Addressing your top people challenges

1. ADDRESSING YOUR TOP
PEOPLE CHALLENGES

4. WHAT PEOPLE CHALLENGES HAVE
YOU FACED IN YOUR BUSINESS?

5. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT CONVERSATION
KEY STEPS TO FOLLOW
• Clearly identify the problem
• Organise a meeting with the employee and explain your concerns in specific terms
• Give the employee a genuine opportunity to respond before considering your actions
• Jointly devise a solution with the employee to improve performance
• Develop a written performance improvement plan with time frames for further review
• Schedule another meeting to review performance against the agreed action plan
• Document all discussions, including actions to be taken
• Monitor the employee's performance and continue to provide feedback

6. FINAL CONVERSATION BEFORE TERMINATION
KEY STEPS TO FOLLOW
• Set up a meeting and make it clear that it is the final performance management discussion
• Review the performance improvement plan to identify which requirements have not been met
• Identify which of the outstanding requirements still need to be met and by which date
• Say the words “If you do not achieve this, your employment will be terminated”
• Set a date for a final review
• Document everything

7. REDUNDANCY CONVERSATION
KEY STEPS TO FOLLOW
• Redundancy happens when you don’t need an employee’s job to be done anymore
• Valid reasons include new technology, slow down in sales or production, business relocation
or restructure, or the business closing down
• Set up a meeting with the individual to explain the changes and why they are necessary
• Explain that their role is not yet redundant but that you are entering into a consultation
period (suggest no less than 48 hours)
• Say the words “A final decision has not been made yet, but if nothing material changes
during the consultation period then your role will be made redundant”
• Have the second meeting where you inform the employee of the final redundancy decision
• Provide the employee with written documentation outlining their notice period, entitlement
benefits and final payout figure

8. ENCOURAGING SOMEONE TO LEAVE
KEY STEPS TO FOLLOW
• Identify what is making the employee unhappy or negatively impacting their performance
• Think about whether additional training and support will help the situation
• Consider whether formal performance management will achieve the desired outcome
• Hold a meeting in which you specifically address their underperformance and/or dissatisfaction
• Explain what the business needs and how they have to step up. Make this VERY clear
• Say that you would like them think about whether they have the passion and commitment to
help the business achieve its goals.
• Set a follow up meeting for 24 hours later
• If the employee is committed to the business then accept that commitment and push on
• If they express their desire to resign then work on a fair and equitable exit plan

9. KEY RESOURCES
Fair Work Ombudsman
https://www.fairwork.gov.au
Fair Work Commission
https://www.fwc.gov.au
Small Business Fair Dismissal Checklist
https://www.fairwork.gov.au/ArticleDocuments/715/Small-Business-Fair-Dismissal-
Code-2011.rtf.aspx

10. 1. Who is it
2. What is the problem
3. How are you going to deal with it
4. Rehearse
4 STEPS TO ADDRESSING YOUR
NUMBER 1 CHALLENGE

11. 1. WHO IS IT

12. 2. WHAT’S THE
PROBLEM WITH THEM?

13. 3. HOW ARE YOU
GOING TO DEAL WITH IT?

14. 4. REHEARSE THE EXECUTION