Training might look like: management training to prepare them for promotion or higher duties courses that sharpen their existing skills, learning a new computer programme courses that develop their product knowledge on-the-job training so that they can excel in their role. This may feature in the induction and may be carried out in-house. What if I pay for training and my employee leaves straight after? If you have an explicit cause in your contract or an employee agrees in writing, you may be able to recoup these costs if an employee leaves within a specific period of time. However, relying on these to deduct from the employee's pay may not always be lawful. For instance, if the benefit of a training course is solely or mainly for the company this clause would probably be viewed as unenforceable.

In contrast to training, development often focuses on soft-skills. This is equally important to your employees morale and to their allegiance to your business. Development might look like: Asking employees to mentor other employees. This develops their skills in supervision, leadership and support. Personal study. While this may not always seem to have a direct relation to your business, investing in your employees makes them feel valued. In addition, study can also increase organisation and critical thinking. Performance Reviews A crucial part of development is regular performance reviews. While performance reviews are typically associated with performance improvement plans, they are an important part of positive development. They allow you to harness the enthusiasm and the development of your employees through coaching. They are an opportunity to: find out about the employees goals and work on a path towards them constructively raise any potential issues set a plan for development and training discuss any pay rises, bonuses or KPIs find out further details about the work environment, employee satisfaction and culture. Review this document: Employer Direct Performance Review template

For each of these scenarios, select if you believe the employer is acting in good faith of not.

A reasonable employer does not act on their personal feelings, but acts in a manner that any other objective employer would. This means that any decision to sanction, dismiss or change the employees terms must have a genuine and valid reason. Example: Even if the reason for a disciplinary process is personal, ie, the employee has attacked you as the employer, you must still make an objective decision based on the facts. In a case like this, we'd recommend seeking someone outside of the issue to be the decision maker in the disciplinary.

Good faith means: being honest and not acting in a misleading or deceptive way being responsive and communicative. consulting employees before making a decision which may effect their employment being communicative raising issues in a fair and timely way being respectful, constructive and positive not having predetermined outcomes in restructures, disciplinaries etc This applies to all parties in the employment relationships, including employers, employees and unions Example: If you are carrying out a restructure, it is important that you genuinely consult employees that may be affected before making a decision. Having a predetermined outcome is not acting in good faith. Failure to do so could result in penalties being ordered by the ERA.

You should let the candidate know that you want to check references prior to contacting their references. You should only ask questions that are related to the role and their fit with the workplace. If you have concerns about the feedback, you may wish to raise this with the candidate however you should check with the reference prior to doing so. Review this document: Employer Direct Reference Check Template

Job offer: We recommend that any offer is done in writing. This ensures that there is no confusion. An offer letter should include: The terms of the role (pay, perks, type of employment etc) If there is a 90 day trial or probation period this must be included in the offer letter A recommendation to seek legal advice or to discuss this with their family and a minimum of three working days to do so before the offer is withdrawn. The person within the business that they should contact if they have any questions We recommend that the contract is provided at the same time. Important things to note: Not all employees can have a 90 day trial. Check that this is applicable to your employee Ensure that the employment type you are offering is correct Review these documents: Employer Direct Types of Employment Guide Employer Direct Guide to creating employment agreements Employer Direct Checklist - New Starts Employer Direct Offer Letter Template Employer Direct IEA Template