Dee Powis, Founder of Halcyon HR Consultancy, delivered a practical, straight-talking session on the HR essentials every small business with staff needs to understand. Her focus was on simplifying complex HR, and helping business owners avoid the costly “I didn’t realise that applied to me” traps that can show up later as disputes, compliance issues, or reputational damage.
A standout theme in Dee’s session was the risk around offshore VAs and contractor arrangements. She challenged the common myth that overseas team members sit outside Australian employment obligations, explaining that what matters is how the relationship is set up, not where the person is located. Dee outlined where businesses tend to get caught, and what to put in place now to reduce risk and protect both the business and the working relationship.
Dee also covered performance management in a way that made it feel doable. Clear expectations, early conversations, and simple documentation were positioned as the foundations of confident management, along with a staged approach for handling underperformance. She closed with a snapshot of upcoming changes and a practical “what to do this month” checklist so attendees could leave with immediate actions.
What was covered:
- Offshore VAs and Australian obligations: why “they’re overseas” is not a safeguard, and how the engagement setup matters.
- Where businesses get caught out: common assumptions about contractors, super, tax, WHS, and what can trigger back pay or penalties.
- Risk-reduction essentials: practical steps to structure VA and contractor arrangements correctly, including contracts, operational control, and invoice-style payments.
- Managing performance with confidence: why performance issues happen, what good management looks like, and a simple staged approach to underperformance.
- What’s changing in employment law: key updates on compliance and a clear “what to do this month” checklist for business owners.