Saving money on executive outplacement is easy. Choose a mass-market vendor, give the departing leader a digital platform and a handful of coaching sessions, and record the difference as prudent budget control.

The invoice will almost certainly be smaller. But it will obscure the fact that the cost just exploded elsewhere – because the decision damaged the:

That is the problem with generic executive outplacement. The immediate saving is visible, but the long-term cost is not.

Your Leadership Team Is Concerned.

Leadership exits are rarely as private as organisations imagine. You may negotiate them behind closed doors, but they will be interpreted in full view of the people whose opinions matter most.

The executives who remain will watch exactly how you handle the departure. Not the press release – the substance:

Every senior leader watching makes the same quiet calculation: that is what will happen to me.

Research into organisational downsizing supports this.

Outplacement is just one part of the redundancy process, but it is one of its most significant parts.

(Related: Concierge-Level Executive Outplacement Service).

It tells the people who remain whether the organisation’s stated values survive contact with an inconvenient decision.

Senior markets are tightly networked. Departing executives talk to former colleagues, search consultants, and board members. Yes – the same candidates you might try to recruit next year.

The story of how someone left often travels further and lasts longer than the story of how they arrived.

The Hidden Cost Of Generic Outplacement.

A generic program may save the organisation several thousand dollars. That saving is immediate and easy to report.

The exposure it creates is delayed and considerably harder to trace:

None of these costs appear against the outplacement budget. Or even the HR budget.

They surface later as high employee churn, operational drag and missed sales targets.

HR celebrates the operational win – because they’ve streamlined their vendors. Finally! Everything related to onboarding, managing and offboarding on the same invoice!

But this “win” just triggered a set of second-order costs – for HR and for the organisation.

(Related: Concierge-Level Executive Outplacement Service).

This is not an argument for buying the most expensive package available for every executive departure.

Support must reflect the executive’s seniority, visibility, career complexity and continuing relationship value.

Why Most Executive Outplacement Fails.

Most outplacement was built to handle large workforces being downsized. It comes in the form of “scalable workforce solutions”.

And for mid-level employees, that may suffice.

The career challenge a departing C-suite leader faces is structurally different.

(Related: Concierge-Level Executive Outplacement Service).

Only around 20% of senior roles are filled through job postings. The rest move through board relationships, private networks and retained search firms operating entirely outside the visible market.

They may be deciding whether to pursue another operating role, build a portfolio career, seek board appointments, enter consulting or reposition themselves for an adjacent industry.

Their success depends on their ability to make difficult judgement calls – and position the value of their skillset optimally in the context of broader market expectations, and competition from other candidates.

1. A Mentor Who Understands The Room.

The most immediate need for a departing executive is a thinking partner.

Someone who understands board-level dynamics, senior stakeholder relationships and the identity crisis that a redundancy can trigger.

It involves deciding what the next chapter should look like, identifying the most commercially credible direction and repositioning the executive’s experience around it.

2. Market Activation – Not Fake Access.

There is a significant difference between helping an executive create opportunities and circulating their resume to disinterested recruiters.

Many outplacement providers promise introductions – or an email blast to recruiters:

Distribution without demand is not market access. It is another form of theatre.

What the executive needs is a partner who can help them activate their network with tact – and tap into the hidden market correctly.

3. Emotional Grounding.

A senior-level redundancy is rarely clean.

It may involve legal sensitivities, non-compete restrictions, strained board relationships and years of personal investment in an organisation that is now moving forward without the executive in question.

The effect should not be trivialised.

Re-employment was associated with an improvement in symptoms, although the researchers appropriately described the certainty of the evidence as low.

For senior leaders, the practical disruption can be compounded by identity. Their role may have shaped their status, routines, relationships and sense of professional relevance for years.

(Related: Concierge-Level Executive Outplacement Service).

When it disappears, the challenge is not merely to find another salary.

It is to reconstruct direction without allowing anger, embarrassment or urgency to dictate the next decision.

It creates room for the executive to regain perspective, make deliberate decisions and engage constructively with the market.

A grounded former leader is better equipped to maintain important relationships, speak about the departure with restraint and move forward without creating unnecessary reputational collateral damage.

Why Arielle Executive Outplacement?

Arielle Executive Concierge-Level Outplacement recognises that senior leaders need fundamentally different support in transition.

They need one-to-one guidance from people who understand executive careers. Specifically:

The question for an organisation is therefore not: what is the most scalable program we can offer? It is: what could this exit cost us if we mishandle it?

One question produces a smaller invoice. The other produces a better business decision.

Irene

Keeping track of public holidays in Australia is complicated, considering we will observe nine public holidays nationally in 2026. Also, each of the six states and two territories has its own unique holidays.

This is problematic for employers, especially those who have teams working in different states.

To keep your operations running smoothly, we’ve compiled all the details of public holidays that are observed by the entire nation, by state, and by region.

(Related: What Is The Minimum Wage In Australia?)

Can Employees Be Forced To Work A Public Holiday?

Before we outline every public holiday in Australia, it’s worth reviewing a legal case from 2019 in which the Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia decided that employers cannot demand that employees work on public holidays.

According to the National Employment Standards (NES), employees are entitled to be absent from work on a public holiday.

The Court recognised that the rostering didn’t constitute a request, since employees had no choice but to work – setting a new precedent.

Expert Tip: Add Australian public holidays to your diary.

At the click of a few buttons, using the free CalendarLabs calendar, you can download (most) Australian public holidays to any iCal calendar-supported application, such as Outlook, Gmail, or Apple Calendar.

This gets updated automatically for the following year, to keep you abreast of any changes.

It doesn’t contain some state-wide and regional holidays like Reconciliation Day and Adelaide Cup Day, but it captures the main ones, and you’ll get into the habit of tracking them.

(Use the management summary at the end of this article for reference.)

That way, everyone will get full visibility of what’s coming up.

How Many Public Holidays In The ACT?

In the Australian Capital Territory, there are 13 public holidays, including 11 national holidays and two state-specific holidays:

Unlike other states, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are not observed as half-day public holidays in ACT.

State-wide holidays in the Australian Capital Territory.

Canberra Day is only observed in the ACT and the Jervis Bay Territory. It’s a state-wide holiday that applies to all residents in the ACT, not just those living in the city of Canberra.

It falls on the second Monday in March.

Reconciliation Day marks the beginning of National Reconciliation Week to celebrate indigenous culture and history. It’s a relatively new holiday, which was first observed in 2018.

In 2026, these holidays will be observed on the following dates:

Regional holidays in the Australian Capital Territory.

There are no regional holidays for specific cities or towns in the ACT.

One exception to the list above is that a bank holiday occurs on the first Monday in August, although bank holidays don’t apply to everyone. Refer to your Enterprise Agreement or Award for more information.

How Many Public Holidays In NSW?

In New South Wales, there are 11 national holidays:

Unlike some states, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are not observed as a half-day public holiday in New South Wales.

State-wide holidays in New South Wales.

There are no state-wide holidays in New South Wales.

Regional holidays in New South Wales.

In New South Wales, there are several regional holidays in addition to national public holidays.

Wow! Clarence Valley residents get an extra four public holidays and Parkes residents get three.

Lucky for some. Also, in NSW, the first Monday in August is a Bank Holiday, during which banks and financial institutions are closed.

How Many Public Holidays In NT?

In Northern Territory, 12 national public holidays are observed:

In the Northern Territory, residents also observe May Day, which is often referred to as Labour Day. They also observe half-day holidays on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

State-wide holidays in Northern Territory.

May Day, also colloquially referred to (rather than officially) as Labour Day, is usually observed on the first Monday in May, to celebrate the achievements of workers and the labour movement.

Picnic Day is typically celebrated on the first Monday of August and is a time to enjoy outdoor activities, such as barbeques, picnics, and sports.

In 2026, these holidays will be observed on the following dates:

Regional holidays in the Northern Territory.

In the Northern Territory, there are five regional holidays in addition to the national and state-wide public holidays.

How Many Public Holidays In QLD?

In Queensland, 12 national public holidays are observed:

Unlike in other states, the King’s birthday and Labour Day are celebrated on different days.

Christmas Eve is also observed an hour earlier than in Northern Territory and South Australia, starting from 6pm. New Year’s Eve, however, is not observed as a half-day holiday in Queensland.

State-wide holidays in Queensland.

There are no state-wide holidays in Queensland.

Regional holidays in Queensland.

The Ekka, previously known as the Royal Queensland Show, is an agricultural show.

The public holiday is officially named Royal National Agricultural (RNA) Show Day – also known as Ekka People’s Day. It welcomes over 400,000 visitors each year with over 21,000 competition entries!

In 2026, People’s Day will be observed between the 8th-16th of August in these locations: Brisbane; Burdekin; Charters Towers; Cloncurry; Gold Coast; Livingstone; Logan; Mackay; Rockhampton; Weipa Town Area; and Whitsunday (Bowen area only).

How Many Public Holidays In SA?

In South Australia, 13 national public holidays are observed:

There’s not a single national public holiday that isn’t observed in South Australia.

In all the other states, there is at least one exception, be that the part-day holiday on Christmas Eve in ACT or Labour Day in Tasmania.

State-wide holidays in South Australia.

Proclamation Day celebrates the founding of the government in South Australia as a British province. It is observed on Boxing Day in Queensland, and the two terms are used interchangeably.

Adelaide Cup Day is a day dedicated to another horse racing event, and it’s usually held on the second Monday of March. In 2026, it will be held on the 9th of March.

Regional holidays in South Australia.

There are no regional holidays in South Australia.

How Many Public Holidays In TAS?

In Tasmania, eight national public holidays are observed:

There is no dedicated public holiday for Easter Saturday, Easter Sunday, Christmas Eve, or New Year’s Eve in Tasmania.

State-wide holidays in Tasmania.

In Tasmania, Eight Hours Day is celebrated, which other states refer to as Labour Day.

It’s a celebration of the workers who fought to improve working conditions in Australia to introduce the eight-hour working day.

Interestingly, Tasmania is the only Australian state that observes Easter Tuesday.

It replaces Easter Sunday, which is not a public holiday. Although Easter Tuesday is only observed by public-sector employees.

In 2026, these holidays will be observed on the following dates:

Regional holidays in Tasmania.

In Tasmania, there are 11 regional holidays in addition to national and state-wide public holidays.

The list of locations these events apply to is too comprehensive for this article. You can find out more about which regions these public holidays apply to on the official Tasmanian government website.

How Many Public Holidays In VIC?

In Victoria, 11 national public holidays are observed:

Labour Day in Victoria is celebrated on a different day than in most states. Also, no half-day holiday is observed for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

State-wide holidays in Victoria.

The Friday before the AFL Grand Final, aka Grand Final Eve or Grand Final Friday, is a public holiday that’s exclusively celebrated in Victoria. Thousands line the streets to watch the parade, with many wearing full kits and waving flags.

Also, the Melbourne Cup (“the race that stops the nation”) is another public holiday dedicated to horse racing, and it’s been a public holiday in Victoria since 1876.

It’s coming under increasing scrutiny from animal rights activists, and even Taylor Swift cancelled her scheduled performance due to the protests in 2023.

In 2026, these holidays will be observed on the following dates:

Regional holidays in Victoria.

All of Victoria observes Melbourne Cup Day unless an alternate local holiday is arranged by a non-metropolitan municipality.

These regions seem to change every year.

In 2023, for example, Yarriambiack Shire Council celebrated a half-day on 7th November, but won’t this year.

In 2026, these are the following municipalities will observe a different public holiday, instead of the Melbourne Cup public holiday:

To keep up to date with regional holidays in Victoria, refer to the official government website of Victoria. Dates will be added here when the relevant municipalities confirm them.

How Many Public Holidays In WA?

In Western Australia, 10 national public holidays are observed:

In Western Australia, the King’s Birthday and Labour Day are celebrated on different days to other states. Also, the Saturday before Easter Sunday is not observed; neither is Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve.

State-wide holidays in Western Australia.

Western Australia has its own public holiday: Western Australia Day, of course!

It’s a day that celebrates all Western Aussies, including its Aboriginal history, European settlers, and other people from across the world who make WA their home.

In 2026, Western Australia Day will be celebrated on the 1st of June.

Regional holidays in Western Australia.

The only regional holidays observed in Western Australia are alternative dates for the King’s Birthday public holiday. These are substitute public holidays, not additional days.

In 2026, the following regions will celebrate the King’s Birthday on these dates:

In previous years, the Shire of East Pilbara (Marble Bar) and Shire of East Pilbara (Newman) celebrated the King’s Birthday on a different day. But the last time they did so was in 2020.

Summary Of Australian Public Holidays In 2026.

This table provides a high-level management summary of public holidays in Australia.

Please note that this table excludes region-specific holidays, such as those listed above for the Northern Territory, New South Wales, Tasmania, Western Australia, Victoria, and Queensland.

At this point, is anyone here considering a move to another state? If you live in Tasmania, you might feel as though you’ve drawn the short straw.

One Queenslander on Reddit suggested they just chuck a sickie to balance things out.

Another said:

Amusing as this comment is, it may be worth reviewing absenteeism across your workforce to see if unplanned absences are impacting your operations during public holidays.

Frequently Asked Questions About Australia Public Holidays.

Here are some frequently asked questions that offer some insight into public holidays in Australia.

How many public holidays are there in a year in Australia?

The term “national public holiday” is confusing for Aussies. For instance, while the Kings’ birthday is considered a national holiday, it takes place on a different day in different states.

And while the official website for Australian tourism suggests that Easter Saturday and Sunday are national holidays, these two public holidays aren’t observed in Tasmania and Western Australia.

Don’t get too hung up on ambiguous terminology.

There is a total of seven holidays that are celebrated across all states on the exact same day.

They are New Year’s Day, Australia Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, ANZAC Day, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day (Proclamation Day in QLD).

Working outside your state or region on a public holiday?

An employee is entitled to the public holidays that fall where they work, not where they are working on the day of the public holiday.

A tradesman couldn’t, for example, just take the day off because he happens to be erecting a fence in Alice Springs on Alice Springs Show Day.

What happens when a public holiday falls on a weekend?

In all states and territories, when Christmas Day, Boxing Day, or New Year’s Day falls on a weekend, the Holidays Act of 1983 allows for an additional public holiday whereby the next weekday is also considered a public holiday.

Although there are exceptions for other public holidays in other states.

When will I find out the date for the Friday before the AFL Grand Final?

The Friday before the AFL Grand Final usually occurs on the last Friday in September.

To confirm the exact date for the AFL schedule release, check this dedicated website, grandfinalday.com.au.

Their homepage is updated with the details of the AFL grand final (which takes place on a Saturday).

How do part-day public holidays affect employees? 

In some states, any employee who is usually scheduled to work between 7pm and 12am on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve is entitled to receive public holiday rates based on their Enterprise Award or Agreement.

This applies to the following states for Christmas Eve:

And for New Year’s Eve, this applies to:

As for the rest? Bah, humbug!

Final Word On Public Holidays In Australia.

If you plan your workload appropriately, you won’t need to apply extra pressure on the workforce to “make up for lost time”.

Employees have earned their right to take a day off – and you won’t build rapport with them if you coerce them into working overtime or through their lunch break.

You might well meet your deadline or fulfil a late batch of customer orders, but what damage might you do to your relationship? What is the cost of having your best performers “quiet quit” on you because you’re acting like a slave driver?

If taking one day off presents you with a plethora of challenges, there is a deeper issue rooted in your business’s operations. The problem isn’t people, it’s processes.

Escalate this to the senior management team.

Tommy

Writing a reference letter is something that we’re obligated to do once in a blue moon – unless you work in HR. But even if you have experience in writing reference letters, it’s not uncommon to sit down and stare at a blank screen without any idea what to write about a particular employee.

If that’s you right now, don’t worry.

We feel the pressure because we know that writing a reference letter has a tangible impact on the employee’s future opportunities.

In this article, we’ll strip away that pressure and furnish you with inspiration on what and how to write a reference letter – and we’ll even throw in a couple of templates for good measure.

Related: How To Write A Warning Letter To An Employee).

What Is The Protocol For Writing Reference Letters In Australia?

Unlike in other English-speaking countries, like the US and the UK, Australian companies don’t typically use reference letters as part of the hiring process. They’re mainly used for scholarships, grants, and university admissions.

In rare circumstances, a candidate may wish to appendix a reference to their portfolio for a job application if they’ve worked:

References in Australia are usually carried out by recruiters and hiring managers over the phone – mainly because asking referees questions on the spot yields more authentic responses.

Usually, a person will ask you to be a referee before submitting your name and contact information to the institution in question. At this point, you need to decide if you wish to proceed.

The benefits of doing so are:

Should You Be Concerned About Employer Ratings?

According to Glassdoor, 86% of job seekers look at a company’s reviews and ratings before applying for a job. Rightly or wrongly, those who have a bad experience are two to three times more likely to write an angry review than satisfied employees.

Surprised?

Well, we spend hours scouring reviews on the internet for the best office chair (or even seemingly inconsequential purchases), so, unsurprisingly, future employees are doing their due diligence on your organisation.

Concerned?

You should be. Both current and former employees can leave reviews anonymously on Glassdoor, and three overall metrics impact an employer’s ratings:

Those companies with the best ratings naturally attract the best talent.

If you want to boost your rating on Glassdoor – you guessed it – you need to ask for more reviews. Before doing so, you want to ensure you:

(Related: How To Give Constructive Feedback As A Manager).

One segment of your workforce you can tap into is those you have written positive reference letters for. You scratch their back, they’ll scratch yours.

But before we dive into all the warm fuzzy feelings that accompany reference letter writing, it’s important to note that not every request will evoke a positive response.

What If I Dislike This Particular Employee?

You’ve hidden your true feelings so well during the employee’s tenure that they’re oblivious to your opinion of them.

You can tactfully omit criticism from the letter and focus instead on praising the individual (this is covered in “An Honest Reference Letter” section.

It would be grossly unfair to hamper a person’s career opportunities.

That said, if an employee’s tenure ended controversially, or if they are an underperformer, you will struggle to praise them.

You may have other reasons to decline, such as not knowing the person’s character or having the time. Most will prefer you to decline the request rather than write a half-assed endorsement.

How To Decline A Recommendation Request [Example].

If you are in a situation where you need to decline tactfully, respond with something along the lines of this:

Hi [first name],

That’s excellent news, and I’m pleased to hear that you’re pursuing such an exciting opportunity that aligns with your ambitions.

Unfortunately, I’m a little tied up, and lack the capacity to give this the focus and attention it truly deserves to support you in your application.

Wishing you the best of luck in your new endeavour.

Kind regards,

[Your name]

Before You Start Writing, Start Plotting.

Writing a glowing reference letter is not dissimilar to writing a story. You’re taking the reader on a journey. You need to hook them from the outset.

Your story starts with the protagonist (your former colleague), and it’s up to you to take the reader on a journey of part of their career (a tiny chapter).

But it needs to be succinct – you can’t go writing War and Peace.

Zzzzz. Zzzzz.

The Three-Act Structure.

Almost all stories follow the three-act structure.

For the sake of simplicity, you can think of your reference letter as comprising three acts: the setup, the confrontation, and the resolution.

1. The Setup.

Introduce your colleague and their job title, and explain how you know them. Here’s an example:

2. The Confrontation.

Demonstrate the challenges your colleague encountered and how they overcame them. Here’s an example:

3. The Resolution.

Describe the impact of your colleague’s efforts – commercially, operationally, and socially. Here’s an example:

Show, Don’t Tell.

Along the way, you’ll need to weave in specific examples of work the employee has carried out. It’s not enough to say, “Daniel has a good work ethic.”

You need to show the reader through a specific example, like this:

Dropping in specific performance targets (KPIs) and milestones is an excellent way of showing proficiency:

Ensure Your Reference Letter Is Personalised To The Employee And The Opportunity.

What you write and how you write depends on the audience. So, who’s your audience? What industry do they operate in? And what kind of qualities are they looking for?

If your employee is applying for a grant on behalf of a non-profit organisation, you’ll need to highlight their compassion, relevant skills, and enthusiasm for doing the right thing.

With all that in mind, here are some reference letter templates you can use.

A Glowing Employee Reference Letter [Sample].

You would write this for an employee who goes consistently above and beyond.

Dear [institution name],

I’m writing to recommend [employee’s full name] for the [opportunity]. I’ve had the pleasure of working with [employee’s first name] since [year they/you joined], and [mention relationship to employee].

Throughout that time, [employee’s first name] has worked as a [employee’s job title] and their main duties included [briefly mention main duties].

[Employee’s first name]’s ability to [mention specific attribute/s] exceeded my expectations and those of other employees. I recall a particular time when [mention challenge], during which [employee’s first name] [explain how they overcame the challenge: resources used, their approach, and people engaged].

As a result of [employee’s first name]’s efforts, [mention the commercial and social impacts of the outcome].

This is just one of the specific examples of the value that [employee’s first name] demonstrated in their time working with us. Were I afforded the time, I would gladly recount several more instances of the value [employee’s first name] added during their tenure here at [your organisation].

I recognise this is a great opportunity for [employee’s first name] and I have no hesitation in recommending them.

Should you have any further questions, please get in touch with me by [provide preferred contact information].

Best wishes,

[Your name]

[Your organisation]

A Reference Letter Template For An Average Joe [Sample].

You would write this for an employee who is punctual and does most of what’s required of them.

Dear [institution name],

I’m writing to recommend [employee’s full name] for the [opportunity]. I’ve known [employee’s first name] since [year they/you joined]. Throughout that time, [employee’s first name] has worked as a [job title/s] and their main duties included [briefly mention main duties].

During their tenure, [employee’s name] consistently demonstrated great [mention two to three key skills]. [Employee’s name] played a pivotal role in [specific project or achievement], which resulted in [describe the outcomes and benefits of employee’s contribution].

Aside from their technical capabilities, [employee name] is a pleasure to work with and highly regarded by their peers and seniors. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend [employee name] for the [opportunity].

If you require any further information, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me by [provide preferred contact information].

Many thanks,

[Your name]

[Your organisation]

An Honest Reference Letter Example For An Underwhelming Performer [Sample].

You would write this for an employee who has performed unsatisfactorily.

Dear [institution name],

I confirm that [employee’s full name] was employed as [job title] at [company name] from [start date] to [end date].

Their job carried the following responsibilities:

[Employee name] is proficient in [mention personal attributes or skills, but omit behavioural characteristics].

If you require any additional clarification on [employee’s full name]’s role and responsibilities, please feel free to contact me at [provide preferred contact information].

Sincerely,

[Your name]

[Your organisation]

Can An Employee Sue Me For Defamation?

When writing an honest reference like the example above, stick to the facts and avoid making any judgements or giving your opinions about an individual’s character.

Doing so might hinder the employee’s future opportunities and could lead to legal action (defamation) if your former employee is deemed unfairly portrayed.

While this took place in Singapore, let’s not forget that stranger employment lawsuits have occurred in Australia.

Are References Unnecessary Bureaucracy?

According to Mario Barbatti, professor of chemistry at Aix Marseille University,

References are, by their very nature, subjective. They contain prejudices, emotional biases, and a distinct lack of evidence.

Anyone who is in the habit of verifying reference letters will do so with a dose of scepticism. So why do institutions still insist on asking for them?

A question for HR managers who regularly check candidates’ reference letters: how many times have you rescinded your offer?

HR expert Tim Sackett reckons that only 1 in 1,000 clients have rescinded an offer due to a bad reference.

Agree or disagree?

One thing we can agree on is that very few employees will ask a boss who hates them for a reference. More often than not, the brief conversations that accompany a reference check won’t alter the outcome.

My reason for sharing this isn’t to deter you from putting in effort when writing a reference letter but to take some pressure away from you.

As long as your reference is to a decent standard, and doesn’t include anything incriminating, it will stand the employee in good stead.

Frequently Asked Questions About Employment Reference Letters.

Here are some frequently asked questions that provide further context to the subject of employment reference letters.

How many words should an employee reference letter be?

A good recommendation letter should be about one page in length, around 300 to 500 words.

Anything greater than a page in length is likely to be scanned rather than fully digested. Remember to break up paragraphs by subject to avoid aesthetically displeasing chunks of text.

What Are The Different Types Of Reference Letters?

There are three main types of references that an institution may request.

The contents of a character reference will vary more greatly than a professional or academic reference.

Some will be written by family members and will demonstrate how a person is a loving parent; an associate may write about this particular person’s financial skills as the treasurer of a community club.

Whatever the contents (whether it’s work achievements or personal achievements), it’s still a good idea to follow the three-act structure, as discussed earlier.

After all, we’re here to tell a story about the candidate – we’re here to paint pictures with words.

Endlessly listing traits and characteristics is the literary equivalent of taking a chloroform rag to the nostrils. Don’t send the reader to sleep with disconnected anecdotes.

Can you lose a job offer because of a bad reference?

An institution may withdraw an offer if the candidate is found to have provided incorrect information. Before submitting your reference, you can share it with the employee to ensure the information aligns with what they’ve submitted.

Here’s some of Albus Dumbledore’s sage wisdom that encapsulates that responsibility: “Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it.”

Take your responsibility seriously. Someone has come to you to sponsor them for an amazing opportunity. Their future is (to some degree) in your hands.

Key Takeaways On Writing A Reference Letter.

If time is on your side, and you really want to maximise the chances of a person landing this opportunity, don’t try to write the reference in one sitting.

When you step away from your desk or stop tapping at your smartphone, your subconscious mind is still hard at work trying to plug the gaps.

Later, ideas will spontaneously pop into your head when you’re driving, or when you’re in the shower, or rather annoyingly, the moment your head hits the pillow.

They have a habit of springing out on you anytime, any place.

Always have your Notes app ready on your smartphone. That way, you’ll be ready to capture these ideas when they transition from your subconscious to your conscious.

Whatever you do, don’t think “Oh, I’ll remember that and write it down later,” because more often than not, the idea will escape your memory.

Tommy

A well-written job description provides the foundation for hiring decisions that stick and helps new employees hit the ground running.

Managers who write effective job descriptions have a head-start in attracting and retaining the best people. Let me show you how.

(Related: 5 Types Of Feedback That Drive Team Performance).

What Is A Job Description?

Job descriptions, also known as position descriptions, document the key responsibilities, working conditions and daily tasks of a role.

They can be internal documents held by HR or publicly shared through your recruitment process.

Three reasons to write effective job descriptions are:

Are Job Descriptions Obsolete?

There’s no legal requirement to write job descriptions. But carefully structured job positions can:

What To Include In A Job Post?

A major reason people resist writing job descriptions, or let them become out-of-date, is that they’re not equipped to comprehensively define and document their structures, work models, responsibilities, workflows, processes, benefits or team cultures.

Ideally, a hiring manager and HR specialist or recruiter will work together to:

This exercise prepares you to write a clear job description, but how should you structure the actual document?

Firstly, some notes on formatting:

The best job descriptions also include:

1. A Meaningful Job Title.

Include keywords and industry terms that qualified candidates actually use, rather than your internal hierarchies, lingo or program names.

Spicing up job titles with trendy terms can confuse the issue for best-fit candidates—for instance, including the term ‘social media’ in the job title for a role primarily focused on public relations management.

2. Job Type, Location and Conditions.

It’s important to clarify whether the role is full-time, part-time or something else, whether it’s permanent or a contract, and where exactly the future employee will carry out their work.

You might also include details about:

(Related: What Is The Best Formal Letter Format?)

3. A Compelling Company Description.

Summarise the role and how it fits into the broader company structure and contributes to your company mission, purpose, strategies or goals — touch on the importance of the role in realising these company objectives.

You might also cover some top-tier benefits of belonging to your organisation and what makes your company unique. What will the employee gain from working there?

4. Team Dynamics And Culture.

Cover the basics like to whom the new position reports, how the team operates, and important relationships or shared processes with other departments or external suppliers.

Aim to describe what working in the team looks and feels like, such as:

Strengthen your employee brand by communicating the company values and examples of how these are expressed day-to-day within the team.

5. Core Responsibilities And Job Duties.

Provide a list of the specific tasks and operations performed regularly, including technical matters. You might also describe any important outcomes the person in the role should strive towards.

You may also want to clarify the limits of their responsibility or accountability.

6. Required Skills, Knowledge, And Qualifications.

A common approach is to outline:

A targeted approach to writing this section is critical, so you don’t exclude or deter people who lack some elements but are a good match otherwise.

Include only the most relevant requirements and rank them in terms of importance, so people can tell whether it’s a must-have or a nice-to-have.

7. Goals, Milestones And Timeframes.

If you already have performance management metrics for a role, you can include them in the job description.

Or you might define key outputs you expect the new hire to deliver across the first one to six months.

8. Compensation And Perks.

This includes a breakdown of the salary range, superannuation and standard employee benefits offered.

You could also include details about performance review and salary increase cycles, how your company manages internal promotions, bonuses, stock options, training budgets, reward and recognition programs, and succession planning.

It’s an opportunity to convey the full breadth of opportunities for reward and advancement. 

How To Describe Duties And Responsibilities.

Be realistic about the depth and breadth of activities and outcomes you can expect from a single human being.  

Be specific when describing tasks and why they matter:

Be honest about the work involved, but try to convey how different activities challenge or develop the person, or make an impact within the company or industry. An increase in job scope is a motivating factor— especially for active job seekers. 

(Related: Ultimate Guide To Employee Onboarding).

Don’t limit a person’s opportunity to innovate or use their creativity and initiative. Showcase tasks enabling the new hire to improve and enhance your business’s operations.

How To Sell Your Job To Job Seekers.

Changing jobs is one of the hardest decisions people make and it comes with risks—financial, emotional and physiological.

If a person makes the wrong choice, their career, relationships and well-being can suffer through increased stress and stalled progress.

Write your job description with this question in mind: ‘Why should a person choose your company and care about this role specifically?’

(Related: What Is Human Capital Management?)

How To Make Your Company More Attractive To Candidates.

Hiring is a marketing exercise as well as an HR process. Landing talented people is similar to lead generation—it works better when people feel like they know and trust you.

Include relevant details about:

(Related: Ultimate Guide To Psychometric Testing).

Top 3 Mistakes To Avoid When Writing Job Descriptions.

Let’s discuss the common traps that HR professionals fall into.

1. Discriminatory, Cliched Or Negative Language.

Are the words, phrases and requirements you’re including inclusive, or putting up unnecessary barriers?

or example, are you using aggressive language with a masculine tone or implying that only young people would fit your culture?

Also avoid:

2. Impossible, Unwieldy Expectations.

It’s probably unrealistic to expect a marketing graduate to be proficient in three different kinds of enterprise software and be able to both write incredibly well and also be able to produce professional-grade videos.

Also, job seekers and employees relying on the job description will lose focus if the lists of job responsibilities and skills are too long and complicated.

3. Not Keeping It Current.

Your job description will become misaligned unless you keep reviewing and tweaking it to match what’s required in the role right now.

Update job descriptions regularly to reflect changing skill sets, such as new hard skills required to use new business technologies or soft skills that match an updated policy direction.

Write A Job Description That Works.

Lazily-compiled job descriptions can create walls that qualified candidates may not be willing to overcome.

A compelling job description can be a rich resource that convinces potential candidates they’ll love working for you, kick-starts the hiring process, and helps you manage a person’s performance moving forward.

Follow these few tips on how to write a good job description to improve the effectiveness of your recruitment efforts.

Irene

Managing employee turnover has become a costly exercise for Australian businesses. The Great Resignation is showing no signs of abating, with 9.5% of the Australian workforce changing their occupation since last year, almost the same as the preceding year.

Did you know that unemployment is at a 48-year low of 3.5%? We’re in a jobseekers’ market, and the power is presently in workers’ hands.

Where does your company sit?

If you aren’t measuring turnover rate, you do not have the full picture of your talent management strategy, as well as your reward and recognition and onboarding programs.

How To Avoid Mistakes When Calculating Turnover.

Before calculating the employee turnover rate, we need to establish a more important principle.

In other words, bad data leads to bad insights.

What’s the #1 cause of bad data?

Averages.

They have an astonishing capacity to lie and cloud your decisions. Yet averages are everywhere because they are:

What’s the better option?

Segmentation. Always identify employee segments you’d like to analyse, exclude segments that pollute the dataset (I’ll show you how to do this in a moment) and report on those, along with the overall averages.

(Related: How To Calculate Your Net Profit Margin).

You’ll gain the ability to put parts of your business under the microscope, identifying the best and worst performers:

Which Employee Segments To Include And Exclude?

Should you include internships in your employee turnover calculations?

No.

Doing so will obscure your data – since most internships are short-term contracts with no path to full-time employment.

The error will be particularly large if you employ a disproportionately high number of interns.

Employee groups that you also may want to exclude from your main turnover calculation are:

(Related: Your SMB Will Die Without An Income Statement).

How To Decide On A Reporting Time Period.

Most companies report on their annual turnover rate as standard.

However, annual calculations may obscure seasonal trends (e.g., are staff waiting to receive a bonus at the end of the financial year before handing in their resignation) or Black Swan events (e.g., COVID).

To prevent this, report on both shorter and longer time periods. For example:

How Do You Calculate The Employee Turnover Rate?

Now that we’ve emphasised the importance of clean data, let’s look at calculation formulas.

You need two numbers:

Calculation:

Example:

Let’s say, your human resources department had:

Pretty simple, right? You don’t have to be a particle physicist to work that out. This next calculation is a little more complex. Stick with it, okay?

(Related: Best Accounting Software In Australia).

Alternative Formula For Employee Turnover Rate.

An alternative calculation is virtually the same, but you take an average of the number of employees during the period (i.e., Q1) rather than the number of employees at the beginning of the period.

Doing so captures any outliers and fluctuations in recruitment over the specified time, and the dynamic calculation is sometimes more accurate.

Sometimes.

In the above example, you had 150 employees at the beginning of the period (Q1). But the number of employees changed in that time.

The average number of employees during this period is 141.

This is calculated as: (150 + 140 + 135) / 3 = 141

Example:

Using the average number of employees, we can calculate the employee turnover rate like so:

By following the alternative formula, you end up with (20 / 141) x 100 = 14.1%

Why Is The Alternative Formula Problematic?

The main reason why the first turnover rate formula is better is because it distinguishes between existing employees and new hires.

The alternative formula includes new hires.

For instance, if the company in the example above had a major influx of new staff in Q1, the turnover rate would be reported differently.

Let’s assume that the company in the example above hired 80 new employees in January.

The average number of employees throughout Q1 is 195: (150 + 220 + 215) / 3

That would mean the final turnover percentage is: 10.2%

This is calculated as (20 / 195) x 100.

We don’t know whether the 10.2% employee turnover rate is heavily influenced by new recruits terminated during their probationary period.

What Is Considered A High Turnover Rate?

To help you gauge your employee turnover rate, keep in mind that the average is 10.6% across all industries.

However, there’s no magic number for determining what a good employee turnover rate is. What’s good for one company may not be for another, for the same reason that another company’s EBITDA could be perceived as good or bad, depending on the industry.

The only way you can determine if your turnover rate is healthy is through rigorous benchmarking against similar competitors (if such data is available) and measuring your own historical performance.

It’s up to each firm to establish its own unique turnover rate.

How To Analyse Your Employee Turnover Rate.

Once you’ve collated all your data from an internal survey, you then need to store it in a database, a trusty Excel spreadsheet, or your HRIS.

This is where things get a little technical, so you might want to enlist the support of a certified geek in your organisation.

Modern HRIS packages will do most of the heavy lifting for you. But if you’re still using Excel, here’s how to create a turnover rate management dashboard:

Once you’ve built the infrastructure, refreshing and monitoring the data is super simple.

How To Slash Your Employee Turnover Rate.

You’ve seen the quantitative data. Now, it’s time to gather some qualitative data.

You might suppose that people are leaving because they want a better annual salary, but if you sit down and chat with them, you might learn about other factors pushing them away.

Instead of asking, “How can I reduce employee turnover?” a better question would be “Why are employees leaving?”

It could be due to:

Only when you’re armed with the full facts can you deploy strategies to mitigate the issues.

It doesn’t matter how much money you throw at pizza parties or wellness rooms to boost employee morale. It will not reduce the underlying health and safety hazards on site.

Get the diagnosis right, and the treatment is much easier to administer – and more effective.

As for the engineers in the example above, they want a safe and clean working environment, so time and effort should be invested into upgrading the safety of their facilities.

That could mean:

Frequently Asked Questions About Employee Turnover.

Here are some of the frequently asked questions relating to calculating employee turnover rates.

What company has the highest turnover rates?

In Australia, mining and engineering firms account for eight of the ten employers with the worst turnover rate. As for the worst five companies and their respective industries, they are:

“Worst” is a strong word.

Some sectors have a huge shortage of skilled labour, which drives wages up. Some employers have no choice but to poach skilled labour from competitors with lucrative pay packages.

A low retention rate in mining overall could be indicative of dynamic labour market forces at play rather than poor working conditions.

How do you conduct an exit interview?

When going into an exit interview, you’ll need a method of recording the conversation. A recorded Zoom meeting is a much easier way of doing things than typing or writing in your notepad.

Your stance should be neutral. Some employees will use this as a forum to vent about their experiences, and you should let them deliver their truth and nothing but the unfiltered truth.

That’s why it’s important to respect what they say. Besides, you gain nothing by debating, questioning their experiences, or expressing your opinions.

Approaching this informally with a hot drink will engender feelings of mutual respect.

The employee is more likely to let their guard down if they feel comfortable freely expressing themselves as opposed to being interrogated.

Final Words On Calculating & Interpreting Turnover Information.

Calculating employee turnover rate is one thing, but it’s what you do with that information that can change the course of your business’s future.

You might conclude that your turnover rate doesn’t seem all that bad and forget about it, but until you measure employee turnover for a consistent period (at least three years), how can you possibly know if you have a healthy employee turnover rate?

You can look back at your company’s performance on your P&L statement and balance sheet, yet you have little visibility about your organisation’s biggest asset: people.

No matter how slick your processes are and how amazing your facilities are, employees are the lifeblood of your organisation.

If you aren’t measuring employee retention, your workplace has a huge blind spot.

Tommy

A strategic employee onboarding process is crucial for building a team of resilient, capable, and high-performing individuals. Organisations with solid onboarding processes increase retention by 82% and improve productivity by 70%.

That means onboarding is a profit driver.

It makes the hiring process more cost-effective, reduces employee churn, improves the company’s culture and helps new hires become confident key team members sooner.

Follow our five-phased guide to build a solid employee onboarding process in your business.

(Related: Best Accounting Software In Australia).

Why Is Onboarding Necessary?

An alarming one-third of new hires look for another job within their first six months in a new role.

However, 69% of employees are likelier to stay with a company for at least three years if they’ve had a positive onboarding experience.

The onboarding process is crucial for a few reasons:

What Do We Mean By Onboarding?

It’s not the same as being hired, although it should overlap with your recruitment process. It’s also not organising a morning tea on a new hire’s first day. It goes much deeper.

Onboarding is a strategic human resource management approach designed to immerse new employees in your team’s policies, workflows and culture.

Typically onboarding includes the following components delivered over multiple phases:

What Is The Perfect Onboarding Timeline?

For smaller organisations or start-ups, the onboarding process may span a few days; for other multi-level corporations, factor in weeks or months.

Exact timeframes will depend on the complexity of your organisation and the role. For instance, a steeper learning curve might be necessary if you have a unique sales method or proprietary process.

When planning the timing of your employee onboarding process, keep in mind:

Build Your Onboarding Processes 5X Faster.

I’ve successfully used Microsoft Word dozens of times to create onboarding programs for new hires. It’s a cheap and scalable approach that works well – as long as you remember to use a lot of bullets and stick to a clear, logical subheading structure.

You can, however, build your onboarding processes 5X faster if you use an onboarding process builder, like the one from Moqups.

Shown above: Moqups creates an at-a-glance view of onboarding tasks and responsibilities.

The best thing about using onboarding process software is clarity. Every stakeholder knows precisely what they need to do, and at which stage in the process. Nothing falls through the cracks.

Phase 1: Before The First Day.

Get your ducks in a row before a new employee starts working to put them on the fast-track to productivity and a feeling of belonging.

Stay in touch with your chosen hire and prioritise handling all the paperwork, account creation, and practical set-up of office space or equipment required, in the weeks prior their start day.

Take care of the paperwork and office setup in the days prior to the new hire’s start day.

We recommend that hiring managers: 

A. Sign Important Documents. 

You will work closely with your HR department throughout the onboarding process. They will provide the necessary documents to be organised before the new hire starts. These might include:

B. Organise Equipment And Software.

Coordinate with IT and/or security teams to set up all log-in permissions in advance, so your new employee can instantly connect to your network and access company emails, intranets, and messaging systems.

This is especially important if your orientation or training materials are accessed this way.

Some more examples of the differences that catch hiring managers off-guard:

C. Prepare The Workspace.

Ensuring a new employee’s workspace is ready demonstrates that you anticipate and appreciate their presence. It also sends the right message about your managerial skills.

We would include the following: 

Phase 2: Day One.

Set the tone for a positive and worthwhile long-term employee-employer relationship by making Day One efficient, friendly and informative.

It’s crucial that the orientation process: 

A. Facilitate Introductions.

Don’t assume current staff will introduce themselves to your new hire, or that the new hire won’t feel too intimidated to introduce themselves to everyone.

Prioritise making introductions, with a mix of both informal ‘walk around’ hellos and some scheduled catch-ups with key personnel, or maybe a team lunch.

Spend the most time introducing your new hire to their immediate colleagues and supervisors one-on-one. You can supplement this with: 

B. Lead A Guided Tour.

A tour will help the new hire familiarise themselves with the workspace, particularly if your company spans multiple locations or departments. 

Consider a 10-15 minute walk through the office and surrounding area. Be sure to include the following: 

C. Provide Key Information.

Carve out time on the first day to share high-level information about being employed at your company. This might be delivered by the hiring manager or a HR team member and will usually cover:

Day One is also a great opportunity to discuss the specific responsibilities and performance management approaches that will apply to the new employee. You can touch on:

Phase 3: First Week.

A person can forgive one bad day, but after a week, they’ll have formed a deeper impression of whether they belong in your company or team.

Get onboarding wrong here, and new employees will flounder, and perhaps reconsider their choice.

Your employee will be gradually working through orientation materials, so regularly check in to ask if they have questions.

It’s equally important to give them work.

Make initial tasks meaningful but not overly complex. Continue to assign discrete pieces of work that the employee can complete with their existing level of familiarity with the business.

Goals for this period include:

Phase 4: First Three To Six Months.

You might pare back onboarding activities after the first month, depending on how quickly your employee acclimates to the basic procedures needed to undertake their role. 

Still, there are important onboarding goals to achieve up to the three-month mark and beyond. In particular, focus on training your employees in the skills they need to excel and drive business growth.

Internal training and development priorities could include:

Each organisation will have different requirements. You should develop this training in collaboration with your HR team, ensuring it aligns with your company’s growth goals. 

Probation period management is an important consideration during this phase. It’s important for managers to:

Phase 5: First Year Year. 

As your new hire gains confidence and proficiency, you must evaluate their success and performance. 

Be sure to communicate with your employees how and when this will occur. We’ve previously outlined a range of strategies to improve team performance.

Goals for the 3–6-month period include:

By the one-year mark, you’ll have a precise understanding of an employee’s performance and commitment to the role.

You can begin to delve deeper into the employees’ long-term career development needs and discuss possible promotion pathways to help further foster engagement and inform your succession planning.

What About Cross-Boarding And Offboarding?

Companies with more than 20 staff must have processes in place for cross-boarding and offboarding. What exactly do these involve? 

Cross-Boarding:

Offboarding: 

Best Practices For New Employee Onboarding.  

Follow these 5 rules to ensure your employee onboarding process delivers meaningful business ROI.

1. Over-Plan The Little Details. 

A good new hire onboarding process is one that a 10-year-old could follow. Bed down the critical details needed at each step – even those that may seem insignificant. Some ideas:

2. Make It Social.

Onboarding can be overwhelming for the new hire, so adding team-building outings and icebreakers can help them feel more welcome. We recommend: 

3. Provide Success Metrics. 

Ensure your new hire knows what you and the company expect of them. 

Communicate this throughout the interview stage and during the onboarding process. Be sure to tick off the following: 

(Related: How To Improve Team Performance).

4. Cover Multiple Learning Formats.

Learning styles differ. Some people are more visual and prefer to learn through videos and (gasp) PowerPoint presentations. Others are more auditory.

If you want to create a top-tier employee onboarding process, ensure that the learning materials cater to all learning modalities. Options include: 

5. Offer Feedback And Recognition Early.

Tell people their work is valued – 65% of employees desire more feedback. For new employees, it’s imperative they feel that their work is valued and that they are making a difference.

This incentivises individuals to go above and beyond, embed themselves in company culture feel like they belong.

Providing effective feedback is a skill – and one you learn by practising.

Frequently Asked Questions About New Employee Onboarding.

New hiring managers are most unsure about…

What Is Employee Onboarding?

Employee onboarding integrates new employees into an organisation by familiarising them with the company culture, policies, and procedures. It includes orientation, training, feedback, and socialisation.

Why Is Employee Onboarding Important? 

Companies with a structured onboarding programme experience 54% greater new hire productivity and 50% greater employee retention.

How Long Should The Onboarding Process Take?

A good employee onboarding process is tailored to your organisation, which makes general predictions difficult. We recommend that you formally support your new employee for at least 90 days.

How Can Employers Measure The Effectiveness Of An Onboarding Programme?

A number of tools are available to hiring managers and executives:

What Mistakes Do Employers Make During The Onboarding Process?

Common missteps include: 

All the best onboarding your new hire!

Irene

Do you have an underperforming employee who won’t “take the hint”? Don’t avoid the issue. Managers who turn a blind eye to misconduct allow bad attitudes to fester and spread within their teams.

Performance issues rarely get better without your intervention. They almost always become worse, snowballing into irrecoverable messes and reflecting poorly on you as a leader.

Let me help you by providing templates for writing effective first, second and final warning letters to an underperforming employee.

(Related: What Is The Correct Formal Letter Format?)

When Can I Issue A Warning Letter To An Employee?

A warning letter is a formal notice that you use to document an incident and clarify future consequences. You can send it via email or send it via traditional mail.

You might consider sending one for two reasons.

What Steps Must You Follow When Issuing A Warning Letter To An Employee?

Almost all workplaces have a progressive disciplinary policy that outlines a clear escalation of consequences for continued misbehaviour.

Before making any rash moves, check with your HR department to ensure you’re following the right steps.

Typically, a progressive disciplinary policy consists of the following steps:

Step 1: Give A Verbal Warning.

I’ve seen so many managers get this preliminary procedure wrong and use verbal warnings as an excuse to berate and even intimidate employees.

Just because a conversation is unrecorded doesn’t mean it won’t come back to bite you on the backside if you’ve overstepped the mark.

A verbal warning should: 

Step 2: Send A Warning Letter.

If the poor performance continues, escalate to a warning letter.

Either you (I’m assuming that you’re a hiring manager), someone in senior management, or HR needs to do it.

(Related: How To Improve Communication In The Workplace).

First Written Warning Letter [Template].

The first warning letter should always seek to understand rather than approach the situation like a bull in a china shop. In fact, it shouldn’t read like a warning at all.

It must have a warm and understanding tone (but not completely sympathetic).

By taking a professional and constructive approach, you can maintain a positive work environment while protecting your organisation’s interests.

Here’s a sample first warning letter:

Mr Jim Brown – 1st Warning Letter

Job Title: Web Developer

Supervisor: Hannah Doe

Human Resources Representative: Irene Smith

Date: May 13, 2023

Hi Jim,

It’s come to our attention that on a few separate occasions, you have arrived late for work without giving prior notice. We’re reasonable people, and we know that life gets in the way from time to time.

I’d love it if we could sit down and chat to see if there’s anything we can do to support you. I did try to catch you in person, but perhaps the timing wasn’t great, as I could see you were visibly upset about something.

Your behaviour has always been exemplary, and without wanting to intrude into your personal life, I can’t help but notice that you may be dealing with some issues outside of work.

I wanted to let you know that I’m always free should you want to discuss anything in more detail.

If public transport is an issue, we can look at the schedule and explore options for you to work a different shift. Or, if you’re aware of any other ways that we can support you, please ask.

Sincerely, 

Jason H. Carter
Manager – Digital Department 

Please sign and date below:

Employee signature in acknowledgment of warning:

Date:

This is what the warning letter might look like on your company letterhead:

Should You Have A Follow-Up Meeting?

Yes. After the employee has received the warning letter, you hold an informal meeting to understand the nature of the misconduct. (Do this for every subsequent warning letter you send).

A successful outcome is one in which:

Sometimes, retaining an employee is as simple as moving their start time 15 minutes later due to family commitments or moving them to a different department to mitigate ongoing conflicts.

Second Written Warning Letter [Template].

If the initial warning letter and meeting elicit no positive response, you will need to send a second letter.

Things are getting a little heated at this stage, so where possible, send in the HR cavalry or a senior team member to cool things.

(Use the same letterhead and signature used in the previous employee warning letter; do the same for every subsequent warning letter.)

Hi Jim,

This is your second written warning due to your poor punctuality. On April 13, 2023, your scheduled shift began at 9:30 AM, and you arrived late at 9:43 AM. Your line manager raised this and reminded you of the importance of being on time, but the issue seems to be ongoing. 

Reasonable adjustments to shift patterns were made to accommodate your public transport schedules, but since then, you have been late on the following dates:

1. April 19, 2023: Shift began at 9:30; arrived at 10:05.
2. April 22, 2023: Shift began at 9:30; arrived at 9:52. 
3. April 23, 2023: Shift began at 9:30; arrived at 9:39.

As outlined in our Employee Handbook: ‘Employees arriving more than five minutes after their scheduled shift begins must inform their direct supervisor. Failure to do so on three separate occasions in a fiscal quarter will result in a written warning.’

If you are experiencing an ongoing issue that we can assist with, we encourage you to communicate that with your supervisor or privately with HR.

It is with regret that we have to remind you that we reserve the right to terminate your employment should you fail to meet your contractual obligations.

We hope that we can move forward positively and get back to our winning ways as soon as possible.

Here’s how this template may look on your company letterhead:

Final Written Warning Letter [Template].

Okay, so you’ve tried to be the good cop, and it’s not worked. Sometimes people will take liberties and push the boundaries.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes… If an employee isn’t playing ball, that’s not on you.

When all else fails, it’s time for the final warning letter and termination of employment. In the final warning, remember to include: 

Again, be dispassionate. This is all about damage limitation.

The last thing you need is an aggrieved ex-employee spreading vicious rumours, vandalising your property, posting baseless lies on social media, or leaving fake reviews.

Trust me, you’ve got more important things to be dealing with.

Hi Jim,

It is with regret that, after numerous attempts to course-correct, we have been unable to find a way forward and therefore have no choice but to terminate your contract with immediate effect.

We have documented several instances where your [breach of policy] has fallen below the expected standards outlined in your employment contract — despite providing you with ample opportunities for improvement and offering support.

These actions violated the company’s code of conduct and policies cited here:

[Excerpt of specific company policy violated]

As a result, you will be provided with the necessary paperwork and instructions regarding any benefits and severance entitlements.

You must return any company property, including but not limited to keys, access cards, laptops, mobile devices, and any other materials or resources. Please return these items to [contact person, contact details, and location] by [return date].

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact [HR manager’s name] at [HR manager’s email address] or [HR manager’s phone number].

We understand that this news may be difficult to receive, but it is important to maintain professionalism during this transition. Unfortunately, this decision is final and non-negotiable.

We wish you the best of luck in your future endeavours.

This is what the final warning and termination letter might look like on your company letterhead:

What Is The Correct Format Of A Warning Letter?

As with all pieces of professional documentation, there are standards you should follow when composing an employee warning letter.

Before we cover the main elements, be sure to format your warning letter correctly.

These are official records and should always include:

1. Provide A Reason For The Warning.

Include a brief, one-line explicit statement on the nature of the warning letter.

Then, explicitly and factually recount the incident that led to the warning. Include the time and date, other parties involved, and accurate details about the misconduct.  

2. Highlight Company Policies In Violation.

Include the exact language of the violated policy from the employee handbook.

This prevents employees from claiming they were unaware of the rule or that the employer targeted them for an arbitrary, personal reason. 

Once the rule has been quoted, reinstate the expectation and how their actions violated it. 

3. Outline Consequences.

Remind your employee of the progression of consequences. This section will differ depending on the number of violations on record and the severity of the circumstances. However, it could include:

Indicate any consequences the employee has already received.

4. Offer Solutions.

In many cases, minor incidents result from misunderstandings or uncertainty about approaching a problem. 

5. End On A Positive Note.

Wrap up the letter with an optimistic sentiment, such as welcoming the employee to chat with you about any support they might need.

Frequently Asked Questions About Written Warning Letters.

Managers are often unsure about these nuances.

Do I Need A Lawyer To Assist With Drafting A Formal Warning Letter?

In Australia, you don’t legally need to have a lawyer assisting with creating a formal warning letter.

However, it can be helpful to seek legal advice if:

What Is The Downside Of Issuing A Warning Letter?

Sometimes, employees will lodge an unfair dismissal claim if they believe they have been treated unfairly during the warning process. They can lodge this complaint with the Fair Work Commission (FWC).

If an employee lodges a complaint, the FWC will review the following in line with National Employment Standards: 

What Offences Warrant An Employee Warning Letter?

This depends on the seriousness of the misconduct. For minor offences, you must ensure you’ve given plenty of verbal warnings to the employee and given them reasonable time to adjust their behaviour.

Your business’s employee handbook will categorise specific expectations around behaviour, along with particular offences and their severity.

Minor offences:

Major offences:

Final Words On Writing A Warning Letter To An Employee

If you want lasting harmony within your team, there are no two ways about it: you’ll need to master the art of writing a warning letter at some stage in your leadership career.

It’s a necessary evil for those responsible for keeping teams motivated. Ignore at your own peril.

Tommy

While mass adoption of remote-first work models did not happen, most employers have embraced hybrid models, offering a mix of in-office work and work-from-home arrangements to employees.

What mix is the right one?

Most managers admit that this is a work in progress. Decisions about how employees can work remotely while maintaining productivity continue to be adjusted on the fly.

Apart from providing dopamine hits, this start-up-like approach to workforce planning has serious consequences for teams and their leaders.

Let me reveal Australia’s most recent working-from-home trends to help your team navigate this experiment with success.

(Related: Best Accounting Software For WFH Freelancers).

Remote Workers Are Being Forced To Return To The Office.

More business leaders are voicing the idea that remote and hybrid work are failed experiments.

Above: Remote-only arrangements have decreased in popularity, but hybrid work is staying strong.

These major US companies have made headlines since July 2023 for their decision to backtrack on a remote-work model:

CEOs at the helm of these companies have cited decreased team performance and weaker company culture as reasons for their decisions — despite significant push-back from their employees.

For instance, thousands of Amazon employees petitioned against a return to office but were ignored.

What’s The Return-To-Office Situation In Australia?

In Australia, around half of the working population works remotely sometimes, but the number of people who worked from home ‘most of the time’ tripled during the pandemic and remained higher up to 2022.

A survey by recruiter Robert Half from August this year found most Australian employers have increased the number of days their teams need to spend in-office.

Flexibility Rights Are Changing In Remote Employees’ Favour.

In a specific post-Covid edict, Australia’s Fair Work Ombudsman advised that employers can ask employees to return to the workplace, as long as no enforceable government direction prohibits it. 

To stay within the law, employers must be able to:

A decision by the Commonwealth Bank to renege on its remote-work arrangements — requiring staff to return to the office at least 50% of the time from July 2023 — resulted in a union challenge to the Fair Work Commission.

Many employees have the right to request flexible working arrangements, including working from home, job sharing or reduced hours.

Valid reasons for an employer refusing arrangements for flexible work can include:

(Related: 9 Best Password Managers In Australia).

Demand For Flexibility Hasn’t Wavered, Increasing Turnover Risk.

A McKinsey report from 2022 finds that 87% of people take up the option to work flexibly when it’s available — across all demographics, occupations and geographies.

Above: Accessing flexible working arrangements was also cited as the third most common motivator for switching jobs.

Closer to home, insights from a fortnightly survey of Australians’ attitudes jointly conducted by Melbourne Institute and Roy Morgan revealed that, in 2023, 40% of workers desire to spend more time working from home than their employer permits.

That’s based on the responses of more than 4,500 working Australians who have the ability to perform working tasks at home.

There’s a significant gap — and an obvious tension — between employees’ preferences and bosses’ willingness to empower remote work.

(Related: 11 Best Website Hosting Providers In Australia).

The Danger Of Blindly Trusting Survey Data.

Survey results are clear – most employees prefer hybrid or remote work. But employee preferences and commercial realities are not always aligned.

For example, measuring employee sentiment for the following dimensions is likely to elicit a lot of support, but is unlikely to result in strategies that help the CEO survive the next AGM:

To make good decisions we need a more sophisticated level of analysis than the reflexive, survey-driven op-eds that mainstream media currently offers.

(Related: How To Write Job Descriptions To Attract Top Talent).

Why Some Employers Are Not Giving In To Flexibility.

Don’t fall in the trap of thinking that all resistance to flex work is unjustified.

Too many journalists and “futurists” have straw manned the idea that “dinosaur” bosses insist on attendance in “obsolete” offices as control mechanism that has roots in poor management skills.

Since the beginning of 2023, at least fifteen senior business leaders have confided in me that they’re noticing a strong negative correlation between a hire’s thirst for flex work and their on-the-job performance.

Not Everyone Wants To Work From Home.

Concurrently, a lot of people have voiced to me their strong preference for returning to the office.

In fact, they only want to work from the office, as they view it as an opportunity to get maximum exposure to mentors and peers.

Computer-Based Work Remains Best-Fit, But Remote Work Is Expanding In Variety.

Knowledge work that can be performed digitally from behind a desk (have you invested in a standing desk yet?) is an obvious fit for working-from-home arrangements.

Surprisingly, companies from unlikely sectors have embraced hybrid work.

For example, some manufacturers were considering remote work arrangements for specific business units, such as:

Between 2021 and 2022, the FlexJobs online job board saw a 20% increase in remote job listings, with an increasing variety of professions and industries open to a remote workforce.

The top sectors and positions where employees work remotely include:

Employers Are Redesigning HR Initiatives For The Home Office.

Employers who are embracing hybrid work are:

(Related: How To Meet Your Duty Of Care For Hybrid Workers).

How Should Leaders Respond To WFH Trends In 2026?

We’re in the middle of an experiment.

Fast feedback loops, plenty of networking opportunities and the ability to simmer in the company’s culture are essential for productivity, they say.

Which opinion is right?

It depends.

Mainly your company’s short, medium and long-term goals, as well as the sector it operates in. But it also depends on your people, the culture you’ve built and the competition that you’re up against.

You’ll probably have to create a custom hybrid work strategy that leverages the best of both worlds, and continue to adjust. Just don’t listen to absolutists who think the world is eithe black or white.

Steven

Have you ever rolled your eyes after hearing, “Let’s start the meeting with an icebreaker”? That’s because you’ve probably experienced your fair share of dull Zoom icebreakers that verge on forced fun.

You need strategies for making virtual meetings more engaging, as the sudden shift to remote work has left many employees feeling isolated and disengaged.

But you must avoid kicking off Zoom meetings in ways that make people cringe.

Another upside? Leaders strengthen their presence as colleagues find humour “can humanise” management teams and make them more relatable.

1. Hot Take.

Kick off your Zoom meeting with a silly but controversial question.

Invite two people with opposing views to articulate their stances. Next, invite the rest of the team to vote on who had the more convincing argument. 

Here are a few questions that will stir people into debate mode:

2. Deserted Island.

Asks the group to narrow down a list of their survival essentials:

You can keep this general or make it more specific with choices of books, famous people, food, and beverages. There’s a lot of room for creativity here.

This Zoom icebreaker challenges your team to think about what matters most to them. When people let their guard down, they’re more receptive to building relationships with other team members.

3. Virtual Background Showdown.

Invite everyone to set up their Zoom video with a silly, exciting, or creative virtual background, then vote on the best choice.

With the Zoom background feature, you and your team can escape to:

Consider choosing an extreme fictional theme, such as “My Last Day Before Zombie Apocalypse” or “If I Had A Billion Dollars”. Avoid generic watercooler topics like “My Dream Holiday Destination”.

4. Costume Party.

Halloween isn’t the only day of the year for dressing up. Turn your Zoom icebreaker into a costume party, and see how creative your team can get with what they have at home. 

Fear not! Team members won’t be expected to part with any money.

Instead, the goal is to assemble an outfit from common household materials. Put a time limit to ensure the icebreaker activity doesn’t become a distraction.

Create a theme that invites individual expression, like “My favourite Netflix character”.

5. Desk Museum.

People’s desks accumulate all kinds of interesting knick-knacks, coffee mugs, and clutter.

(Related: Best Standing Desks For Your Home Office).

Create a slide deck with a pre-made card for each person.

Before the video call, ask them to add a photo of their desk and a “museum placard” with their masterpiece’s name and title. 

Show the slides before you jump into the business of the day, and you’re sure to get everyone in good spirits as they get a peek at their coworkers’ setups. 

6. Awards Show Announcement.

An awards show will inject some life into your online meetings and company events. 

Send out a list of awards that are up for grabs, and let your team vote on the top nominees, then announce the winner in your weekly meetings.

Keep things lighthearted with awards such as:

7. Best In Show.

It’s inevitable that you’ve seen someone’s curious cat tiptoe across the background or heard the barking of an overexcited pup when the delivery driver knocks on someone’s door.

Lean into the fun of working alongside your furry friends by hosting a pet show for your icebreaker Zoom activity.

Those who don’t have pets can be part of the scoring panel, rating pets based on factors like:

Give each individual a few minutes to show off their four-legged companions while the team oohs and ahhs over the parade of paws. 

8. Guess Who? 

How well does your team know each other? Put that question to the test with a few rounds of Guess Who?

You’ll need everyone to send you three fun facts about themselves that don’t mention their name, position, or other personal information. Then, after sharing the three facts, it’s up to the group to match the coworker to the facts.

The person who the fact is about should be inconspicuous while trying to throw the rest of the team off their scent.

9. Two Truths And A Lie.

Have each team member take turns sharing two truths and a lie, and have the rest of the team decide which lie.

For example:

10. Take A Picture Of Your View.

Sharing a picture of each person’s view offers the rest of the team a glimpse into where they live.

This classic icebreaker sparks conversations and common interests.

Some people live in urban, suburban areas, while others prefer rural and coastal life.

Be mindful that not everyone has a picturesque view.

In this case, ask them to share an image of something iconic about where they live, for example, a restaurant over a century old, a statue commemorating a famous person, or the most recent national news article.

11. Show Off Your Favourite Mug.

Everyone has a favourite mug. And a mug is more than just a vessel for containing hot drinks.

Mugs have sentimental value and remind their owners of certain events or times in their lives. There’s often a story behind a person’s favourite mug.

Maybe they bought it on their first holiday, or maybe it was a personalised gift to say thank you. It could be a novelty mug of their favourite movie.

12. Use The “This Or That” Question Generator.

“This or that” questions reveal a lot about people’s preferences, and people will defend their choices to the death (metaphorically speaking, of course).

Ask questions like:

Or, if you want to inject a bit of humour, use a question generator to ask would-you-rather questions:

13. Common Threads.

Split people up into pairs and ask them to find common threads. This encourages open, unstructured discussion in a lighthearted way.

Be specific about the topics you choose to avoid invasive and personal questions. Ask the breakout pairs to identify:

This can also be played as a group, but each additional person in a group makes it more difficult to find people who all share the same interests. Smaller groups are best.

14. Slido Active Polls.

Slido is an interactive Q&A polling platform perfect for live and virtual meetings.

Using a Slido poll, everyone can partake in a meeting using live surveys. You can ask people what they think or feel about certain subjects and get their feedback in real-time.

Aside from its practical business purposes, it can be used as an excellent icebreaker activity, such as “draw your mood” using the Zoom whiteboard feature.

Not only that, but the polling feature enhances other fun icebreaker games in this list.

For example, when playing Guess Who, you can provide a list of multiple-choice options, allowing voters to easily select their guess. You can also see analytics such as the percentage of people who selected the answers.

15. Rank Your Favourites.

Asking a pair of employees to rank their favourites on a particular list and then discuss their choices is a great way of revealing their preferences.

Providing a predetermined list takes the pressure of thinking too long about fabricating a perfect response.

For example, rank these Christmas movies from a must-watch to the most passable one:

16. Coffee Time.

How about an icebreaker with no gimmicks? Organise breakout rooms with minimal structure, with the only structure being a designated time of five to ten minutes.

It’s simply an opportunity to grab a hot drink and get to know someone else in the business. When team members share their stories and listen to others, they develop an appreciation of the wider business – and it’s also a chance to connect with others operating at different levels.

Team members who get on can pick up their conversation offline to connect about cross-functional opportunities.

17. Name That Sound.

For this guessing game, the meeting host must share screens and select the window corresponding to the media player they’ll be using to play the sound clips.

Play each sound clip one by one.

Participants can use the Zoom chat or raise their hands to indicate they want to guess, or the game host can call on participants to submit their answers.

You can stick to a theme or a mix of the following:

It’s more interactive than your typical trivia game or quiz – games that we’ve all played countless times before.

18. Rock, Paper, Scissors Knockout Tournament.

The classic game of Rock, Paper, Scissors brings out the competitive streak in people – even the quiet ones!

After each round, have the meeting participants report back to the host in the chat to declare the winner.

Use breakout groups for the preliminary rounds, and when things heat up in the quarters, semis, and final, have everyone spectate to build up the tension.

A tournament will take between five and 10 minutes to administer.

19. Fortunately/Unfortunately!

A fun game of “Fortunately/Unfortunately” starts with the team leader putting forward a basic sentence.

Then, in turn, each team member contributes to the story. The only rule is that each contribution should begin with the word “fortunately” or “unfortunately.”

Here’s an example:

The story can go on indefinitely.

20. Pick A Dream Holiday.

Split the group up into pairs and ask everyone to share their dream holiday destination, who they’d take with them, and why it’s their dream.

People light up when thinking about their favourite places, which engages them for the activities or meetings to come.

21. Virtual Bingo.

Virtual bingo is a great icebreaker for large teams, but you’ll need to put in a fair amount of prep before commencing.

First, put together four or five bingo cards with around twenty different statements (five rows of five statements).

For example, one row could be to identify a team member who:

Check out this list for more inspiration.

Once you’ve written your cards, split the group up into teams, and let the game commence! After playing this team-building exercise, you’ll have learnt some surprising facts about your colleagues.

Remember, small groups will struggle to complete their bingo cards, so ensure there are a minimum of five team members in each breakout room.

Icebreaker Or Timewaster?

There is a very specific business purpose for ice breakers: to encourage team bonding or promote participation in meetings.

So while gamification at work can distract workers from the more unpleasant aspects of a work environment, it’s important that activities don’t detract from workplace productivity.

Does Susan from Accounts Receivables really need to break the ice with Mason in IT? Will synergies ever be unlocked as a result of their paths crossing?

Your call.

Forced Fun?

Also, while many activities in this guide require each audience member to share their stories and findings with the wider team, many are uncomfortable at the prospect of doing so.

That’s not everyone’s idea of fun!

Your ability to read the room and select willing participants will go a long way in making things less awkward for the introverts in your team.

Instead of putting team members on the spot in your ice breaker Zoom activities, ask if anyone would like to share their answers.

Encourage Team Members With Zoom Icebreakers.

With the move to work-from-home, Zoom meetings have become the new norm for many. Even offices that have returned to in-person work are operating on hybrid models as remote teams take advantage of flexible schedules.

Adding casual experiences like fun Zoom icebreakers quells digital fatigue and encourages team building and a more personable company culture. 

Just be sure to keep things lighthearted. Delving too deeply into people’s personal lives is a big no-no. If you keep it simple and fun, the team will let their guard down. Try out one of the Zoom icebreaker games in your next meeting!

Tommy

Employees spend a good chunk of their lives at work. As leaders, we must ensure they get the most out of it. A positive work culture can make all the difference.

Employee turnover has increased since the pandemic, as employees have job-hopped in an effort to take back control of their work and personal lives — often triggered by a desire to escape a toxic culture.

Organisations with positive work cultures are likelier to retain staff because they help people reach their full potential, without fear of judgment, disrespect or pressure to act against their values. 

This article will examine the building blocks of workplace culture, what undermines it, and what you can do to improve employee engagement today.

What Is Workplace Culture?

Workplace culture is the set of shared values, beliefs, and norms that shape employees’ behaviour.

It includes everything from dress codes and formal policies to the ‘unwritten rules’ about work practices and interactions between co-workers and customers.

Above: Workplace culture includes hours employees are expected to work – as well as the perception of what “long hours” means.

 Every workplace has a culture, but here’s the difference between a positive and negative one:

A positive workplace culture can help to improve employee morale and motivation, leading to better performance and productivity while encouraging them to bring their whole selves to work.

Top talent wants to work for companies with cultures that align with their core values.

What Factors Influence Company Culture?

A positive culture emerges when you closely manage your operating environment, workforce composition and competitive landscape.

1. Strong Leadership And Management.

Leaders’ ability to communicate company vision, set individual expectations and hold people accountable while resolving everyday problems sets the tone for your workplace culture.

For example:

Analysis of aggregated results from the employee survey tool CultureAmp shows that in Australia, some of the most important drivers of engagement include:

These results reinforce what good leaders intuitively know – employees want a work environment where they grow and learn, are part of something meaningful, and are led by effective leaders.

2. Strong Company Values.

Company values form the bedrock of a positive work culture. Think of them as the moral scaffolding of your organisation.

They govern what employees will and will not do. Importantly, they include all overt and covert beliefs. For example:

For a company’s values to positively influence workplace culture, you must embed them into all stages of your HR lifecycle. Your values must continuously guide how you hire, manage and fire people.

Employees become confused and disillusioned when a company’s core values don’t match actions.

3. Company Size.

In general, larger companies in metropolitan areas tend to be more formal, with stricter rules and guidelines. Employees are hired to perform roles with clear boundaries.

As a result, there may be less room for creativity and individual expression.

However, larger companies tend to have more resources available for perks and career development. (e.g., top talent can expect access to formal mentors and invitations to company retreats).

If the company succeeds at scaling its operations, employees will get promoted quickly – often into roles that force them to learn on the fly.

Some employees will find this environment excessively uncomfortable and chaotic, while others will thrive. As a leader, you must remember that not every employee is suited to a fast-paced environment.

4. Company’s Industry.

Companies that operate in highly competitive, fast-paced, or tightly regulated industries might have more intense and rigid work environments, while others will have a more consultative, casual and experimental atmosphere.

For instance, the hospitality industry constantly changes, and remaining viable requires constant adaptation to new trends and customer demands.

What Are The Signs Of A Positive Workplace Culture?

Positive culture is NOT measured by the presence of ping-pong tables or the amount of meaningless rhetoric about “work-life balance”.

Instead, look for the presence (or absence) of the following:

(Related: 100 Sincere Thank You Message Ideas).

How To Create A Positive Work Culture.

Creating a positive work culture is a bottom-up process that usually involves rethinking your recruitment strategy and approaches to motivating employees. Don’t expect smooth sailing.

Some people will need support during this transition, while others will be better off continuing their careers outside your organisation.

1. Create A Sense Of Belonging.

I’m not talking about belonging in the watered-down sense, as it’s commonly used today by proponents of hollow DEI initiatives.

It means living and breathing a common set of goals. It means earning battle scars and stepping outside your comfort zone to become – and remain – a dependable member of the team.

Leaders and managers can only help employees feel a sense of belonging if the organisation is clear on its vision and mission.

Companies that skip this step fill the void with gimmicks and empty slogans.

2. Encourage Recognition And Feedback.

Most managers are terrible at giving feedback, and avoid doing it. This is understandable, as feedback is often synonymous with conflict and emotional pain.

They reframe feedback as an opportunity for improvement. In this context, not giving feedback to an employee is an act of holding them back from reaching their full potential.

For these managers and their employees, short-term discomfort is an acceptable cost of creating long-term success.

(Related: Employee Recognition Programs That Work).

Use positive language when giving feedback – this will help you maintain a positive workplace culture. For example, instead of saying:

Say:

3. Provide Opportunities For Growth.

Do your employees know what success in their role looks like? Are they clear on their development areas for the next 3, 6 and 12 months?

Ensure you communicate these well and provide plenty of support to help your employees get there.

Create stretch goals that target specific employees’ problem areas (make sure you position them as “your biggest opportunities for improvement”).

Make the recognition both private and public, if possible.

Enhance Your Company Culture Now.

Creating a positive workplace culture requires a lot of patience and skill. But the effort is worth it. You’ll have fewer disengaged workers and see higher employee performance.

Following the tips I outlined in this guide, you can create a work environment that values results while fostering personal responsibility and employee wellbeing.

Steven