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O U R “ W H Y ”A B O O K A B O U TW O R K P L A C E SH O W T OS H A P EG R E A T
2 of 34T A B L E O FI. The “Active HR” Story.II. The Why of Great Workplaces . III. The Journey Towards a GreatWorkplace.IV. Our DifferenceV. Our Solutions and ServicesVI. The Active HR Value PropositionCreditsC O N T E N T S
Welcome to Active HR. We are excited about the opportunity of working as your HR business partner. 3 of 34P r e a m b l e
“A Brand is defined through the experience of its customer.The customer’s experience is defined through the experienceof the employee.” / k w ō t /4 of 34A Q u o t e
Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Group Ltd , is quotedas saying.... “Surround yourself with people that are smarterthan you, give them everything they need to grow, and yourbusiness will thrive.” Branson started his business storyleading a team that wrote a college magazine and now leadsa company that operates, 200 seperate subsidary businessesacross 30 countries and in 2023, Forbes estimated his networth to be approximately $3 billion.Branson also suggests that an instant barometer to the stateof a company’s employee relations, is the way its people usethe terms “we and they”. A company where team membersoveruse the word “they” is a company that has problems. CHAP T E R I5 of 34T h e “ A c t i v e H R ” S t o r y
To address this, Branson outlines the value of employeeinvolvement and participation in decisions that impactemployees. Branson highlights that employee involvement addsa huge “pride-of-association” factor. Branson firmly believes inputting employees first and this approach has beenfundamental to his success. 6 of 34Prior to the starting of ActiveHR, when viewed collectively,Shan and I have been bringingpeople and workplaces together and helping shape businesssuccess from this sameprinciple, for 40+ years. Thisconcept has captured ourimagination, filled our heartsand stimulated our minds andmany would rightly say we arepassionate about what we do.
Shan and I are heavily inspired by the work of Branson. Wehave come to appreciate the powerful impact experiencedfrom an employee who loves what they do and the companythey work for. We have over our collective years of experiencebeen excited by seeing people who we have coached, andmentored, go on to produce some amazing achievements inbusiness. Some winning awards, some occupying C-Suitepositions within large organisations and others becomingvery successful and accomplished business leaders in theirown right.We aim to separate ourselves from the typical HR-Policeframe of reference often associated with practitioners of ourprofession. We established Active HR with one mission inmind, to Help Shape Great Workplaces, the ones that: People want to be a part of.Give people a clear sense of purpose.Enable people to thrive and succeed in their work. Thrive through employee inspired change, agility andinnovation.7 of 34
That doesn’t mean we don’t provide employee relationssupport. Active HR’s Employee Relations service will alwaysbe that base of support for a frustrated leader to call on whenneeding to address a difficult people issue. However, our aimis to be well regarded for the contribution made to a business’success through the culture we help shape, a culture thatproduces fewer employee relations issues and promotes highproductivity, high performance and enables a workforce toshine and deliver to their full potential. That is the Story ofActive HR.8 of 34
How many of your existing team could answer the followng 6questions about your company:What is the company’s vision, and what are thecompany’s values and objectives?1.What is the company’s current level of business success?2.What issue keeps you as the CEO awake at night?3.Who are the key competitors?4.What relationships need to be developed within thebusiness for then team to function better?5.Who do we need to partner with to be successful? 6.A team member who has reasonably accurate answers toeach of these questions, are the ones who are connected andaligned with the business, its purpose, its values and itsstrategic intent.C H A P T E R 29 of 34 T h e “ W h y ” o f a G r e a t W o r k p l a c e
In 2022 about one month after Active HR was started, wewere presented with an opportunity. About 100km south fromour headquarters is a not for profit community organisation.When we first met members of the board and a handful oftheir most senior people, the story presented to us was clear.The company was in serious trouble:The board were in a quandry of people issues with noeasy way out. The CEO had been unwell and was not expected to return. Their existing HR advisor organisation, a large nationalservice provider, was not delivering to their needs.The company had successive financial losses and theimpact of Covid had been hard felt. Clients had moved on, recruiting new staff was fruitless and employee turnover was high. 10 of 34
Just prior to us starting with the company, the CEO resignedand some three weeks later the 2IC left the company. It waspretty obvious at the time that the business was primed for atakeover, but in good spirit the board was digging in. Theyjust needed the right business partner. We will revisit that story later, however what it reveals is hepositive impact of a turnaround through becoming a greatplace to work, one that is now viewed within that communityas an “Employer of Choice”, where the team members arenow high value Net Promoters for the company and theservices it delivers. 11 of 34
The journey to this point, just over one year or 14 months. atthe end of the 22/23 FY, the company financially turned itfirst profit in three years, and reversing a record losstrajectory. The workforce grew from 38 to 71 and at the endof 2023 the company received it highest ever regulator auditperformance result. That is the why for a Great Workplace 12 of 34
There is a lot of theory about what attributes make a greatworkplace, and with 26+ years of HR experience, Rhett isfamiliar with all of them. When you start seeing concepts thatyou first heard about in the 1990s, reappearing in the 2000s,2010s and 2020s you come to appreciate what people look forin a great workplace:People want to feel safe, included and respected by others atwork.People leadership is built on trust, a relationship baseddynamic coupled with an assurance that the leader looksout for their team.Communication is critical particularly being prepared tolisten for what is said by members of the team.The vision is shared, the mission is clear and the values arereflected in how the business works. 13 of 34C H A P T E R 3 A J o u r n e y t o w a r d s aG r e a t W o r k p l a c e
There is zero tolerance towards behaviour that is unsafeand/or harmful towards others.High performance is recognised and rewarded and peopleare developed to succeed. It is at this point we revisit the story we started to outline inChapter 3. Throughout the 14 months we partnered with thiscompany under an outsourced HR/Business PartneringArrangement for three days a week, (two days in person andone day working remotely), we assigned one of our team topartner directly with the board and operate as part of theleadership team. Here is a summary of our approach:14 of 34
We engaged initially with the board, remainingsupervisors/leaders to assess need and helped develop a90 day plan, that highlighted the priorities. 1.We explored the talent of the remaining supervisors andhelped shine the light on some amazing skills, that untilthen, had gone unrecognised. 2.We operated at the table as a contractor/consultant tothe board while also operating within the leadershipteam. Our role was not that of an intermediary, but moreof a facilitator, ensuring there was regularcommunication and conversations between boardmembers and the businesses leaders. 3.One of our priorities was to rebuild the team so weworked with the leaders to develop a low cost communitybased recruitment campaign, one centred on the purposeand values of the company. The rate of pay on offer wasno more then base award, however by highlighting thecompany’s mission and purpose, we sought out andsuccessfully onboarded people who connected that that. 4.15 of 34
As it was a community based campaign it didn’t take long forpositive word of mouth to spread, leading to a steady streamof new applications. From there our energy was centred oncoaching the supervisors/leaders to select carefully. 5. The leadership team was reshaped, to reflect what somemay say as a new leadership agenda, one centred aroundpeople. This was in stark contrast to the leadership reign leftby the departing CEO, one we were often told, was more of amanagerial command and control style of operation. 6. Poor performance was addressed and toxic behaviour wasmanaged out of the company via fair and due process. Whileconfidentiality was maintained by the company, it isreasonable to say that the departure of some unwantedcharacters was noticed and many within the company cameto appreciate and value of the actions that were undertaken. 7. Individual performance and team conversations becameroutine and those employees whose values, behaviours andperformance was assessed at high standards were providedopportunity for development and career progression. 16 of 34
8. Middle level leadership roles were redesigned, with greaterresponsibility for people and the teams they led. There wassignificant attention focused on redesigning these jobs andcoaching existing team members to take up the changedresponsibilities while also carefully selecting replacementsbased on leadership qualities. 9. The company invested in the development of its leadersand the formation of a leadership team via team building.Leaders were trained in the technical and people basedresponsibilities of their positions, they were taught how tocommunicate with their people and given opportunities topractice. 10. One of the most significant shifts across this workplacewas to define a clear agenda for employee involvement.Policies, things that were once written by the CEO andimplemented via a tight management based process, werediscussed openly across the company from a needs basedviewpoint, drafted and then consulted upon giving employeesthe opportunity for feedback or to give alternative ideas. 17 of 34
In summary the change that was undertaken had a directionthat was set from the top, was consulted upon across everyaspects of the company and was implemented in a mannerthat was communicative, respectful and considerate.Here is the result:The company went from not being able to recruit anyonefor a number of years to now having people walk throughthe door expressing interest, based on word of mouth.This company is now recognised as an employer of choicewithin their industry and region.From running at a loss for 4 years straight to making atidy profit for 22/23FY.Expansion plans are again on the table for the board.Reduced turnover and higher retention including thereturn of some great employees who left the company 2-3years ago having now returned home.18 of 34
We focus on shaping Great Workplaces. We have designedour business model with two key points of difference betweenActive HR and other mainstream providers:1. We assign Business Partners, not Account Managers. AllActive HR service plans include a monthly HR coachingsession with an assigned HR Business Partner who is anexperienced HR professional and your primary contact for allmatters. Unlike other companies that apply what ourDirector describes as a “Whack a Mole” approach to HR, ourbusiness partners make the time to understand the HRchallenges and pain points and help business owners uncoverthe solutions that will address the cause and bringsustainable change and improvement19 of 34C H A P T E R 4 O u r D i f f e r e n c e
2. We offer strategically centred HR Service Plans.Before entering into a service plan with Active HR weundertake a free client HR Health Check working with theirassigned business partner to review either our Four-pillarmodel of Good HR for for medium sized businesses our Six-pillar model for an effective people strategy. This approach was developed by us and sets out thefoundation for a client’s HR strategy and identifies keyimprovement opportunities in areas of:·Compliance - Examining the business HR governancepractices including employee relations and work health andsafety risk areas.Capability - Examining approaches towards planning for,sourcing, attracting, selecting and onboarding talent.·Career - Examining methods used to define and develop highemployee performance, foster career and leadershipdevelopment, and reveal and map talent for more effectivesuccession planning.·20 of 34
Connection - Examining methods used to engage theworkforce and the key factors of influence that effectteamwork, leadership impact and capability, inclusion,belonging and psychosocial safety. The six pillar model widens the lens to scope for an EffectivePeople and Culture strategy. The additional pillars of: Care – Involving a deep dive analysis into EmployeeWellbeing including Workplace mental health advocacy.Collaboration – When examines the strategic partnershipsmaintain by a company including its relationships withunions and vendors.This holistic assessment and solution offering reveals thepossibility of what good HR brings to a business21 of 34
Active HR aims to help client’s develop their businesses asgreat workplaces, keeping them in front of the reactiveaspects of HR, the aspects that ill prepared business ownersoften encounter. For this reasons we have developed a widearray of products and solutions suited to small, medium andlarge businesses including:1. 4 Pillars of Good HR & 6 Pillars of People StrategyEffectiveness2. HR Business Partnering Solution - A comprehensiveservice plan that includes employment contracts, handbook,policy/procedures and frameworks for induction, onboardingand applying best practice management of employee relationsand work health and safety matters. The plan incorporates anassigned HR Business Partner, monthly coaching andworkplace advisory support. 22 of 34C H A P T E R 5 O u r S o l u t i o n s a n dS e r v i c e s
3. Workplace Advisory Lifeline - 7 day a week over the phoneHR and Employee Relations Support.4. Talent Sourcing and Selection Solutions - Specialist skilltalent hunting and talent pool development.5. Leading with Clarity, Courage and Care - A two dayleadership development workshop that helps participantsdevelop critical contemporary leadership skills throughpractical and engaging learning processes supported by twoleadership coaching sessions.6. Team Quest - 1/2 day & 1 day workshops to improve teamcommunication, problem solving and collaboration skills andprofile team work styles/role preferences via accredited tools(ie. Team Management Profiles or Group Styles Inventory)7. Building Safe and Respectful Workplaces Training - 1day workshops designed to help whole workplaces achieve amind shift in what it means to work in a psychosocially safeworkplace23 of 34
8. 360 degree leader feedback and coaching - usingaccredited tools (LLP or LSI) helping leaders improve theirleadership impact and performance.9. Start-Up HR Foundations Package - A start up packagefor micro-business looking to hire their first employee.10. HR Health Check (HR Audit) - A comprehensive audit ofHR frameworks11. Career and Leadership Coaching Solutions - One to Onecoaching with highly skilled professionals. 12. Focussed training sessions to lift team capability incritical areas – Workplace Communication, ProblemSolving, Creative and Innovation, Workplace Resilience andEmotional Intelligence13. Workplace Investigation and Resolution Solutions -Professional in person and facilitator support to helpnavigate complex workplace relations processes14. Workplace Survey Solutions - Professional onlineemployee surveys24 of 34
15. Mental Health First Aid Training – We holdaccreditations from mental Health First Aid Australia todeliver their training programs16. Online Training and HRIS Solutions - We're a 3rdparty agent25 of 34
Like every other successful business we are a team of people,a team that brings together a comprehensive suite of skillsand expertise, and who works collaboratively to produce theright outcomes for clients. Our team includes people who are experienced in leadership,business ownership, and people management. We are wellqualified for what we do, but we also have the added aspect ofexperience and learning in real time. 26 of 34C H A P T E R 6 T h e A c t i v e H R V a l u eP r o p o s i t i o n
We work collaboratively with our clients, helping give rise tooptions that can be evaluated, explored and decided upon byour client. As outlined in the story highlighted in Chapters 2 and 3 whenengaged as an outsourced HR Business Partner we operate atevery layer of the business, as we know that to trulystimulate the changes needed to become a great workplace,the change needs to impact every level of a business. 27 of 34
Rhett StubbsRhett’s expertise is Strategic HR and helping business’ resolve complex workplace relations matters. Prior tostarting Active HR, Rhett operated as HR Business Partnerfor a number of companies across a 24 year career andthrough this developed a passion for employee engagement,organisational change, leadership development and teambuilding. When Rhett works with a client strategically hisresult focus areas are:Producing High Employee ProductivityProducing High Employee Engagement and positive NetPromoter Scores across a workforce.Producing Low Turnover and bringing down a business’employee absenteeism. 28 of 34
Rhett has the experience and expertise needed to get the rightoutcomes for your business and consults to large corporationsand small to medium businesses. Rhett is also a ProfessionalMember of the Australian Human Resources Institute, AMember of the International Coaching Federation, holds aMasters in Human Resource Management as well as a BachelorDegree in Business Management and holds various professionalaccreditations including:Team Management ProfileLinking Leaders ProfileHuman Synergistics (LSI/GSI)Hays Job EvaluationPractitioner of Change.29 of 34
Shan Wheatley-StubbsShan is a well-established member of Townsville’s smallbusiness community and is highly regarded for herpersonable yet professional approach to customer service andher unwavering commitment to deliver outcomes that fullysatisfy the needs of clients. As one of our HR BusinessPartners and our Workplace Culture specialist, Shanunderstands the value of the bottom line to a business andthe integral connection that employees have on the bottomline and customer satisfaction. In recent years Shan has had considerable success in helpingreshape community-based NDIS client businesses into greatworkplaces and reflecting back to our story of Chapter 3 and4, Shan was instrumental in the overall results that wereachieved by that client. 30 of 34
As someone who values life-long learning Shan iscontinuously improving her skills and capability. Shan iscurrently completing a Diploma in Counselling and alreadyholds Diplomas in Small Business Management, RetailManagement and Financial Advice along with being an accredited trainer of Mental Health First Aid Australia -First Aider Course.31 of 34
Nicole LeottaNicole is an accomplished HR professional with a Bachelor’sDegree in Human Resource Management and extensiveexperience managing complex employee matters. As ourEmployee Relations Specialist, Nicole combines her HRexpertise with a strong background as a business managerfor large Australian retail chains, aligning people strategieswith commercial objectives.Known for her innovative approach, Nicole excels indeveloping tailored HR solutions and also provides strategicHR business partnering, offering clients astute guidance toachieve sound outcomes in challenging workplace relationsmatters. Her ability to balance compliance with creativityensures clients are equipped to navigate today’s complex HRlandscape.32 of 34
Mel FerrisHolding a Bachelor’s Degree in Human ResourceManagement and many years of experience as anadministrative leader in various government organizations,Mel offers a wealth of knowledge and practical expertise inhuman resources and organizational leadership.As a HR Advisor, Mel provides expert guidance on a widerange of HR matters, including recruitment, onboarding,employee relations, performance management, workplacepolicies, and compliance with employment laws. Mel’s focusis on helping clients resolve conflicts and address concernsin a way that meets business needs while ensuring fair andcompliant processes are applied. Passionate about fosteringpositive workplace cultures, Mel is committed toempowering businesses to build engaged, high-performingteams and achieve sustainable success.33 of 34
Our Contact DetailsWe are confident that we have the HR and Workplacesolutions for your business. To find out more and seek a noobligation consultation contact us on 07 4401 5131 or visit ourwebsite www.activehr.com.au You may also like to follow us on Facebook, Tik Tok orInstagram. 34 of 34