Human Resource Strategies for Small Businesses

Name: Human Resource Strategies for Small Businesses
Start: 2026-10-05T18:30:00+10:00
End: 2026-10-05T18:30:00+10:00
Location: Desir Wine & Cocktail Lounge

About

As a small business owner, managing people can be one of the most rewarding parts of running a business and one of the most challenging.

From hiring the right person and getting employment contracts right, to managing performance and navigating difficult conversations, small businesses often find themselves dealing with HR issues without having an HR department or specialist in-house.

HR doesn’t have to be complicated but getting it wrong can be costly.

Join Businesswomen of Melbourne for an informative and practical session focused on HR Strategies for Small Businesses, where our expert HR presenters will take you through the Employment Lifecycle from hiring to exit.

What will our Presenters cover?

🔹 Recruitment – Getting the Right Person from the Start
Discover what good recruitment looks like, how to identify the right candidate and why making the right hiring decision from the beginning can save your business significant time, money and stress.

🔹 Employment Contracts & Getting the Basics Right
Understand what needs to be considered when setting up a new employee, including Modern Awards, employment contracts, legal requirements and workplace policies.

🔹 Induction, Training & Setting Employees Up for Success
Learn how a strong induction and training process can establish clear expectations, build confidence and help new employees become productive and engaged members of your team.

🔹 Performance Management – When Things Aren’t Going to Plan
What do you do when an employee starts underperforming? We’ll explore practical approaches to performance management, setting expectations, having difficult conversations and addressing issues proactively.

🔹 Exit & Dismissal – Understanding Your Obligations
Gain a better understanding of employee exits and dismissals, including the Small Business Fair Dismissal Code, unfair dismissal considerations and real-life examples and cases.

We’ll also look at some of the common HR issues that small businesses encounter and importantly, how you can be proactive rather than reactive.

The goal is to help you put the right processes, documentation and practices in place before problems arise, giving you greater confidence when managing your people and protecting your business.

Why Attend?

Whether you currently employ a team, are planning to hire your first employee, or simply want to make sure your HR practices are up to scratch, this session will provide practical insights you can take back to your business.

You’ll walk away with a better understanding of:

✔️ What you should be doing at each stage of the employment lifecycle
✔️ Common HR mistakes small businesses make and how to avoid them
✔️ How to be proactive when managing people and workplace issues
✔️ Key employment obligations and areas you need to be aware of
✔️ How to approach difficult performance and dismissal situations
✔️ When it’s time to seek professional HR support
✔️ How the right HR strategies can save your business time, money and unnecessary stress

You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know....HR issues can quickly become expensive and stressful when they aren’t addressed correctly.

This event is about building your knowledge, helping you be proactive and giving you the confidence to manage your people more effectively.

Our experts will also share how engaging an HR consultant can provide valuable support, guidance and peace of mind, particularly for small businesses without dedicated HR resources.

Our Professional Panel comprises of:

🔹Reneh Aziz - Rise Above Consulting

Reneh Aziz is the Founder of Rise Above Consulting, an HR outsourcing business supporting small and medium-sized businesses across construction, logistics, aged care, NDIS, retail and hospitality. With over 20 years of corporate HR experience, Reneh helps business owners navigate HR compliance, Fair Work obligations and day-to-day people challenges with honest, practical and jargon-free advice. Through Rise Above Consulting, Reneh believes in doing HR properly not just quickly, to help protect both businesses and their people.

🔹Maja Trpevska - Integrated People Solutions

Maja Trpevska is the Founder and Director of Integrated People Solutions, a Melbourne-based HR consultancy helping small and medium-sized businesses build compliant, capable and high-performing workplaces. Maja takes an integrated approach to HR, combining strategic HR, recruitment, payroll support, leadership coaching and workplace compliance. Her focus is not simply on helping businesses avoid HR problems, but on creating workplaces where people want to stay, leaders feel confident to lead and businesses have the strong foundations they need to grow.

🔹Pauline Lautier - Simplerecruit

Pauline Lautier brings over 15 years of experience in the recruitment industry, having worked with well-known global recruitment agencies as well as smaller national agencies. Through her experience, Pauline identified a gap for small businesses that needed professional recruitment expertise without the hefty price tag traditionally associated with recruitment services. This led her to establish Simplerecruit, where she uses her extensive recruitment knowledge and industry experience to help businesses find the right people, allowing business owners to focus on what they do best running their business.

🔹Karol Zdravevski - Senior HR&D Consultant

Karol Zdravevski is a Senior HR&D Consultant with over 25 years of experience across internal HR leadership and consultancy, including professional services, accounting, finance, law, medical and allied health, manufacturing, wholesale and retail. For more than 10 years, Karol has operated independently, providing practical, efficient and reliable HR and business advice. A post-graduate qualified HR professional and Fellow of AHRI, Karol supports businesses across employment contracts and legislation, employee and industrial relations, performance management, leadership development, workplace policies, recruitment, coaching and broader HR strategy. His approach focuses on aligning HR practices with business strategy, developing people and achieving sustainable results.

You don’t want to miss this and the opportunity to connect with other like-minded businesswomen, ask your HR questions and leave with practical strategies to help you manage the people side of your business with greater confidence.
This event is perfect for:

• Small business owners and entrepreneurs
• Businesswomen who currently employ staff
• Businesses preparing to hire their first employee
• Managers and team leaders in a Business
• Anyone wanting to better understand their HR responsibilities
• Business owners who want to be proactive and minimise HR risks

Your people are one of your greatest business assets. Make sure you have the right strategies in place to support them and protect your business.

Spaces are limited, so secure your ticket and join us for another valuable Businesswomen of Melbourne event!

At Businesswomen of Melbourne, we believe success is built through connection, collaboration and continuous learning. This event is an opportunity to invest in yourself while networking with like-minded women who are passionate about growing their businesses, careers and professional networks.

🎟 Secure your ticket today—we can't wait to welcome you!

This empowered group of Women in Business come together monthly to inspire each other to reach their full potential and change the way we do business locally.