Problem
Like many managers of small business, neither Geoff nor Heather had formal qualifications in HR or law. They found the advice from Fair Work difficult to interpret and as Heather said, “legislation got completely on top of us and silly little things became hard”.
Part of the problem was they had always treated employees like family members in the business. This had created some tricky relationships and a few employees “took advantage” of their generosity. Managers were continually adding clauses into contracts to reflect what had happened with other staff, but these contracts became big, complicated and “completely uncompliant”. Heather and Geoff recognised their attempts to safeguard themselves from legal trouble which had only added complexity.
What We Did
Employsure stepped in with a comprehensive set of compliant, easy-to-manage documents including new employee contracts to simplify their previous muddle. This immediately helped GMA “take the emotion out of dealing with employees”.
Geoff and Heather emailed for advice whenever they needed it, and beyond their expectations, always received a reply by the end of the day. This kind of turnaround was a relief for them as their employees clearly saw HR as an issue to be “jumped on straightaway”.
The Result
An extension of us.
Heather and Geoff find dealing with Employsure is like having an extension of GMA. Employsure has learned who they are and moulds its advice around them. GMA likes to think it operates in the same way with clients so Employsure is a reflection of its own business.
Cost effective.
Working with Employsure is “definitely worth it” because it takes the emotion out of running a small business. Managers can concentrate on what they are good at and rely on a level of service which is cost effective for them.
Rational decisions.
Geoff and Heather now make rational decisions that come from Employsure rather than their own emotional ties. This means all staff are treated equally and no longer “get huffy” about these decisions. They know “not to push boundaries” because what is good for the business is now also fair for them.
Fast Turnaround.
GMA is impressed that Employsure advisers work around the clock to offer advice and usually reply to any email by the end of that day. This level of service goes beyond expectations and helps build trust with GMA employees, who expect quick answers to their HR problems.
Peace of mind.
When employees have urgent questions, Geoff or Heather rings Employsure to check on the answers. They have complete peace of mind knowing Employsure is giving them the right advice. As Heather says, “we follow your lead and we’re protected”.
Easy documents.
GMA finds the tailored documents easy to administer and implement and is impressed they are not couched in difficult legal language. Employsure is not like other lawyers, Heather says, they are “very down to earth” and “speak our language”.
