Fix the People Problems Earlier

Episode 22 of Queensland Business Stories

Most HR headaches do not arrive without warning. They grow from a role that was never defined properly, a conversation delayed for months, or a manager expected to lead people without being shown how.

In this episode, Chris Tipper speaks with Melissa Langton, founder and director of Brisbane HR consultancy Exceler8. Known as the people paracetamol, Melissa helps small and medium business owners deal with the people issues keeping them awake at night and build practical systems that make the next problem less likely.

Recruitment starts before the advertisement

Melissa’s first correction is simple: recruitment does not start when the job ad goes live. It starts when the business defines what the role is for, which outcomes matter, what experience is genuinely useful and what the labour market will support.

Without that north star, an impressive candidate can pull the process away from the job the business actually needs. Melissa recommends staged assessment, better questions, team involvement and a recruitment process that reflects the reality of the workplace rather than selling a polished fiction.

Keep to the north star of the role.

Reduce surprises by having the conversation earlier

Underperformance is uncomfortable for everyone, including HR professionals. The bigger problem is avoidance. By the time an owner seeks help, frustration may have been building for months while the employee has heard nothing clear about the issue.

Early conversations, manager training and documented processes reduce the surprise. Clear outcome measures can also take some of the emotion out of the discussion by showing what good looks like and where performance is falling short.

Good human resource management is reducing the surprises.

Team building needs a business purpose

Melissa is blunt about team activities that exist because somebody said the team should do something fun. Without a purpose, they feel fluffy because they are fluffy.

Useful team building connects to something the business is trying to achieve. It gives people direction, space to participate and enough consistency to build a habit. Fun is welcome, but it should support the culture or capability the business actually needs.

Use a Goldilocks HR framework

Small businesses do not need 175 policies and four systems for three employees. They do need a compliant employment contract and a practical set of foundational policies that explain how people should behave, raise issues and work together.

The goal is not bureaucracy for its own sake. It is a clear framework people can use, with enough documentation to support fair decisions, insurance requirements, growth and a future business sale.

Start with the real problem

Melissa’s closing advice is to give the problem the time and support it deserves, then get clear on the outcome. Replacing one person is not automatically the solution. The real issue may be an unclear role, weak management, missing processes or a difficult conversation that has not happened yet.

Connect with Melissa Langton

Learn more about Exceler8 at exceler8.com.au or connect through Exceler8 on LinkedIn.