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Welcome to the HRtoolkit blog, here you’ll find our latest articles and updates. Simply select one of our latest articles or visit a category page for more articles on your topic of interest.

Attracting Awesome Candidates

Even though it is definitely an employer’s market out there at the moment, there is still a lot of recruitment activity, and candidates, particularly the really great ones, have choices.  So, how do you stand out from the crowd? The biggest error The biggest error is writing a job description,

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Getting to the Root of Workplace Issues

When problems show up at work—missed deadlines, tension in teams, communication breakdowns—they’re usually symptoms, not the real issue. These will often come to a head through staff complaints, and quick fixes might smooth things over, but they don’t solve what’s actually driving the problem. Why Root Cause Analysis Matters Getting

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Handling a Problem Employee — Legally and Humanely

Managing a difficult employee can be uncomfortable, but it should be handled with both fairness and clarity. The key is to focus on behaviour and impact, not personality. A “problem employee” is usually someone whose actions repeatedly disrupt the team, ignore expectations, or undermine performance. Before acting, check your own

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Motivation: Working Smarter, Not Just Harder

Are you going to waste 10 minutes today?  For the vast majority of us the answer is “yup, and the rest!”. Many of you who have interacted with me will have heard me talk about the fact that 10 minutes per day = 40 hours per year, or 2% of

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Preparing for the Christmas madness

Christmas parties are a hotbed of entertainment for HR consultants to write their memoirs on “the stupid things people do”… so here are some top tips to avoid a mention The Christmas party If you spend nearly 2,000 hours a year in the company of the same people there are

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Boss V’s Mate

Boss V’s Mate In small businesses, the lines between “boss” and “mate” can blur easily. You work closely together, often socialise outside of work, and know the ins and outs of each other’s lives. While this makes for a strong, connected team, it can also create challenges—especially when tough conversations

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KPI’s to Drive Your Business

What KPI’s Really Tell Us Traditional KPI’s like sales results, completed projects, and financial returns are great at showing us what has happened. But they reflect the end results of our efforts, not the story behind how we got there. The Power of Soft Competencies If we want to influence

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How to spot a rat? How to confirm or allay your suspicions

We all want to believe the best about our team, but even great workplaces can face dishonesty.  Whether it’s cutting corners, misusing company resources, or outright theft. Detecting early warning signs isn’t about becoming suspicious of everyone; it’s about staying alert, protecting your investment, and ensuring fair play for the

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How to Write a Compliant Employment Contract in NZ

Creating a compliant employment contract is essential for both employers and employees in New Zealand. Further, in New Zealand, every employee must have a written employment agreement.  A well-drafted contract not only protects both parties legally but also sets clear expectations and responsibilities. HRtoolkit has all the NZ employment contract

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