do you hire full time internal / external sales people or utilise On-Demand skills.
• Cyclical – have an idea of the cycles and when these sales
  conversations need to take place.
• Conservative estimate of profitability & revenue growth when you engage with them. Return on investment based on recommendations.

CRM (Customer Relationship Management)  is core to the success of a business and adds value in many ways. (Role is different to that of billing application)

 Top Tips CRMs Steps of a CRM:

• Build
• Implement (structured  contact , pipeline , revenue tracking etc)
• Convert

Your CRM is not a static tool; it’s a living resource in your business and needs to be fed & watered with attention. It’s a digital footprint of your business – add value to the value of your business!!

Free software! Insightly, hubspot, ZOHO, Paid Dynamics, Salesforce.

• Customer Relationship Management (all aspects)
• Logging calls and conversations with customers / leads
• Date stamping when to call leads back and why.
• Pipeline visibility and deal closure
• Targets for possible earnings from the client
• When to let them go

Sales and Marketing - there IS a difference.

What the difference between Sales & Marketing & how do they in bigger companies come into conflict? Competitive because of the conflict – they should be unified – so you need a SMARKETING approach.

What’s a true Lead as opposed to a Suspect (shown an interest) and why do we need to know about this as a small business?

Let’s talk LinkedIn for B2B… What value does LinkedIn hold over that of Facebook and why is more relevant for B2B use.

Sales coaching – what to expect from your sales staff

• Using CRM (need continuity if rep leaves promoted etc)
• Visibility of diaries to maker sure face to face selling time is optimal
• In field coaching / role plays if applicable.
• Quantities of calls - Lead generation activity / success
• Periodic assessment - check on health and wellbeing

What Sales professionals want to see fro their employer

• Sales training / meaningful customer engagement
• Compensation plans that keep them enthused about the role
• Fed regular relevant industry information to help them achieve success
• Tools and technology that allow them to maximise selling time.

Don’t forget to Keep your reps happy!

To find out more go to their website: http://www.yoursalesmanager.net.au

Streetwork - One Of The Special Organisations In Our Midst

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.
with Alexi Boyd from Boyd Office Management Services
Date: 18 July 2017

Hornsby is unique for lots of reasons but one of the things I love about living in this fantastic area of Sydney is the honest, genuine people everywhere in Hornsby who give so much of themselves to their fellow man. It’s something we all need to be proud of and reminded of. So every so often I like to remind the small businesses what makes this part of Sydney so special and maybe suggest how they too can get involved.

It doesn’t have to be be money (although we all know that’s where we can do the most good) but perhaps gifts in kind, volunteering time, or even taking someone who hasn’t been so lucky in life under your wing.

Today we welcome Lucy Dahill from the wonderful organisation Streetwork to the show to tell us about how she helps others in her community and more importantly works hard to coordinate support for vulnerable kids across lots of groups.

Welcome to the show Lucy.

Topics we’ll be covering:

• The issues facing young unemployed local teenagers and how they can break through to the job market.
  • How small business can support these people.
• The shifting demographics around Hornsby & KuringGai area that small businesses need to be aware of.
  • Degradation of TAFE & things to do locally
  • What sort of kids does Streetwork support (it’s not always who you think)
• Streetworks & Fusion and how people can become involved.
  • International men's & women's day
  • Volunteering your time
  • Mentoring young people
• How Streetwork works with loass of other support organisations to get the real help these young people need

To find out more go to their website: www.streetwork.org.au

Employee Law Tips for Small Businesses - Hiring & Firing

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.
with Alexi Boyd from Boyd Office Management Services
Date: 27 June 2017

Today on Small Biz Matters we’ve brought in an expert on Employment Law; Michelle Archer from Archer Law practice based in Hornsby. It's a topic I’ve long wanted to discuss and I’m please to welcome a true, local expert on the subject. So welcome to the show and thanks for sharing all of your knowledge with us this morning.

A: Michelle, can you tell me a little bit about background and what led you to this career path?

M: brief description of previous experience in the field and the sort of businesses you’ve worked with over the years.

A: And Michelle, can you give me a brief overview of the Fair Work Act and how it relates to small business?

The Fair Work Act (“FWA”) is a Federal Government Act which regulates employment and industrial relations in Australia.  The Act applies to nearly all employers in NSW except NSW public servants, some NSW Government agencies and local Councils.  Most employment and industrial matters are dealt with in the Act.   The Act defines a small business employer as being fewer than 15 employees.  Some of the rights and obligation of employers under the Act are different depending on whether you are a small business or not

One aspect which is particularly misunderstood is that of the process of Hiring and Firing of staff and this is why we’re covering this topic today. The unfair dismissal laws in particular can be a bit of a roadblock for small business and can actually make them think twice about hiring that perfect employee. For many its another example of excessive red tape. But, is it all that bad?

Part 1 – Hiring

A: Now, we’ve covered the area of employment contracts  previously on Small Biz but I have to admit we didn’t consult an expert such as yourself; so can you give us some tips about what we should consider before hiring new staff?

M: When hiring employees a business has both statutory obligations to its employees and contractual obligation.  Statutory obligations are found in the Fair Work Act and also in Awards or other Acts such as the Long Service Leave Act.

The Fair Work Act provides some minimum entitlements which are referred to as the National Employment Standards or NES.  There are 10 terms and conditions in the NES, including:

1.      A maximum working week of 38 hours for full time employees plus “reasonable additional hours”.

2.      A right to request flexible working arrangements.

3.      12 months unpaid Parental and adoption leave, with the right to request an additional 12 months.

4.      Four weeks paid annual leave (pro rated for part time).

5.      Ten days paid personal/carer’s leave (pro rated for part time), two days paid compassionate leave for each permissible occasion, and two days unpaid carer’s leave for each permissible occasion.

6.      Community service leave for jury service or activities dealing with emergencies or natural disasters (this leave is unpaid except for jury service).

7.      Long service leave – (there is an entitlement to long service leave in the NES but the actual granting and payment of Long service leave is governed by the Long Service leave Act in NSW).

8.      Public holidays and the entitlement to be paid when working on those days.

9.      Notice of termination and redundancy pay.  (Note redundancy pay is not required to be paid by a small business employer)

10.  The right for new employees to receive a copy of the Fair Work Information Statement,

Employers also have to work out whether an Award applies to their Employees so having a good job description is very helpful as you need to know the type of work your employee is going to perform in order to work out if an Award will apply.   (See my attached presentation)

A: And what about an  agreement,  or contract? Should small business have a contract with their employees or just rely on the Award?

M: It is important to have an employment contract even if the employee is covered by an award. The contract can cover things like

·      Remuneration, including any bonus or commission schemes and superannuation;

·      Probationary periods,

·      Protection of confidential information,

·      Notice periods,

·      Post-employment restraints.

·      Compliance with the employer’s policies (although it is important to exclude the policies from being contractual terms).

A: And when we met recently you mentioned a document that ALL new employees should be supplied with at the point of employment which was the Fair Work Information Statement – I’ll be honest and say I had no idea about this regulation. Can you please explain what’s covered in a Fair Work Information Statement and where employers can find one?

The Fair Work Information Statement is a two page document which sets out information regarding the National Employment Standards, and also provides information on things like the right to request flexible working arrangements, Modern Awards and other workplace rights.  It also provides contact details for the Fair Work Ombudsman and the Fair Work Commission.  You can find the Fair Work Information Statement by going to www.fairwork.gov.au or you can just google “Fair Work Information Statement”.

Part 2 – Firing

A: So, as an expert in Employment Law, if I say the words “You’re Fired!” what does that term make you think on:

M: Well the first thing it makes me as an employment lawyer think of is “Why?”  Different scenarios can arise depending on why an employer terminated the employee.  For example, if an employee is guilty of some really serious misconduct then the employer has the right to terminate that employee on the spot without warning or notice.  But if it is not serious misconduct, then we have to look to see if the employer was justified in terminating that person’s employment.  For example, is it a redundancy, has the business been sold to someone else, is that person being terminated for performance reasons.

A: Firstly Michelle, let’s talk about unfair dismissal and the misconceptions that small business owners may have regarding this. Do you think is it more of a misinterpretation, or a lack of awareness as to their obligations?

M: In my experience both employees and employers have a lack of awareness of what claims can be made under the unfair dismissal laws.  Employees always think they are able to claim more than they actually can and Employers worry about hiring new staff because of unfair dismissal laws but there are some important hurdles for employees claiming unfair dismissal, such as:

·       employees of small business cannot claim unfair dismissal in the first twelve months of employment or if their earnings is above the high income threshold (which is presently $136,700).

·       Also, they cannot claim they have been unfairly dismissed if their job has been terminated for reasons of genuine redundancy.  If the role has been terminated because of redundancy, then a small business employer is not obliged to make redundancy payments under the Fair Work Act.

·       They must prove that their dismissal was harsh, unjust or unreasonable.

·       Small business Employers also have access to the Small Business Fair Dismissal Code which provides a checklist of what to do in the event of termination.  If the Employer can show they have followed the Code then the employee will not be able to claim unfair dismissal.  The Code can also be found on the Fair Work Ombudsman’s website.

-       Even if the employee is successful in their claim, the Fair Work Commission has  two options, it can reinstate the person to their previous role, which is quite rare, or they can award compensation.  The most that can be awarded is no more than six months of the employee’s salary or one half of the high income threshold, whichever is higher.  And that is the maximum, most decisions of the FWC are less than that.

A: As my regular listeners would know we’re all about solid processes and procedures here at Small Biz Matters, so what can businesses do to protect themselves when setting this all up?

M:   They should first have good job descriptions and make sure that their employees know what their job is and what are the expectations around it.  You should document everything.  If you have to counsel an employee about their performance, even if it is informally or without giving a warning, make sure you take file notes of your discussions.  For more formal interviews, you should have witnesses to the meeting and allow your employee a support person as well.

Also, you should have policies around such important matters as occupational health and safety, internet and email usage and bullying/harassment. But more importantly you should make sure that your employees know about the policies and that they are enforced for everyone including the owners and managers.  Having written policies is a great idea but they are of no help if everyone just ignores them.

A: In your opinion, are the unfair dismissal laws really there to protect businesses, employees or both?

M: I think the Act has tried to strike a balance between the interests of business and employees but I do think there is a level of misunderstanding in the community about what rights people have under the unfair dismissal regime.  A lot of businesses don’t know for example about the 12 month minimum employment period or the salary caps which can make some employees ineligible for unfair dismissal.

A: Is unfair dismissal all we have to worry about?  Are there any other claims employees can make?

M: Unfair dismissal is the most common claim that an unhappy employee would make but employers must also consider other potential claims if they are thinking of terminating an employee who may be ineligible to claim unfair dismissal.  For example there are laws in the FWA against discrimination on the basis of race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, family or carer's responsibilities, pregnancy, religion, political opinion, national extraction or social origin.  Employers are also not allowed to act against employees because they have a workplace right, for example if an employee has a right to take leave, then employers cannot terminate them for reason of them taking or proposing to take that leave.  These claims are not subject to same eligibility criteria so employers must also be careful not to discriminate unfairly against their employees.

A: And where can businesses get more info on unfair dismissal if they’re in need of good advice?

M: It is always a good idea to get good advice from a lawyer experience in employment law early.  Waiting too long can cost more in the long run.  Employers can also contact the  Fair Work Ombudsman or their website for further information.

Data Analysis - What to do with the analytics your website provides

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.
with Alexi Boyd from Boyd Office Management Services
Date: 20 June 2017

So your website spat a whole load of data in your lap. Now what? Its all fine and well to count the visits, see how people found you and see what you’ve sold but do you really know how to analyse the data which your website and Google Analytics (or both) can provide?

Today’s guest is Alex Dance, founder of Hero SEO Partners. He sees the Matrix when it comes to your data. Not only can the company set up your analytics (like lots of other companies) but also teach you how to see it, analyse it and actually use it as a tool in your marketing arsenal.

And that’s what he’s here to do today!  Welcome to the show Alex.

Topics we’ll be covering:

â—     Broadly your small business journey and what led you to start your own business

o     Have a mathematics background

o     Half of Marketing Works / Half doesn’t – I calculated which half

o     Responsible for Innovation at Optus for Small Businesses and looked at Small Marketing opportunities and realised there was a hole in the marketplace for a reputable Marketing business

o     Helped a few friends out and loved the process and the concrete results so started to help a wider audience

â—     Where does small business typically get their data from?

o     Big Data is a catch cry and there is often too much business – particularly depending on the size – it then becomes a matter of working out what is important – what are the key metrics to look at – what are the canaries in the mine or what are the things that highlight what is working well

o     It can’t purely be the financials as that doesn’t necessarily drive good results

o     There is then 2 types of data to look at

â—     Data available on their industry and benchmarks

o        Google adwords tools – on Keywords – for industry

o     Competitors search volumes

â—     Own data (the most useful)

o        Google Analytics – on website – own customers

o        Facebook Analytics – on Facebook – what works

o        Google adwords tools – on Keywords – for industry

o        Keyword ranking on Google – what position

o        Google Tools – speed test of web site

â—     What’s the process for small business to start the process of analysing their data?

o     Spend some time to analyse it themselves or work with a partner they can trust

o     Set up  - Google Analytics –

o     Look at the demographics

o     Acquisition – Organic, Direct, social

o     Plus others

o     Facebook – Likes – is it only friends – test responses

â—     Now that you’ve got the data and understand it how can we use that better in our business?

o     Great question – purely analysing data without action is useful

o     What are web page conversion rates

o     Complete A/B testing

o     For many businesses it is a great reality check – currently 5 people are seeing my web page – then is it 10 people

o     Does it grow

o     When you advertise can you see who those customers are – can you see return on investment

o     When you know your target market you can know how to advertise to them – particularly in Facebook

o     If you have a CRM tool – what are the conversion rates 

o     For Google adwords – you can see the rate you are paying per click – based on your quality score

To find out more go to their website: heroseopartners.com.au

CeBIT 2017

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.
with Alexi Boyd from Boyd Office Management Services
Date: 13 June 2017

Tayble

Tayble is a new app making every dining experience just a little bit better, launching in Sydney in 2017.

With Tayble you can discover great restaurants in your area, order and pay for your meal all from your phone.

https://tayble.co/

Covet

Love fashion? Come play Covet Fashion, the game for the shopping obsessed! Join millions of other fashionistas, discover clothing and brands you love, and get recognized for your style! Feed your shopping addiction and create outfits in this fashion game designed to hone your style skills. Express your unique style by shopping for fabulous items to fill your closet, putting together looks for different Style Challenges and voting on other players’ looks. Plus, win exclusive in-game prizes for looks that earn 4 stars or more!

http://www.covetfashion.com/

ToolMates

What’s the point in having a bunch of expensive machinery hanging around at home when you only use it once or twice a year? With ToolMates Hire, you can rent those tools out to people in your area and make money off your oft used items! Find out how with ToolMates Hire.

https://toolmateshire.com.au/

Agnov8

Agnov8 energises the adoption of IoT and other technologies in agriculture. We understand that deploying turnkey solutions will assist farm managers and growers in gaining and maintaining operational awareness and compliance. Cost effective solutions that facilitate increased stock yields, sustainable water and soil management and provides growers with peace of mind, having access to pertinent environmental insights.

https://www.agnov8.com/

Growing High Performing Business Through Team

Small Biz Matters – a half hour program each week where you can work ON your business rather than IN it.
with Alexi Boyd from Boyd Office Management Services
Date: 6 June 2017

Natasha Hawker has seen it all. An author of the successful From Hire to Fire and Everything In Between and owner of HR firm Employee Matters Natasha draws on her previous experiences and skills to help small businesses navigating the compliance-ridden world of employee relations.

After experience working in HR in the crazy, fast paced world of hiring and firing in India she learned fast to get control of a workforce under the most arduous of conditions. Returning to Australia she set up Employee Matters and now presents worldwide to businesses, professional associations and is the ‘go to’ resource for journalists wanting expert commentary on Human Resources. She has been interviewed for SMH, Australian Financial Review & The Huffington Post as well as ABC Radio. She advises big and small business about HR best practice and compliance for small businesses.

Welcome to the show Natasha.

Topics we’ll be covering:

• Broadly your small business journey and what led you to start your own business
  • Began corporate life in the Financial sector
  • Worked on HR for another business and realised I could it do better
  • HR - recommendation from colleagues to look into HR then studied TAFE and post grad before starting my own business
  • International work - UK, India at Accenture and learned FAST
    • cultural learnings, gender issues , medical issues, travel challenges with SARS)
    • Fast hiring - 500 people in 5weeks! So Natasha was thrown in the deep end. Fabulous learning environment.
    • High stress, low infrastructure (electricity issues!)
  • Built a passion for educating small business owners build great businesses through building their team.

• It’s a massive people investment
  • Money, time, training time, wages, super, mentoring - it’s not just salary you’re paying
  • Big mistake owners make is expecting staff to just sit down and immediately be productive
  • You should expect someone to be productive at 100% after 6 months longer if they are more senior
  • Attrition is a massive expense to business. They’ll take with them knowledge, training, new skills
  • As business owners we tend to leave them in the technical part of their job rather than accountability for real people stuff
  • Consider an Employee assistance program - counselling, you need to consider the person problem. BUT you’re not skilled in that so OUTSOURCE
  • Don’t forget you need to engage with them as people not just task monkeys
• Team update tips / team
  • Issues with sharing communication - who shares financials out there? Well, we SHOULD. They’ll be a direct uplift in engagement and understanding in where they fit in the bigger picture.
  • Structuring a WIP
  • Voxer app to send messages & communicate
• Building highly engaged teams
  • Celebrate wins with your staff - the entire business should celebrate individual wins
  • Communications strategy - transparent, builds trust
  • Accountability not only to the owner but your team
  • Weeks slip by - bite sized chunks are best

To find out more go to their website: https://www.employeematters.com.au

Bio Natasha Hawker

Natasha Hawker is a small business owner, running Employee Matters with her husband and business partner Mark for the past three years. They work in Queensland, Victoria and NSW and have 10 employees. Employee Matters helps small business with Hire to Fire and Everything in Between which aptly, is the name of her new book.

She has worked in Employee Relations for over for 21 years working both nationally and internationally. Including twelve years at Accenture, one of the top global management consulting firms. She is routinely featured in the SMH and Start Up Smart and she is a regular writer for Flying Solo and Australian Businesswomen’s Network. She has been nominated for the Telstra Businesswomen of the Year and she has personally hired, managed and fired over 15, 000 employees.

She has a postgraduate in Employee Relations from UTS and is on a mission to help small business owners hire great talent, build high performing teams and terminate non performers.