The People Powered Business Podcast

Hello and welcome to Episode 291 of the People Powered Business Podcast!In today's episode we are talking about using AI in your workplace, and how it can be valuable for you and your team, but where you may need to be cautious.The reality is your team is likely already using it, even if you haven’t officially introduced it. And while it can be an amazing productivity tool (I love it myself for getting past blank pages, speeding up thinking, and yes - it’s replaced Google for me!), it also raises real questions for business owners:How do we manage AI use at work?What are the risks and rewards?And what do we do when our team isn’t on board?In this episode, I’m diving into what I’m seeing with clients around AI in the workplace, how to use it well, and what to do when team members resist or misuse it.What I’m seeing right now is team members using AI for internal comms (and business owners being surprised—or concerned), AI-written job applications, ads, and emails: how to spot them and decide what’s acceptable and a growing concern from business owners around privacy and misuse.So how can you use AI well in your business and your team? Consider embedding AI into the tools you’re already using (like Canva’s Magic tools or Microsoft CoPilot). I love the use of custom GPTs or Chrome extensions to fast-track SOPs and admin.But what about when team members are resistant or reluctant to use AI? You really need to get down to what’s causing the fear to implement and addressing it head on.What about you? How are you and your team using AI?An Invitation:If you’d like to connect with other businesses who are also juggling the challenges of teams, I’d love you to join us inside our free Facebook Group, The People Powered Community, so I can learn more about what’s working for you and any challenges you might be having.Join Here.https://www.facebook.com/groups/hrsupportaustralia

Hello and welcome to Episode 290 of the People Powered Business Podcast!In today's episode we are talking about why DIY HR might be holding you, your team and your business back.As business owners we often think we need to figure all the things out for ourselves, but just like you take your car to a mechanic, and see your accountant for tax advice, HR is one of those areas where going it alone is not always the best approach.When you rely on DIY HR, your team feels the gaps—uncertainty, confusion, no clear path forward. People leave more often when feedback isn’t consistent, or when their role feels vague. That’s lost momentum for your business.On the business side, the financial cost of misclassification or non‑compliance isn’t just about fines—it’s about the time, resources, and stress it takes to clean up. And in a tight SME, that clean‑up eats into profit or growth that could’ve been reinvested.As the owner, when you’re constantly firefighting HR, you can’t lead. Your energy goes to fixing issues, not setting direction. That’s when burnout sets in, and your capacity to steer the ship gets compromised.An Invitation:If you’d like to connect with other businesses who are also juggling the challenges of teams, I’d love you to join us inside our free Facebook Group, The People Powered Community, so I can learn more about what’s working for you and any challenges you might be having.Join Here.https://www.facebook.com/groups/hrsupportaustralia

Hello and welcome to Episode 289 of the People Powered Business Podcast.Most small business owners are stuck doing HR in bits and pieces: a contract here, a policy there, some software that never really gets used. But at the end of the day, they’re still chasing staff, second-guessing decisions, and carrying all the pressure.In this episode, I’ll share:Why HR still feels hard, even when you think you’ve “ticked the boxes.”Why expensive HR software isn’t the fix for small business teams.The real missing piece that changes everything - a simple HR framework designed for small business.If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing “something” with HR but it’s still not working, this episode will show you what’s missing - and how to finally get it right. Feeling stuck? Email me at hello@peoplepoweredbusiness.com.au and let’s chat.An Invitation:If you’d like to connect with other businesses who are also juggling the challenges of teams, I’d love you to join us inside our free Facebook Group, The People Powered Community, so I can learn more about what’s working for you and any challenges you might be having.Join Here.https://www.facebook.com/groups/hrsupportaustralia

Hello and welcome to Episode 288 of the People Powered Business Podcast. Running a business with a team is hard enough - and when it comes to HR, most small business owners admit they’re just “winging it.” A contract here, a policy there, figuring it out when problems pop up.The trouble is, winging it only works for so long. Eventually, it costs you time, money, and stress, and leaves you stuck chasing your staff instead of leading them.In this episode, I’ll share:Why winging it feels fine at first, but always backfires in the long run.The hidden costs you’re already paying (even if you don’t realise it).How “making it up as you go” keeps you stuck in the day-to-day.What to focus on instead if you want your team to step up.If you’ve ever felt like HR in your business is messy, ad hoc, or just one more thing on your plate, this episode will show you why winging it isn’t the answer. Feeling stuck from winging it? Email me at hello@peoplepoweredbusiness.com.au and let’s chat.An Invitation:If you’d like to connect with other businesses who are also juggling the challenges of teams, I’d love you to join us inside our free Facebook Group, The People Powered Community, so I can learn more about what’s working for you and any challenges you might be having. Join Here. https://www.facebook.com/groups/hrsupportaustralia

Hello and welcome to Episode 287 of the People Powered Business Podcast.We’ve spoken about our employees rights a lot lately, specifically most recently about our employees right to disconnect from work.Posting in our People Powered HR members community about these changes and a member asked ‘does that apply to us too’? And it’s a good question.Because often as business owners we are bad at disconnecting, at setting and upholding boundaries and at protecting our self care when things are busy.So today we will discuss the real technical answer to the question as to whether these new rules apply to us.But more importantly this is a conversation about the need to set or re establish boundaries with our teams, our customers and ourselves, and to protect our energy and look after ourselves to show up as the best leaders we can be.An Invitation:If you’d like to connect with other businesses who are also juggling the challenges of teams, I’d love you to join us inside our free Facebook Group, The People Powered Community, so I can learn more about what’s working for you and any challenges you might be having.Join Here.https://www.facebook.com/groups/hrsupportaustralia

Hello, Kristy-Lee here and welcome to Episode 286 of the People Powered Business PodcastI’ve been having some great conversations  about leadership – team leadership, business leadership, self leadership, thought leadership and I wanted to explore common threads that I've been seeing. We are all leaders, CEO of our business - You are a leader if you listen to this podcast - so let's talk leadership.Firstly I want to start with why it’s important to consider yourself a leader (even if you only have contractors, VA’s or casual staff).Then I'll share 3 common traits of people powered leaders.Finally I discuss why this is a skill anyone can (and should learn), and why you don’t need to go it alone.Want to work with me on this? Just email hello@peoplepoweredbusiness.com.au

Hello and welcome to Episode 285 of the People Powered Business Podcast.Today we’re bringing you a tech tip episode – but I’m not recommending a system – in fact the opposite. I’m sharing how you can use what you’ve already got to solve your HR admin headaches and why you don’t need a HR system or expensive software subscription to do that for you.To start with I encourage you to do an audit of what you already have, what those systems can do for you, and then really looking at where you do have gaps, and what specifically you need to solve them.We then look at using your existing workspaces, whether it’s MS Office, Google Suite or something else and leverage and that more effectively. Are you using the integrated AI in those programs to shortcut things and create tools such as spreadsheets to support you?And of course we touch on AI and I share how I’m using Chat GPT and Chrome Extensions to help with HR tasks in my business and to support members of our People Powered HR Community.The truth is – a HR system is often unnecessary, they are hard to set up effectively and time consuming to manage. You can often achieve everything you need using the systems that you have. An Invitation:If you’d like to connect with other businesses who are also juggling the challenges of teams, I’d love you to join us inside our free Facebook Group, The People Powered Community, so I can learn more about what’s working for you and any challenges you might be having.Join Here.https://www.facebook.com/groups/hrsupportaustralia

Hello and welcome to Episode 284 of the People Powered Business Podcast.I have a bit of a theme going at the moment which I’m calling ‘Compliance Quarter’ and today we’re taking a look at the looming deadline for small business to comply with the new right to disconnect laws.In this episode we unpack what the right to disconnect is and what it actually means, we discuss the implementation, pathway and why this matters for small business now and we take a look at what will it actually mean for your businesses in practical terms.I also share some real life examples of what I am seeing play out with the clients I am working with and how they are implementing the right to disconnect. An Invitation:If you’d like to connect with other businesses who are also juggling the challenges of teams, I’d love you to join us inside our free Facebook Group, The People Powered Community, so I can learn more about what’s working for you and any challenges you might be having.Join Here.https://www.facebook.com/groups/hrsupportaustralia

Hello and welcome to Episode 283 of the People Powered Business Podcast. I have a bit of a theme going at the moment which I’m calling ‘Compliance Quarter’ and today we’re taking a look at the recent changes to casual employment.We discuss what changed and when, the new definition of a casual that was inserted into the Fair Work Act last year, an update to Casual Conversion pathways and why the onus is on you as the employer to get it right.In  August 2024 a new definition of what constitutes a casual was inserted into the FWA (so it’s law). From this point of time onwards, employers had a legal obligation to ensure that if they engaged someone as a casual employee, they had to meet this definition.The casual definition requires that an employment relationship must:1. Have no firm advance commitment to continuing and indefinite work (like a guaranteed weekly roster); and 2. Entitle the worker to casual loading or a specific casual rate under a modern award, enterprise agreement, or contract.So even if the contract says casual, the actual work arrangement determines status. In addition, we have seen changes to the casual conversion pathway and the provision of the Casual Employment Information Statement (CEIS).If you’d like to connect with other businesses who are also juggling the challenges of teams, I’d love you to join us inside our free Facebook Group, The People Powered Community, so I can learn more about what’s working for you and any challenges you might be having. Join Here. https://www.facebook.com/groups/hrsupportaustralia

Hello and welcome to Episode 282 of the People Powered Business Podcast.Today I’m sharing a conversation I recently had with Juliet Robinson over on the Grow Your Influence Podcast.So often when we are recruiting new people into our teams, we are doing it under pressure. We need someone NOW and it can be tempting to just fill the job that has been created, rather than thinking strategically about the skills we need in our team.When we’re recruiting we often bring in people like us. People we can relate to in interviews so we think they will fit in the team and we can train them up for the job. Sometimes that works. Often it doesn’t. And either way, it takes a lot more time and energy that taking a skills-based approach in the beginning.In this episode Juliet and Kristy-Lee talk about the challenges of recruiting for a skills-based team that also ‘works’. That is, the new joiners ‘fit’ with the team culture and have the skills to contribute immediately, even if the way they work and communicate is a bit different from the existing team. There are some key steps you can take to ensure the role you’re filling is what’s required and that your next hire hits the ground running.If you’d like to connect with other businesses who are also juggling the challenges of teams, I’d love you to join us inside our free Facebook Group, The People Powered Community, so I can learn more about what’s working for you and any challenges you might be having.Join Here.https://www.facebook.com/groups/hrsupportaustralia

Hello and welcome to Episode 281 of the People Powered Business Podcast. Today we’re tackling a topic which I can’t believe we haven’t discussed before in isolation on the podcast – productivity. I’ve been having a lot of conversations recently about team productivity – and a lot of business owners seem to have busy confused with productive. In addition there is a lot of chatter more broadly about productivity declining, ways we can improve it and why it matters.So in this episode we will look at what productivity actually means, why it’s important to monitor it, and how you might go about measuring (and improving) productivity in your business.If you’d like to connect with other businesses who are also juggling the challenges of teams, I’d love you to join us inside our free Facebook Group, The People Powered Community, so I can learn more about what’s working for you and any challenges you might be having. Join Here - https://www.facebook.com/groups/hrsupportaustralia

Hello and welcome to Episode 280 of the People Powered Business Podcast.In this episode we’re unpacking a recent Fair Work Commission decision that has seen a worker based in the Philippines being deemed to be an employee of an Australian based business, and what that means for those engaging offshore workers.In the case, the worker, based in the Philippines, was working for a Brisbane based business. Her tasks were to work as a Paralegal. She worked from her home, and was required to work Australian hours – 8:30am to 5pm QLD time.Her engagement was terminated by the business (because she allegedly copied company data onto a personal computer drive – an allegation she denies).Upon termination she felt wronged and unprotected. She felt unprotected by Philippines workplace law because of how her engagement was set up, but also wasn’t sure she was covered by Australian workplace law, but because she felt like she was acting just like an employee – she would make an unfair dismissal claim with the Fair Work Commission.The company of course argued that she wasn’t in Australia, and therefor was a contractor, not an employee, and as a result not eligible to make the claim.However, the worker pointed out that the Fair Work Act does not in fact state that you need to be physically in Australia for this to make such a claim.The outcome? The first thing that needed to be determined, was whether she was an employee and therefore eligible to make the unfair dismissal claim.The Fair Work Commission ruled that she was an employee of the Australian company, and that she was not conducting her own business and therefore not a contractor.They ruled that as an employee, she was entitled to all of her workplace rights under the Fair Work Act, including the national minimum wage, which was at the time of the termination $6.87 per hour higher than what she was getting paid.The result This has paved the way for her to make a claim for back payment of wages, and to pursue the unfair dismissal claim, amongst other things.You can read the full article here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-03/filipino-woman-changed-game-for-australias-offshore-workers/104750996We unpacked what this case might mean for you if you engage offshore workers in your business.If you’d like to connect with other businesses who are also juggling the challenges of teams, I’d love you to join us inside our free Facebook Group, The People Powered Community, so I can learn more about what’s working for you and any challenges you might be having.Join Here.https://www.facebook.com/groups/hrsupportaustralia

Hello and welcome to Episode 279 of the People Powered Business Podcast.In this episode we’re talking about workplace relations changes and what’s on the horizon.Recently HRM Online shared an article where they interviewed the Federal Workplace Relations Minister, Amanda Rishworth, on what we can expect and what’s on the Governments agenda when it comes to Industrial Relations law changes over the next few years.You can read the full article here: https://www.hrmonline.com.au/organisational-enablement/new-workplace-relations-minister-governments-upcoming-agendaToday we look at what we know is changing, what we don’t yet know, and what you need to do to be prepared.I also shared that the best way to ensure you are up to date with all the changes is to get support, which we can offer you through People Powered HR - This simple membership gives you everything you need to handle HR the right way. From compliant plug and play resources to expert answers, you’ll have the tools and support to make smart people decisions - and finally feel in control.You can see all the details and join us here: https://www.peoplepoweredbusiness.com.au/pphrIf you’d like to connect with other businesses who are also juggling the challenges of teams, I’d love you to join us inside our free Facebook Group, The People Powered Community, so I can learn more about what’s working for you and any challenges you might be having.Join Here. https://www.facebook.com/groups/hrsupportaustralia

Hello and welcome to Episode 278 of the People Powered Business Podcast. Happy new financial year – how is the middle of the year feeling for you?I for one am feeling tired, cold and a little bit over it all – and I’m getting the same vibes from my clients – both in terms of how they are feeling, and how their teams are feeling.So today we’re talking about the mid year motivation slump.We’re going to start by looking at why motivation wanes at this time of year. Then we’ll get into why it’s important to give your team a motivation boost right now and why a mid year reset is a great idea then I’m going to share 3 mid year motivation boosters that will help you and your team.If you’d like to connect with other businesses who are also juggling the challenges of teams, I’d love you to join us inside our free Facebook Group, The People Powered Community, so I can learn more about what’s working for you and any challenges you might be having. Join Here - https://www.facebook.com/groups/hrsupportaustralia

Hello and welcome to Episode 277 of the People Powered Business Podcast.Today we are joined by Kate Russell from The Huddle for a discussion on dealing with conflict in the workplace. Kate is the Founder of The Huddle—a business built on deep listening, emotional safety, and the belief that conflict can be transformative, not destructive.She’s not a lawyer, nor does she have a master’s degree in conflict resolution. Kate does have over 30 years of lived, professional experience navigating some of the most emotionally complex and high-stakes environments you can imagine—from child support and family services to workplace conflict and leadership breakdowns.Kate has worked with people in crisis, in silence, in fury, in heartbreak—and she has walked beside them without flinching. Not to fix them. But to hear them. To reflect them. To help them find their way back to themselves and each other.Kate created The Huddle for leaders and teams who are ready to have real conversations—the kind that heal fractures, build trust, and reshape culture from the inside out. Her approach blends conflict transformation, trauma-informed practice, emotional intelligence, and good old-fashioned human decency. She is noy here to tell people what to do. She is here to help them listen better, lead better, and live better—at work and beyond.If you’d like to connect with Kate her website is: https://www.thehuddle.net.au/Or connect with her on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conflictcoachandteambuilder/An InvitationWould you like to connect with other like-minded business owners, leaders and managers experiencing similar situations with their team? Join the discussion inside our free Facebook Group – The People Powered Business Community. Click here to join us.https://www.facebook.com/groups/hrsupportaustralia

Hello and welcome to Episode 276 of the People Powered Business Podcast.This week we are looking at your critical end of financial year compliance updates.We start by taking a look at what happens on the 1st July 2025 including the National Minimum Wage increasing by 3.5% to $24.95 per hour or $948 per week. in addition the Modern Award minimum rates increasing by 3.5% from the first pay period on or after 1 July.This is the time to be checking those Individual Flexibility Agreements and Annualised Wage Agreements to ensure you’re still passing the better off overall test.Finally we have the Super Guarantee increasing to 12% on 1 July as well.Then we look at some of the key changes you may have missed in the last 1-2 years including wage theft criminalisation which came into effect 1 January 2025, the changes to the definition of Casual Employment and the new casual conversion pathway. Of course there is the ongoing contractor debate – but do your contractors meet the new definition? We touch on the Respect at Work Act and your positive duty obligations and of course the right to disconnect.We sum up by looking at what’s coming in terms of further changes. This includes the final piece of the right to disconnect laws, the current Gender Undervaluation decisions, the likely ban in non compete clauses and what else might be in store.If you’d like to connect with other businesses who are also juggling the challenges of teams, I’d love you to join us inside our free Facebook Group, The People Powered Community, so I can learn more about what’s working for you and any challenges you might be having.Join Here.https://www.facebook.com/groups/hrsupportaustralia

Hello and welcome to Episode 275 of the People Powered Business Podcast.This week we have a brief but important technical update for you after the Fair Work Commission announced its decision around the National Minimum Wage increase effective 1 July.This year we have a 3.5% wage increase being applied to the National Minimum Wage and all Modern Award Minimum Wages effective 1 July 2025.But really, in the scheme of the changes happening in the Industrial Relations legal landscape over the last 2 years, this isn’t the biggest change we need to ensure we’re across.We have yet another increase to Superannuation on the 1st July 2025, and of course the final implementation phase of the Right to Disconnect laws in August 2025.This is on top of the last 12 months significant changes to the casual employment definition, the new pathway for casual conversion and the constantly murky area of employees v’s contractors conundrum – all of which employers are still struggling to grapple with.The reality is, as an employer it is our responsibility to proactively keep up with these changes, so if you’re not across them, now is the time to get support and ensure your business is not at risk.If you’d like to connect with other businesses who are also juggling the challenges of teams, I’d love you to join us inside our free Facebook Group, The People Powered Community, so I can learn more about what’s working for you and any challenges you might be having.Join Here. https://www.facebook.com/groups/hrsupportaustralia

Hello and welcome to Episode 274 of the People Powered Business Podcast!Today we are talking about probationary periods. What they are, why so many businesses get it so wrong in using them effectively and how to leverage them better.Legally, the concept of probation isn’t defined in the Fair Work Act. What matters instead is the “minimum employment period”, which is 12 months for businesses with fewer than 15 employees or 6 months for businesses with 15 or more employees.During this period, employees can’t make an unfair dismissal claim — which is why it’s often confused with “probation.”BUT — if you don’t manage this properly — you can still face general protections claims, adverse action issues, and more. The employment contract wording is critical to protect you here.An InvitationWould you like to connect with other like-minded business owners, leaders and managers experiencing similar situations with their team? Join the discussion inside our free Facebook Group – The People Powered Business Community. Click here to join us.https://www.facebook.com/groups/hrsupportaustralia

Hello and welcome to Episode 273 of the People Powered Business Podcast!Today we are joined by special guest Dr Shae Wissell from Re:Think Dyslexia.Dr. Shae Wissell is a thought leader, researcher, and internationally recognised advocate for adults with dyslexia and neurodivergence. A certified practicing speech pathologist, she holds a Master of Public Health and Health Administration and a Doctor of Public Health.With extensive experience in health, not-for-profit, and social enterprise sectors, Shae directs re:think dyslexia and founded the chair of the Dear Dyslexic Foundation, leveraging her lived experience and diverse expertise to provide coaching, advocacy, and workforce solutions.Her research focuses on the lived experiences of Australian adults with dyslexia, examining social inequalities in healthcare, education, employment, relationships, and mental health. A published author and presenter, Shae’s work has been research has been recognised locally and internationally. Shae recently published her second book based on her research and lived experiences Dyslexia: Insights into the hidden disability In and Out of the Workplace. As a coach, Shae empowers dyslexic individuals and entrepreneurs to achieve their goals through empathetic and impactful coaching. She also advises workplaces on creating inclusive environments and shaping policies and training programs to maximise the potential of neurodiverse employees.If you’d like to connect with Shar, you can find her website here:https://rethinkdyslexia.com.au/Or connect with her on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-shae-marie-wissell-b95aaa31/To contact their helpline call: 1800 13 63 27An InvitationWould you like to connect with other like-minded business owners, leaders and managers experiencing similar situations with their team? Join the discussion inside our free Facebook Group – The People Powered Business Community. Click here to join us.https://www.facebook.com/groups/hrsupportaustralia

Hello and welcome to Episode 272 of the People Powered Business Podcast!Today we are getting a little technical and unpacking a recent announcement and decision from the Fair Work Commission in relation to the Gender Undervaluation Review.In this episode we will look at what’s changing – for sure, what is on the table to change, when will we know more and what’s coming next?What we know is changing, for sure is the minimum pay rates for Pharmacists, including Pharmacy Interns, covered under the Pharmacy Award. They are getting a 14.1% pay rise, in 3 phases, starting 30 June 2025!Also on the table are a number of provisional recommendations relating to the Health Professionals and Support Services Award, the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Award, the Children’s Services Award and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health workers and Practitioners and Aboriginal Controlled Health Services Award.These provisional recommendations include changes to classification structures, simplifying of awards and significant minimum wage increases.So, when will we know for sure about these provisional changes? The Fair Work Commission is currently planning to list conferences with interested parties – so we will know more in the coming months.An InvitationWould you like to connect with other like-minded business owners, leaders and managers experiencing similar situations with their team? Join the discussion inside our free Facebook Group – The People Powered Business Community. Click here to join us.https://www.facebook.com/groups/hrsupportaustralia