Christmas is a time of year when we rightly tend to think of family, faith and gratitude. For better or worse, the festive season also tends to impact on our workplaces as well. Whether you love or loathe the tradition of decorating the office; roll your eyes or leap for joy at yet another social invitation; and whether you're looking forward to th...
The COVID-19 pandemic, and all the associated changes to the way we live and work, has given many of us pause for thought. A larger number of workers report taking the opportunity to think about what they want out of their professional life, what their next move in the workforce might be, and what skills they might need to get there. Just in time, ...
We've written previously about the challenges to your mental health of working at home – but what about the challenges to your cyber-health? As we noted in our earlier article, working from locations other than the traditional office is likely to be a reality of the workforce for some time yet. While this has a number of obvious benefits, it...
Whether it's asking for that long-overdue pay rise, performance managing a team member, or raising a behavioural or ethical issue with a colleague - as you move through your working life, it's inevitable that you'll have to undertake some difficult conversations at work. If you're facing a difficult conversation, a great place to begin is...
Following on from our previous article about successfully managing difficult conversations and conflict at work, you might be wondering whether your negotiating skills are up to scratch. It's a subject worth thinking about - negotiation skills are highly valued by employers and leaders, and for good reason. You might need to negotiate an agreement ...
If you're at the stage of your career where you'd like to progress, but there's no immediate opportunity for promotion, how else can you start to position yourself as a leader at work? An important part of being a leader is sometimes understanding the realities of the business operating environment – and that may mean that the promotion you want is...
If you're in the workforce today, chances are you've heard about The Great Resignation. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, around 10% of the Australia workforce has changed jobs in the past year – that's the greatest shift in almost 10 years. This change is being driven by burnout conditions following the stress of the pandemic, dissatisfaction ...
Increasingly it feels as though, for most of us, the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is behind us – touch wood! While case numbers remain high and the risk is ever-present, high rates of vaccination combined with some slightly less severe strains of the disease mean that many of us are starting to get back to some kind of normal. But many thing...
The month of June is celebrated internationally as Pride Month, so what better time to talk about the many benefits of creating diverse and inclusive working environments. Diversity and inclusion can be cynically viewed as buzzwords of the modern workforce, but underlying these concepts are essential and important considerations about e...
Even if you're lucky enough to have the job of your dreams, chances are you're going to have a few bad days. Maybe you made a mistake on an important task. Maybe you missed or under-prepared for a crucial meeting. Maybe you slept badly, arrived late for the bus, banged your knee, spilled your coffee and now you just want to go back to bed and start...
Hopefully, you've taken our previous advice, nailed that selection criteria, and the quality of your written application has landed you a job interview. If that's the case, then congratulations! Now the hard work really begins. You have to back up what you've said in your application in person, while hopefully convincing the interviewer or panel th...
While it's tempting to hope for that one, magical employee who will meet all your needs, asking too much of your job candidates might mean the best ones are passing you by. Skills can be learnt. So hire based on a candidates attitude and ability to learn. by Kenny Thorley Chances are, we've all been there. Especially in these days of unc...
Previously, we wrote about building your resilience, and how sometimes, more bad days than good at work can mean it's time to move on. A big disaster or a huge change at work can provide the catalyst you've bene waiting for, to start searching for a new job. Sometimes however, the answer isn't as clear. So how do you know when it's time to st...
There's no two ways about it – missing out on a much-wanted job or promotion feels bad. Along with the feelings of rejection and disappointment, you might feel frustrated, angry, indignant, even embarrassed. How could they not see how perfect I am for that role? What could I have done differently? Why does this always happen to me!? It's painful, a...
If you're looking to move in up in your career, but can't see any opportunities around at the moment, you don't need to wait and tread water until something comes along. There's plenty you can do right now to shake up your career, boost your leadership credibility, and keep building your valuable professional reputation. Time to update your LinkedI...
We all communicate every day, right? So it would be easy to dismiss good communication as a natural talent – perhaps something you're born with, or not. Like many workplace skills however, good communication can be learned and improved. Even more importantly, the increased emphasis on written communication in the workplace means this skill is now m...
If there's one part of writing a job application that strikes fear into the heart of most candidates, it's the selection criteria. Once the domain of government jobs only, selection criteria are now commonplace among private and not-for-profit sector roles to. And for good reason - they're a really valuable way for employers to learn more about you...
Much of the country is now emerging from coronavirus lockdown periods that, at times, seemed like they might never end. Steadily increasing vaccination rates will hopefully mean these lengthy lockdowns become a thing of the past. However, it's likely our return to 'normal' (whatever the new normal looks like!) will take some time, with isolation or...
LinkedIn was established in 2003 and has grown steadily since then – it now boasts some 500 million users. It has always been the social network most centred on business and employment, but in the last 5 years or so, it has really come into its own as a crucial tool for job seekers, employers and recruiters. Once upon a time, a high-quality LinkedI...
Whether you're Zooming, using Teams or just Google Hang(ing)out, chances are, this year has seen video conferencing become even more a part of your everyday working life. So why are so many people still getting it wrong? From audio visual glitches to lighting that too dark or blindingly bright, awkward positioning and embarrassing backdrops ... by ...