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#5ways Covid-19... we know you're sick of hearing about it and we don't blame you. It's been very stressful and it's likely one of the most impactful things that will ever happen to your business. If you are one of the thousands of businesses who have been affected, how can you use this as an opportunity to grow stronger? Let's find out... 1. Change things up If you've seen a huge hit in your profits, consider if there is a hidden opportunity here? Rather than doing the same thing and expecting different results, is there a way for your business to pivot and adapt to the new Covid-19 landscape? Top tips: Change working arrangements! If they haven't been already, can members of your staff work from home, saving on their commute and on expensive office space ? Diversify! Are there other services or products you can add to your range to reach untapped parts of the market? Are there ways to change your business to cater to these different needs? 2. Strengthen your relationship with your team It's easy to focus on the difficulties and challenges you have had to face as an employer, but your employees have had challenges around the pandemic too. We recommend checking in with them to strengthen your bond. After all, when you show that care about people in times of need they are far more likely to stay loyal to you and work hard to help your business succeed. Top tip: Schedule time to share your pandemic struggles with your team. Ask them how they have been coping and see if there are ways you can help each other 3. Open the 'too hard basket' Remember all of those things you wanted to put in place in your business but never got around to implementing? Maybe now is the time. If Covid means that business is slow or your employees are at a loose end, use time wisely to streamline processes so that your business is firing on all cylinders. Top tips: Update your policies and HR documents! Contracts, health and safety policies and inductions should be reviewed regularly. Are yours up to date? Invest in some training! Are there processes that your staff need to know more about? Can your team up skill each other in industry knowledge? Is your health and safety policy up to date and is everyone trained? 4. Refine your systems Have you ever had the nagging feeling that there are better or easier ways to do things, but have never had the time to investigate it fully? If only there was a time when things were slow that you could dedicate to looking into this. Wait a second... how about right now? Top tip: If things are slow for you, why not talk with your team and come up with ideas on how you can do things better! What frustrates them about their jobs? What frustrates you? How can you do away with as many of those frustrations as possible? 5. Reach out to other employers Chances are, if you are doing it tough, many other business owners and employers are feeling the same way. Top tip: Network, network, network! You will feel supported, understood and make friends that might be able to help you out, or that you can help. And best of all, you might end up discovering new networks that can help develop business relationships that will help your company in the future. In conclusion... you're not alone. Many business owners are doing it tough right now. Give yourself some credit - you've hung in there and are still fighting the good fight. By looking for ways to use this rollercoaster pandemic to your business' advantage, not only will you benefit your bottom line but you will feel more productive and in control. Click below to download this article: Or click below to download The Great Employers Checklist for free We provide Employment Law and HR support to New Zealand businesses just like yours.

It's #MythbustingMonday so we're clearing up this employment myth about needing three warnings before any dismissal can occur. Does an employer need to give an employee three warnings before dismissal? No! It is a common misconception that employee's must get a verbal, written and then a final written warning before they can be fired. Depending on the situation and the seriousness of the misconduct, it may not be appropriate to go through all of these steps. Do they have to give any warnings at all then? No! In cases of serious misconduct, the employee's actions may be so severe that the essential trust in an employment relationship might be completely destroyed. In this case, there may be no other alternative but to dismiss the employee, even if this is a first offence so the employer does not have to have previously given any warnings. What if they have a final warning, can an employer fire them if there is another offence? Not necessarily! Warnings are specific to the misconduct that has occurred so can generally only be relied upon when offences are similar. For instance, if an employee received a final warning for bullying co-workers, an employer may not be able to rely on this to dismiss if they also sign out 15 minutes early on a shift. And remember... Before even getting to the stage of issuing a warning or dismissing an employee, an employer must be confident that good process has been followed. An employer must act reasonably in disciplinary proceedings and not have predetermined outcomes, because this is where employers end up with grievances.