Listening isn’t a talent. It’s a skill — and good listening is an art form. I’ve seen amazing listeners in action and admired them like a potter at a wheel, shaping conversation with quiet skill. Maybe that sounds overblown. But think about it: if you can name a bad listener (and I bet you can), you know how rare a good one really is.

HR often gets cast as the compliance department — the internal police — but if we want to be effective, we need to be seen as genuinely helpful partners to managers. Managers are constantly spinning plates labelled production, quality, people, health and safety, and cost, while HR stands on the sideline commenting on just one of them. It’s easy to forget that “people” isn’t always their top priority, and that they juggle competing demands with limited time and budgets. If HR only provides rules and criticism, we become just another voice in the noise. The way to have real influence is to help managers practically — to take work off their plate where possible, to offer advice instead of audits, and to give options with pros and cons rather than rigid instructions. In short, we should aim to be more than compliance officers — we should be enablers of good management.

HR plays a crucial role in ensuring organizational justice, going beyond legal compliance to promote fairness in employee treatment. From remuneration and promotions to career opportunities and redundancies, HR helps ensure employees “get what they deserve.” By leveraging a unique organizational perspective, high emotional intelligence, and cross-departmental visibility, HR identifies inequities, assesses perceptions of fairness, and promotes just outcomes. Organizational justice impacts employee trust, engagement, and retention, making HR’s role in monitoring, guiding, and communicating fairness essential for a healthy workplace culture.

Years ago, I interviewed for a senior HR role and didn’t get it—not because I lacked capability, but because I misunderstood what they were looking for. I focused on proving I was good at HR, but that was a given; what they wanted was someone who could contribute strategically to the business. As you move higher in an organisation, success depends less on departmental expertise and more on understanding and shaping the company’s direction. To do that, you need to grasp what your organisation is trying to achieve now and how it plans to compete—whether through cost, differentiation, or focus. Once you understand the business strategy, you can identify the human requirements that make it possible: who’s essential now, and who will be needed to grow in the future. Strategic HR isn’t just about managing people—it’s about ensuring the organisation has the right people, in the right places, to achieve its goals.

HR Partnering: How to Build Trust

Practical ways for HR professionals to shift from administration to strategic people and culture partnering — earn trust, coach and mentor, show alignment, be approachable, listen effectively, and avoid the ‘no department’ reputation in Human Resources.

Redundancy is painful for both employer and employee. While losing a job isn’t the worker’s fault, the process impacts dignity, confidence, and workplace culture. Learn how organisations can handle downsizing with empathy—preserving self-respect, avoiding sugarcoating, allowing emotional responses, and supporting grieving teams. Discover best practices for minimising harm while navigating necessary organisational change.

New hires often get higher salaries than loyal, proven employees due to status quo bias, market pressures, and midpoint salary systems. Promotions and internal growth lag behind, creating pay inequities. Awareness of these biases helps organizations retain talent and pay fairly.

“Avoid hot-cold management cycles—address issues early, fairly, and consistently for better results.”

Are you a talent hoarder? Explore the pros and cons of keeping overqualified employees, building flexible talent pipelines, and planning for future capability needs. Learn how HR can balance cost management with innovation, and when holding on to green or yellow bananas—emerging or ready talent—creates value or waste for your organisation.

Handling long-term employee medical absences is one of the toughest challenges for HR and managers. In New Zealand law, there’s a point where an employer can fairly decide whether a role can be kept open. This article explores the psychology behind medical exits, common mistakes to avoid, and practical steps to manage the process well while keeping dignity and fairness front of mind.

Swearing at work: bad habit or just another form of punctuation? From social bonding to shock value, swear words carry meaning beyond the obvious. But when do they cross the line in the workplace?