International Institute Of Home Staging

Naomi

How to Create a Gorgeous Vignette

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When you work in property styling, knowing how to create gorgeous vignettes is essential!

But what are vignettes? And how can you make them amazing?!

Vignettes are small arrangements of bits and pieces usually placed on coffee tables, book shelves, benches and anywhere that can hold specific items to bring texture and warmth to a space.

The ways in which vignettes are arranged is not random, even though it can look that way. In order to have a successful and aesthetically pleasing vignette, it is necessary for the items used to be specifically picked for a particular reason.

A vignette can be as simple as a small house plant next to a book on a coffee table. These items are commonly used in vignettes because plants are not only aesthetically pleasing but they can also create a positive and calming atmosphere in the area.

Coffee table books are often used in vignettes as they are intriguing and can make guests interested in the overall arrangement of the vignette.

Small artworks, candles and magazines are all used in vignettes to create interest and pleasing aesthetics in an area such as a coffee table.

The idea behind vignettes is that you are able to create your own small artwork that you can change whenever you please.

When styling vignettes it is of utmost importance to ensure that all items used are of different textures, shapes and sizes. While vignettes may seem easy to style, it can be difficult to create an arrangement that makes you and everyone who sees the vignette say “WOW!”.

Using different colours, textures, shapes and sizes that all work together is the most effective way to create an amazing vignette, but it is all about trial and error.

Where you put your vignette can also determine if your vignette works or not as well. A vignette may look awesome on a coffee table, but it may look a little too much on a book shelf. It’s all about figuring out what works best in the space.

If you’ve created a gorgeous vignette, tag @NaomiFindlayOfficial on Instagram and we’ll share it with our audience!

How to Style a Master Bedroom

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Styling a master bedroom in a home for sale can be tricky. The majority of time spent here is for sleeping and for this reason, many people have a complacent attitude when it comes to styling the master bedroom.

But the key is the create a space that oozes comfort, tranquility and space. So how do you create a space that attracts buyers?

Read on for my top style tips…

Having a pleasing master bedroom is more than just the mattress. When it comes to putting your house on the market, it’s all about practicality and aesthetics so choose gorgeous pillows, play with different colours and textures, and use light to your advantage.

The bed is the major part of a master bedroom, and is usually the focal point of the room. Simple bedding such as a white cover is best. This can be dressed up with a throw and pillows of a variety of colours.

Not all master bedrooms have a lot of wardrobe space, and buyers will wonder if there is enough room for clothing so consider adding stylish clothes rails and a chest of draws to showcase alternative storage solutions. As long as the furniture is scaled to suit the size of the room, it shouldn’t look crowded and can in fact make the space feel complete.

Lighting is another key feature that is of utmost importance in the master bedroom. Natural light is always a plus, but it is understandable that this is not always  available.

Downlights, side table lamps, tall feature lamps and candles are all great ways to make the room feel more comforting and, most importantly, makes sure the room is well light.

Accessories and art are also great ways to make the room shine and add interest without deterring buyers.

We have scattered some of our favourite master bedrooms below! As you can see, there is no strict formula when it comes to decorating the master bedroom but all designs contain the features mentioned above.

What is your favourite master bedroom?

 

 

The Pros of Open Plan Spaces

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Open plan living spaces are a phenomenon in the architecture industry, and so they should be!

They bring people together and can be used as a space for everyone instead of leaving set activities in set rooms like the kitchen.

Here are our Top 5 Pros of open plan living spaces in the home.

1. They create flow

Unlike in older houses where the dining  and living rooms are clearly separated, open plan living spaces allow you to flow more easily through the home.

This is due to the lack of walls between the kitchen, living and dining rooms and also your ability to implement your design choices with more purpose to ensure that each space flows by connecting to each other.

2. They feel bigger

Open plan living spaces can make the whole house seem bigger! They open up the space and bring light in, giving the illusion of a bigger space.

3. Perfect for entertaining

Open plan living spaces are also great for entertaining purposes. Instead of being locked away in the kitchen while all your friends are chatting in the lounge room, open plan living spaces allow you to be part of the conversation as well. These spaces often open out onto a deck or outdoor area. This allows for optimum entertaining, regardless of rain or shine.

4. Perfect for a family

On a more personal note, open plan living spaces can bring the family together, both physically and metaphorically, as it allows space for kids to play and do homework as well as space for the parents to do work, cook dinner and entertain.

5. You can create better design

Because open plan living blurs the lines between living room and dining room, it allows for a much wider variety of furnishings, accessories and overall design theme in the home. Some designs can look crowded and overdone if they are shoved into a small room. Open plan living allows for continuity of design and theme throughout the majority of the house and allow you to fully invest in a style that you love!

Want to boost your career in home staging and learn from experts in your industry? Attend the BIGGEST home staging event in the country at the 2019 National Home Staging Symposium! Spots filling FAST – save your seat here! 

How to Hang Art in a Home for Sale

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Art is one of the greatest ways to give homebuyers a vision when they walk into a property!

They may visualise their existing home decorations, be inspired by new colours and consider how to improve their own style and ideas.

But the way you present your wall art can make or break the impact it has on the buyer – and as many of you know, attention to detail is of utmost importance when staging your house to be sold.

So what are the 4 key things to remember when you are hanging wall art?

how to hang art

1. Keep artwork in scale with the space

The biggest mistake most people make is hanging a picture that’s too small for the space. If you put a page-sized portrait on an expansive wall, it will be totally lost and ignored. To figure out how large a picture to hang on your wall, measure the width of the space (say, the area between two windows) and multiply that number by .57. The result is the ideal width of the painting you should centre in that space. This bit of arithmetic is based on decorators’ tried-and-true proportions, but you of course have a little leeway. You can also group smaller photos together to reach this number — just be sure to account for additional spacing between each.

2. Hang artwork at eye level

Many people hang their pictures too high on the wall, thinking that there’s a lot of space to fill toward the ceiling. Not so! The centre of your artwork should be at eye level of the average person — (roughly 175cm).  The one exception is with lettered signs, which are typically designed to be seen from a distance and can therefore be hung higher than eye level if you like.

 

how to hang art

 

3. Make sure your art is lit correctly

Be conscious of the lighting around your artwork. Some art will only shine when light dances onto its surface in the correct way so ensure you investigate the light from windows and any artificial sources.  Also be wary the beauty or detail of your favourite piece doesn’t get lost if it’s catching some rays.

4. Use art to accentuate the room

If you have beautiful tall ceilings, use art to draw your eyes upwards by hanging one piece on top of the other, rather than the more traditional way of side by side. Use ornate detail to embellish or highlight art pieces, and vice versa. Choose art that brings out the best of the room, and can help mask the less inspiring elements of a room.

If you stick to these four simple rules, you’re sure to be pleased with how your works of art transform the walls and ‘wow’ potential homebuyers.

Want to boost your career in home staging and learn from experts in your industry? Attend the BIGGEST home staging event in the country at the 2019 National Home Staging Symposium! Spots filling FAST – save your seat here! 

2019 Scholarships – Apply NOW!

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IIHS™ are so excited to announce our annual Student Scholarships. The scholarships will grant one successful applicant a kick start in the home staging career like no other and a second applicant a chance to be mentored by IIHS™ Principal Naomi Findlay.

 

 

There are two separate scholarships available, a course education scholarship and a mentoring scholarship

The successful applicant:

Course Education Scholarship

Will be given the opportunity to study the Art of Home Staging and Advanced Home Staging Courses with IIHS™ and the enrolment fees will be covered by IIHS™. As well as 6 months worth of Shine Professional membership with IIHS™. Total value well over $2400

Mentoring Scholarship

Will be given the opportunity to be part of the IIHS mentoring program for three month value $3000 and be a member of the IIHS™ Shine Professional Membership for a six month period valued at $300. Total Value $3300

See what previous winner Skye Mendl had to say…..

IMPORTANT DATES

Applications will open on March 1 2019.

Applications will close on April 20 2019.

Attendees to the National Home Staging Symposium will be eligible to apply. Get your event tickets here! Scholarship application forms will be sent out with the ticket confirmation email.

To find out more about the scholarships email [email protected]

Return the completed form to [email protected]

 

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How To Develop Business Policies

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By Tracey Archer

In part one of the HR compliance series I discussed employment contracts, the importance of having a written contract and clauses outside of the Fair Work Act that may be relevant for your business. Equally important is ensuring all staff understand their responsibilities and company processes by way of policies.

Think your business is too small to have documented policies? Ask yourself – how many times do your employees ask you if they can take time off? Even if you have only two employees, it could be in excess of six times a year! Or maybe they are late to work, who do they notify and how? Further what are the consequences?

Similar to employment contracts policies should be tailored for the industry in which they are applicable. For the Home Staging industry, you’d need details around company cars and what staff are liable for should they have an accident, also mandatory policies such as Bullying and Harassment, Grievance Procedures and Rehabilitation and Return to Work, just to name a few.

Your time is important, spend it on developing your business and exceeding client expectations, rather than making a fresh decision every time an employee asks a question or you are faced with a challenge. Key is setting the ground work early, getting compliance right and ensuing consistency across your team.

Making the Most of Xero Accounting Software

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By Greg Logue

We all know the importance of cash in any business! It’s the lifeblood of what you do and without it, the doors close. Simple concept.

As business owners, you need to be thinking differently. In addition to the daily grind, you need to understand what’s happening behind the scenes. How is the business performing? Am I compliant with government and industry requirements? What do I need to do to push my business in the right direction? Why am I so exhausted and there’s no money in the bank?

A fundamental aspect of running any business is knowing the numbers. And I don’t mean knowing just what’s in the bank account! It goes beyond that. It’s understanding concepts like income, expenses, profit, assets, liabilities, equity, tax….the list goes on! To help you with this, it’s important that one of the first things on your business ‘to-do list’ is get some accounting software, and one of the best business accounting packages on the market is Xero.

We live in an age where technology is constantly changing. What we use today is out of date tomorrow. Gone are the days where a cashbook and receipts were used to track the finances of a business. We need real-time data to make real-time decisions. Without that you may miss an exciting opportunity. Xero is an amazing cloud based bookkeeping tool which gives you everything you need to know about managing your finances and understanding how your business is truly performing. As business owners, the key to making the most of your software is understanding it’s capabilities and working with your accountant to better educate yourselves on financial reports. I look forward to presenting on this topic at the 2018 National Home Staging Symposium – see you there!

Greg Logue is a Senior Accountant at DFK Crosbie and an advisor to business owners across a range of unique industries. Focusing on business growth and peace of mind for his client’s, Greg has over 10 years’ experience in providing solutions to everyday business problems. Whether it be getting a business off the ground, taking it to the next level or working towards a long-term goal, Greg tailors his approach to suit your needs. Using reliable financial data, Greg and his team can provide strategic advice to drive your business in the right direction.

If you would like to see Greg live, secure you place at the National Home Staging Symposium for 2018!

The Power of the Pause in Creating Your Successful Unique Business

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By Bernadette O’Connor

Have you felt the calling?

The call to retreat, the call to switch off, the call to go within.

How often have you pushed through and ignored the calling, just kept going because it wasn’t the right time to shut down, to switch off, to disconnect?

You silence that inner voice that says it is time, and you continue to hustle, push, strive – because that’s what everyone else is doing and you fear what would happen if you stopped. It’s not a risk that you’re prepared to take – you’ve worked too hard to get where you have just to see it collapse because you’re tired!

Right?

You tell yourself that you will stop when you are on holidays, after you’ve take months to plan everything meticulously, working overtime for weeks, so that your time away won’t impact on the day to day running of your business.

The truth is to ignore this inner calling to pause, is so much more damaging to you and your business than briefly stepping away from it. Of course, we like to convince ourselves otherwise, and that is why there are so many burnt out women in business, who are ready to walk away from their business, feeling like they have been sold a big white elephant. That whole ‘work for yourself and reclaim your freedom’ concept feels like one big fat lie, because you now feel more trapped than you ever did before – a slave to your own business.

Many moons ago, as an up-and-comer in the corporate world, I would listen to this calling to step away. I was wiser than I realised back then, because I innately knew that once every couple of months it was imperative to my own wellbeing and to my success in business that I step away from my work. It became a guilt free practice of mine, when I felt the calling to switch off, that I would listen and gift myself a ‘mental health day’. That is what I called them back then, because I thought it was all about maintaining the integrity of my mental health. These days, with a deeper wisdom of myself and the depth and needs of my energetic being, I regard these days as imperative reset / reboot / recalibration days.

I choose to claim these days and retreat when I feel the calling, rather than being forced to stop with illness. Sure, when we are unwell we will finally stop, but the energy body is working so hard to just heal the physical body that it doesn’t utilise this time of rest to grow and expand and reinvigorate itself with a renewed passion for life and business.

To function optimally the energy body must be nourished and tended to in the way that it needs. The energetic body is very similar to a computer and if it is pushed to its limits, with too many tabs open and not enough time to reboot and restart, it will start to slow down and eventually shut down, inhibiting clarity, confidence, creativity and calm.

To be clear, confident, creative and calm are paramount to the success of your business. A depleted energetic body, also known as a starved soul, cannot thrive and as you are at the core of your business, if you do not nourish yourself and fill your soul, then you will not thrive and your business will suffer.

Do you wonder why your business becomes stagnant?

Why despite the long hours and the hard work, you cannot get the clarity you need to pull off the new strategy?

Why you lack the confidence to pitch to new clients?

Why your creativity feels stilted and lacklustre?

Why you are in a constant state of stress and anxiety?

What was once exciting, inspiring and fulfilling now feels like a constant struggle and you begin to wonder why you are bothering to work so hard, for seemingly so little return?

And then a strange thing happens, you walk away from your business, you take a holiday and you come back feeling refreshed and excited about new ideas and opportunities. You jump in with vigour and enthusiasm and you start to see results flowing in – new clients, great testimonials, more referrals. You are feeling the groove of your business, and you believe in the vision that you once had, you go into meetings clear on your objectives and confident in reaching your outcome. You are astounded that it is all flowing, that all the pieces are falling into place – this is how it is meant to be.

And then, you fall back into old habits. Burning the candle at both ends, convincing yourself that you don’t have time for the gym or that yoga class, or that walk with a friend – and before you know it your self-care goes out the window AGAIN, and as you begin to jam up because you are not tending to your needs, you notice that your business starts to jam up again. The flow stops, so you work harder to get things done, convincing yourself that if you don’t make things happen nothing will get done – you force your business to be what you need her to be.

It is now, that you will hear that calling – the calling of your inner wisdom to switch off and switch in. Before it all starts crumbling once again, it is the time to switch off and give your business some space to breath – and give yourself space to reboot and restart.

When you give yourself this space and sit in solitude you can connect to your inner wisdom. This is a practice that has been done by women since the beginning of time, the purpose of which is to ask questions and for the soul self to provide advice.

Many people run from this practice because they are convinced that they do not know how to connect to this aspect of themselves. That they cannot silence their mind, that the whole mindfulness and meditation thing just doesn’t work for them. The truth is there are many ways to connect – meditation, writing, painting, gardening, running, drumming, singing, prayer, yoga…..the list goes on, yet intentional solitude is most easily achieved simply by tuning out to distractions.

And as women we are good at this – we innately do this when we tune out from the noise of a house full of needy children, from a screaming baby in the middle of the night, from a self-indulgent friend who bores you with tedious details of her daily life. We know how to tune out and go within to seek refuge from a world that is overwhelming. The knowing how is not the challenge, it is remembering to do it, especially in a world that that feels that such time spent being in solitude is time wasted.

There is power in the solitude, and for so long in women’s tradition, the cycles of moon and menses were the natural cycles for women to go within to inquire into the state of one’s being – seeking to understand what is needed of the soul / the self to bring the whole being back into a balanced state. The assessment used to ascertain where the self is at, is simple and achieved by asking two questions:

What needs more and what needs less?

The question is being asked of the innate instinctual self, not the logic rational mind. The answer comes from a knowing, not a thinking. A knowing of what within the self / business needs adjustment, loosening or emphasizing; what is on course and what needs to be brought back into alignment. What needs love, moving, changing, disposing? Who or what are you holding that needs to be let go?

It is a constant refinement of the energy of you and your business. A beautiful balancing act to keep the magnetic attraction between your business and the vision you have for it, in alignment.

What raises the vibe of your business? What lowers the vibe of your business?

What needs less? What needs more?

Who needs to stay? Who needs to go?

Those who work in your business, and on your business, contribute to its energy. And assessing the energy that each person – you, partner, investor, employee, associate, contractor, client – brings into your business is essential to its overall vitality.

Ask questions of all aspects of your business – your book keeping; your website; your contracts; your storage facility; your business name; your office; your social media; your filing system; your inventory. The time spent in solitude seeking guidance from within about all aspects of your business and constantly refining yourself and your business so it remains in alignment with the bigger vision, is pivotal to your success.

Remember….Stay In Your Own Lane.

Ignore what is going on around you, what others are doing, what others want you to be a part of, what others are saying about you…. that is none of your business!

Your business is your business, so focus there and there alone!

Listen to your inner calling to retreat and become accustomed to looking within for how to build your unique business instead of looking outside of yourself, listening to ALL the shoulds and trying to replicate other people’s businesses. To go within is a recipe for long-term business success. To look outside is a recipe for inauthenticity, inadequacy, stress and burnout.

Are you ready to honour your inner calling and build the success of your unique business?

If you would like to see Bernadette live, secure you place at the National Home Staging Symposium for 2018!

The Perks of Networking and how to do it

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Networking is absolutely essential in running a successful business. While technology has made networking easier, this does not mean that you don’t have to work for success in business. Networking is a great way to get your name and business name out into the world, find new clients and expand your affiliates. Regardless of the type of business you run, networking is achieved in similar ways.

Putting yourself out there and going to events is a great way to network. Not only does this lead to new clients but it also has the potential to lead to affiliates and possibly even partner brands. Being around like minded people is great as it allows you to meet other inspirational people, expand your knowledge and your ideas.

izable people

Carrying around business cards is still a great way to network, especially at events. Dropping business cards off at cafes and restaurants is another great way to network as it means you have the potential to reach a wide range of demographics! Putting your key social media site usernames, phone number and email on business cards are absolutely essential nowadays. People want to be able to research your business without having any direct contact with the business first, hence the importance of social media sites.

Networking through social media is another great way to network without spending excess time out of your day chatting to people. This can be achieved through paid advertisements, using scheduling programs so you always have content going live across all platforms and live chats. These techniques will allow you to seemingly directly connect with your audience without leaving the comfort of your home! Social media networking allows you to reach completely different audiences depending on what site you are using. This will result in you reaching a much larger audience than what you could when dropping business cards off at a coffee shop or going to an event. Having the flexibility with different audiences on social media also allows you to trial different ideas and techniques on different sites to figure out what works best!

Busy office workers

 

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Clutter and Your Mindset

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I wanted to share something with you today that I was reading on my phone earlier, so you’ll see me looking at it a little bit. It’s about clutter and money.

 

There’s an amazing, good friend of mine, as well as an amazing business woman, called Denise Duffield-Thomas from LuckyBitch.com. Go over and check her out. You’ll find the stuff that she does absolutely amazing.

I was reading the morning about this really great piece she wrote about decluttering. I see a lot of home stagers doing some of the things that she talks about in her blog.

You’ll see in here that she talks about clutter and decluttering is great for money manifesting. She goes on to talk about all the different things that maybe we are doing with our clutter.

For example, in our office spaces, are we holding onto a desk someone gave us when we first started our businesses because we feel that we need to have more money or be a bigger business before we then give ourselves another desk?

A little like – and this is a phrase that Denise talks about, as interesting as it sounds – beggars can’t be choosers. “Someone gave me this when I first started business, so I’m going to keep using it.”

I really want you to head over and read this blog because this is absolutely amazing. It speaks about if we’re holding on to some of the things that we were gifted and we feel we have to be grateful for in our businesses, we aren’t opening up opportunities for new energy, new money and new abundance to come in.

I see this a fair bit in home staging. I see it with people’s stock. When I first started and I was getting stock in and I was like, “Wow! My business is growing!”

Then, as I got more and more stock and I wanted to turn it over, there was this ridiculous attachment to the stock that I had first because, “Oh, gosh. I need that. I need to be grateful. That’s where I can from.”

It wasn’t until I had the most epic garage sale that suddenly my business started to flourish. I got rid of all that old stock that was tying me down and that I wasn’t even really using. I was getting a warehouse full of clutter.

This is something that’s really important in home staging.

Look at your stock, look at your inventory and avoid it becoming clutter. It is the main commodity for many home stagers who have higher for making money.

  • Why do we allow a money making item to become a cluttered item?
  • Why don’t we cut it loose and allow more space in our warehouse, more space in our energy, more space in our business for abundant stock, customers, clients and agents coming in.

This is one way that I find a lot of the home stagers that I mentor and that are on our memberships are a bit attached to clutter. But I want to share with you from my phone here. I love reading Denise’s stuff.

She had some other great top tips and I wanted to read you some of my favorites about decluttering in the business because it’s so important; just as it’s important in life, it’s essential in business.

  1. The first one is a really great one about unsubscribing to emails that you don’t want anymore. Deleting old contacts out of your phone.
  2. Backing up and cleaning off your computer. If your desktop looks like a mad woman’s breakfast, clean that up. You’ll be amazed at how good it feels.
  3. Shred old documents. Old documents that you don’t’ need, get rid of them. There is no need to have that clutter and store them.
  4. This is a really interesting one: clean up your Facebook feed. It doesn’t mean you have to defriend people or unlike people, but if there’s someone that’s on your feed and you just don’t want to see their stuff anymore, make sure you remove that from your feed.
  5. The other one that I love, which is really interesting is deleting websites and getting rid of the histories in your browsers. That can be really interesting.
  6. Then, one of the last ones that I want to read to you – and this is a great one – is say no to networking groups that have become an obligation and not a joy.

I believe massively, guys, in the five people that we surround ourselves in are the people that we’re going to become and the people that we’re going to be the biggest reflection upon us.

That could also be said for networking groups. Many of us got involved in networking groups, which can become clutter in our calendar and clutter in our life.

Take Denise’s massive inspiration. Head over to LuckyBitch.com. I want you to get on and read this because it’s a really amazing blog.

I want you then to have a look in your warehouses for cluttered stock; I want you to look in your offices for all those things that you feel you should be entitled and that you’re really gifted to have and you need to keep and I want you to look in your computers and in your phones.

Rid yourself of that clutter and that will open up the energy for abundance and more business, more wealth and more opportunity to come your way.

Thanks so much for listening, guys. I’ll be back again soon.

Financing Business Growth

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By Greg Logue

There comes a time when your business will get to capacity and 24hrs in the day is not enough! This is when some decisions must be made. These decisions usually revolve around:

  • Staffing – do I need to hire someone?
  • Financing operations – can I borrow money and how do I use it?
  • Internal systems – what can we do more efficiently?

All three of the above have one thing in common – they come at a cost!

Most small to medium sized businesses will experience some cashflow pressure throughout their business lifecycle. During these times, how do you get ahead? How do you keep the ball rolling? Ultimately, financing the business will come from debt or equity, but is it a good idea to take on this financial risk and is your business:

  1. Able to access finance; and
  2. Capable of handling growth opportunities

All too often business owners look to get finance but are not in a position to do so. Whether restricted by limited trading history, poor financial performance or existing finance being at a maximum, you need to be aware of your eligibility and how you plan for expansion! If you’re unable to access finance, what are the steps you need to take to ready your business for finance. In other words, what is Plan B and how do we implement this strategy effectively?

I look forward to presenting on this topic and other key cashflow considerations for home staging businesses as part of the DFK Crosbie presentation at this year’s National Home Staging Symposium.

Greg Logue is a Senior Accountant at DFK Crosbie and an advisor to business owners across a range of unique industries. Focusing on business growth and peace of mind for his client’s, Greg has over 10 years’ experience in providing solutions to everyday business problems. Whether it be getting a business off the ground, taking it to the next level or working towards a long-term goal, Greg tailors his approach to suit your needs. Using reliable financial data, Greg and his team can provide strategic advice to drive your business in the right direction.

If you would like to see Greg live, secure you place at the National Home Staging Symposium for 2018!

How To Develop An Employment Contract

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By Tracey Archer

The demands of the current regulatory environment make it tough for businesses to stay current and compliant. Key is setting the ground work early, getting compliance right, starting with employment contracts and workplace policies.

In this two-part blog series, I will explore HR compliance documentation, with the first part focussing on employment contracts and part two focussing on policies and procedures.

Employment contracts can be in writing, oral or inferred from the conduct of parties. Essentially what this means is that even though terms aren’t formally noted a relationship still exists. It exists in the form of relevant employment legislation, that is, the Fair Work Act, the National Employment Standards and if relevant Modern Awards. It does not necessarily safeguard your business from other risks, that are more closely aligned with contractual law.

Other risks that are not covered by employment law but that are considerations for the industry are in relation to Restraint of Trade and Licences.

Restraint of Trade clauses form part of post-employment obligations and can vary from sector to sector. This clause seeks to restrict a former employee from interfering with any relationship you have with your clients, suppliers and other employees or from seeking employment or starting a business which would be in competition with your business. When developing this clause consideration should be given to geographical areas and the length of time the restraint should be in effect. This clause is also important when hiring to ensure your new recruit is free from restraints to perform the role you’ve hired them for.

As a key component of the role involves driving to see clients and potentially a warehouse, you want to ensure your workers have a current drivers licence. Having a clause in the employment contract that covers what could happen if a worker was to lose their licence is key to ensuring you have staff that are able to fulfil the inherent requirements of the role.

Probation periods, Intellectual property and Surveillance (including CCTV and computer) are also important considerations when developing employment contracts.

You’ve worked hard to build your business so it’s best to manage the risks from the start!

If you would like to see Tracey live, secure you place at the National Home Staging Symposium for 2018!