HR Consulting

HR Consulting is our specialty. Below is an overview of some of the services available. If you’re not sure what you’re after, or what you’re after isn’t listed, please get in touch for an obligation-free discussion.

Our HR Consultants are all senior level HR experts, with experience, knowledge, and skills from across a variety of industries within NZ and around the world.

HR Consulting on call

Having expert HR advice on call when you need is important when managing a business. You can contact HR Associate on phone or email for any HR questions (you must have an agreement with HR Associate in place before using this service).

Are you looking to create change, or to restructure your business? HR Associate can assist by providing advice throughout, guide you through the correct process under employment law, and assist with: document creation; consultation with staff; redeployment options; possible redundancies; selection process criteria; and/or any other activities or tasks.

Providing staff with clear information about changes can often assist with getting their buy-in and understanding, enabling them to accept the change.

Sometimes situations happen in the workplace and you need to investigate to find out what happened, and what action you might want to take. HR Associate is a licensed company under the Ministry of Justice Private Security Personnel Licensing Authority. We provide professional and independent investigation services so that you make the most informed decisions for your business.

Personal grievances

If your business receives a personal grievance, HR Associate can assist with advice, options, and response management for this process. We will always aim for the best solution for the situation, and can also represent your business at mediation, and/or organise settlement agreements.

Misconduct can impact company performance, other staff, financial performance, and company reputation. HR Associate can guide you through a correct and lawful process, provide the documentation and letters required at each stage, draft scripts, and facilitate formal meetings.

Performance concerns

Like misconduct, performance concerns (and absenteeism) create negative effects on your business and other employees. HR Associate can guide you and your employee through the correct process, provide coaching, create documentation and letters, and facilitate meetings. 

Clear policies ensures everyone knows what's expected, and can assist with effectively dealing with issues that might arise. HR Associate can help determine which policies your business might introduce, draft these policies, and advise on approaches to enhance staff buy-in, understanding, and compliance.

Employment agreements

Under NZ employment legislation every employee must have a written employment agreement. HR Associate can help determine the type of agreement you need, and draft agreements to suit your business (permanent, fixed term, casual, contract for services).

Trial or probationary periods

Completed correctly, trial and probationary periods can be effective, however, there are strict requirements around how these are carried out and in what situation. HR Associate can provide expert guidance and templates to make sure your business gets it right and reduce the likelihood of costly litigation.

Job descriptions

Well written job descriptions ensure you’re more likely to find the right person when hiring staff and expectations are clear. It's also a basis for creating objectives and completing performance reviews. As your HR Consulting provider we can assist with creating clear and consistent job descriptions and if necessary, advise on approaches to introduce these to existing employees.

Manager coaching

HR Associate can assist in areas such as: how to have difficult conversations; dealing with performance management concerns or issues; managing misconduct in the workplace; effectively leading people, and approaching recruitment in an effective and cost-efficient way. Sessions can be completed individually or as a group.

Starter documentation & inductions

First impressions count! Introducing employees to your business, their team, job, and expectations ensures everyone is set up for success. HR Associate can help tailor an induction plan for your business, including setting up checklists and processes for on boarding new staff.

Motivate & retain top talent

Once you’ve got great people on board, the ongoing challenge can often be keeping them. Money as a motivator is relatively ineffective on its own. HR Associate can assist with simple and valuable ways to help retain and motivate your top talent.

Performance objectives (or KPIs)

Employees will be more productive if they know what they are required to do and how to do it. Creating performance objectives also gives you a basis to regularly measure performance, provide useful feedback, and it’s a vehicle to deal with performance issues. HR Associate can assist with creating simple and user-friendly performance objective and measuring systems for your staff and advise on approaches to effectively gain buy-in.

Performance reviews

Regular formal performance reviews help get the most from your staff, assist with determining reward and salary reviews, and/or help identify poor performance. HR Associate can create and implement simple to use review templates and processes, and provide guidance to managers and employees on using these.

Exit interviews

Exit interviews can be a valuable source of information to help improve and make changes within your business. Using an external, independent provider can often uncover more information, and HR Associate are experts in asking the right questions to get the information you need.

Company mission, vision & values

Company mission, vision and values are the foundation of businesses, and whether you need assistance with developing all of these areas, or just one or two of them, HR Associate can assist.

Wellness programmes

These aren’t about morning teas and Friday drinks! Effective wellness programmes can motivate staff, improve productivity, reduce absenteeism, and create a sense of fun and accomplishment in the workplace. HR Associate can assist with introducing a wellness programme into your company, ensure it’s tailored within your budget, and is pitched for buy-in and participation.

Staff surveys

Staff surveys help gauge employee attitudes and perceptions about all areas of work and can assist with generating new ideas, and communicates that you’re taking an interest in employee views and ideas. Honest feedback usually comes with anonymity, which HR Associate can facilitate, as well as interpretation of results and identifying opportunities.

Is there something you're after, which isn't listed? Please get in touch for an obligation-free discussion.