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Can You Ask Employees to Work Over Christmas?
What employers need to know this festive season As we head into the silly season, many businesses juggle a familiar mix: staff availability and public holiday entitlements. A recent Federal Court case has put Christmas rostering back in the...
4 Common Questions Employers Ask About Unpaid Leave
Handling unpaid leave requests can be tricky. On one hand, you want to be fair and flexible. On the other, you still need to keep the business running smoothly, and when decisions feel inconsistent or unclear, things can escalate fast. A recent...
Setting your managers up for success makes all the difference
As the Leadership & Engagement Consultant at Focus HR, I get to work with many leaders - emerging, existing or very experienced. What gives me the greatest kick in the work I am lucky to do is the aha moments from our clients - no matter where...
2025 Wrapped: A Year of Progress, Lessons… and a Much-Needed Reset
When I look back on 2025, it’s easy to point to the things we got right. We grew revenue by nearly 20%. We hit our budget despite losing 20% of our consulting capacity. We delivered great outcomes for clients, reflected in a 95% NPS. On paper, it...
Sick (Personal) Leave Misuse: What Employers should do (and what not to do)
A Fair Work Commission (FWC) decision from earlier in the year serves as a reminder for employers, that acting too quickly on suspicions of sick leave abuse can be costly. In the case, a senior supervisor was dismissed after taking six weeks of...
Great Managers aren’t born. They’re coached.
The difference between a good manager and a truly exceptional one often comes down to one single transformative skill: coaching. Coaching is more than giving feedback or solving problems. It’s about unlocking potential - asking better questions,...
Why Sleep Belongs in Your Workplace Strategy
In today’s fast-paced, hyper-connected world, rest is often the first thing we sacrifice, and the last thing we’re encouraged to prioritise. Our Focus HR team recently took a different approach. We slowed down. We learned to nourish. We reconnected...
Strategy isn’t a document or an event – it’s a conversation
Many organisations treat strategy like a once-a-year exercise - crafted by the executive team, written into a polished deck, and shared at an all-staff meeting before everyone gets back to “business as usual.” But real strategy doesn’t live in...
The Predictable Path of Progress
Last week, our 2025 Group Strategy participants gathered for their Quarter 3 Review and Reset, a rhythm we follow every 90 days. As a group of peers, we sit together and reflect. We look back on the previous quarter, the goals set, the actions...
Unpaid Leave: A fair approach to saying yes, or no, to requests for unpaid leave
As the festive season approaches, many businesses see a rise in requests for unpaid leave, especially from employees without enough paid leave entitlements to cover Christmas closures. While it's natural to want to support your team, it’s important...
Safe, respectful and inclusive celebrations: Positive Duty obligations
The end-of-year season brings with it a sense of celebration - team lunches, awards nights, and of course, the classic office Christmas party. For many organisations, these events are a way to reward effort, build connection, and celebrate success....
The Quiet Slide: How Ignoring Issues Erodes Workplace Culture
Every workplace has moments when something needs to be addressed - a behaviour that’s not quite right, a performance issue, or a brewing conflict. Yet too often, managers hesitate. It’s rarely because they don’t care; more often it’s fear - fear of...
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